Can the bounty of apples available this time of year be good for the waistline?
A study of over 55 adults published in the journal Appetite revealed that eating an apple before lunch helped reduce calories in that meal by 15% or about 185 calories. The researchers concluded that eating high fiber fruit at the start of a meal increases fullness, which can help us consume fewer calories when we have a meal.
There may also be other waist-trimming benefits in apples. In a study published in the journal, Food Chemistry, researcher Giuliana Noratto, PhD, found that compounds, called polyphenols, as well as fiber in Granny Smith apples can change the proportion of gut bacteria in obese mice to mimic that of lean mice.
The lead author, Noratto said, “our hypothesis suggests that a disproportionate amount of unhealthy gut bacteria found in obese individuals may play a role in triggering chronic low grade inflammation in the body. This is turn may cause metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels that lead to more fat being made and stored in the body. When restoring a bacteria balance that mimics the balance seen in lean individuals, the inflammation decreases and less fat is made and deposited in the body.”
Joan Salge Blake, a clinical associate professor and registered dietician at Boston University has some apple tips to help you slim down:
1. Add chopped apples to your morning yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal to keep you full throughout the morning.
2. Chomp on an apple 30 minutes prior to your lunch to help you eat less.
3. Pack an apple to munch on during the workday commute home. A pre-dinner apple may help curb your appetite so that you don’t arrive home so starving that you are tempted to eat just about anything.
And, according to Blake, enjoying apples this fall may end up being the sweetest diet trick of the season. bostonglobe.com 10/7/14