Apples possess a strange tendency to reappear within the history of humanity, marking several events of quite serious importance. These were involved in such things as the mischief of Adam and Eve, the prelude to the Trojan War as well as the finding of gravity by Sir Isaac Newton. Within our times, there is a less romantic, but just as noble role -- a dietary one. They assist us to cut back weight and keep hunger under control.



Since 12th century apples were considered to be therapeutic to a particular disturbances of the gastrointestinal system. At the start of the previous century, the famous phrase “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” was coined; while at the beginning of this one a far more advanced version thereof made an appearance, with the discovery of high amounts of anti-oxidants within the fruit. Apples are healthy, alright.



Interestingly enough, there's another service apples can provide for all of us: they help reduce weight and diminish the general appetite. An apple diet offers many variations (including other ingredients including carrots to coffee), nevertheless the simplest version of it contains eating a pleasant juicy apple just 15 minutes prior to any meal, thus normally 3 x each day.



This diet has attained quite some popularity in the Western countries, and this seems quite understandable. Apples are a perfect healthy snack, as they quite simply are compact, portable and do not require any cooking. They are available in a number of sorts, are relatively cheap because of the capability to grow in moderate climate conditions, and they are easily processed to a number of forms, including juice, puree and cider. Finally, the average apple contains only about 80 calories with no fat or cholesterol whatsoever. What exactly is not to like?



Aside from all of this attractiveness, can we really find any scientific proof that this apple diet really works regarding slimming down and decreasing our sense of hunger? It appears as if the apple does have its magic benefits in fact, as a few recent studies suggest. Researchers of Pennsylvania State University have followed 58 parents for a few months, observing the effects of the apple consumption. A variety of them were to use apple juice, some raw apples and others had apple puree, all prior to their regular meal. The researches confirmed, that consuming one apple before lunch reduces your total energy consumption by more than 150 calories, compared to those who steered clear of the fruit, making thus quite a substantial difference. Additionally, higher ratings of fullness and reduced ratings of hunger were reported. It is important to note here, that eating that extra apple doesn't add more calories in your lunch, since the subsequent intake of food becomes scaled-down due to lessened sense of hunger. An interesting strategy, considering an additional finding with the study that even apple juice has similar effects, although somewhat smaller.



One more study, carried out in Brazil, has arrived at similar findings, although originating from a slightly distinct perspective. It was not about checking the calories this time, which, you may already know, might be effortlessly recuperated through an extra cookie while there isn't any apple about in order to save you. In this case, the study calculated the actual weight of the women who participated in the study. Not surprisingly, people who ate their pre-meal apples in a timely fashion, lost 2.7 pounds (1.22 kg) on average. This might not seem like a substantial result for any three months period, but there is more than you would think. Beside the weight decrease, some additional characteristics for example cholesterol level and blood sugar were better within the group of apple eaters.



Given that consuming an additional apple just before your meal is really not really a restriction, but rather a diversification of your daily diet, the studies mentioned above produce a compelling argument to try and to use this tactic for your diet. You never know, maybe you too can rediscover its historical magic, even if only in the dimensions of your waist. And one last thing: should you ever become bored of apples, have an occasional pear. We won’t tell.