Apple: It helps Reduce Appetite and Satisfy Cravings for Sweets

by Sri Regine Lherisson-Bey

It is a well known fact that the consumption of sweets — mainly in excess — is a major cause for weight gain and overproduction of body fat.

Who has not craved sweets, especially while experiencing stress or trauma? When this is the case, apples may come to the rescue. Apples not only help curb sugar cravings, but they also contribute to lowering blood pressure when abnormally elevated.

Evidence-based clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of apples – particularly green apples – for weight control.

Golden Delicious apples are routinely consumed in Middle-Eastern countries, particularly Turkey, for effective weight reduction.

Apple blossom flower essences are sometimes used for energetic balancing. Some eclectic nutritionists have recommended green apple scent as aromatherapy-based remedy to help their clients curb their appetite while on a weight management program. 

Apples are available year-round and provide multiple benefits that facilitate their high rank on the list of most nutritious fruits.

Benefits of Apples

Scientific studies have shown that apples contain numerous nutrients that support health and the vital body. Some of the benefits are known as:

• Cells and tissue cleansing and regeneration, due to apple’s thiamine (Vitamin B1), plus a large number of phytochemicals, namely: anthocyanin, cathechin, and quercetin, among other beneficial nutrients. All of such chemicals contribute to the reduction of excess body fat.
• Restoration of the gut’s flora, thanks to apple’s ample amounts of fiber of the soluble kind and the insoluble kind.
• Counteraction of the effects of oxidative stress and free-radical damage, because of the health-providing supply of Vitamin-C, a potent antioxidant.
• Reduction of inflammation and blood sugar imbalances with the delivery of bioflavonoids featuring polyphenolic compounds.
• Enhanced enzymatic activity for improved digestion of food and fats, therefore more proper organ function.
• Mood uplift facilitated by the ingestion of the fruit’s sugars, namely fructose, sucrose, and glucose that are pleasing to the palate while they stimulate the brain’s neurotransmitters.

Apple Fruit Nutrition Facts

A Word of Caution About Chemically-Treated Apples

Even though apples rank very high on the list of nutritious foods, the flip side of their status is that they are also heavily processed with the most dangerous chemicals in order for farmers and retailers to protect their commercial interests. Agro-petro-chemical Pharma has caused commercially-available apples to be more of a bio-hazard than food.

Regardless of the goodness of apples as fruits featuring major health benefits, one must be aware that the commercial processing of apples involves the application of toxic and hazardous chemicals such as: pesticides, herbicides, fungicide wax, shellac for gloss, and more. Such chemicals are used for pest control and extension of produce shelf life. 

Compared to home-grown or organic apples, chemically-treated apples look peculiarly well-groomed: high-gloss, waxy, and near-perfect appearance.

I once tested a pack of Granny Smith apples in May 2007: the apples remained intact for 6 weeks, although unrefrigerated. The said apples were GMO products!

Even though grocers may wash their apples before their display over the counter, it is essential to thoroughly wash one’s apples (as well as all the fruits that one is ready to consume) with a mild, non-toxic surfactant (e.g. pure liquid Castile soap) and scrub the fruits with bicarbonate powder. Last, rinse the washed fruit with purified water before ingesting. It is sensible to fully wash one’s fruits, whether they are organic or not.

Some of the toxic chemicals and pesticides applied on apples may penetrate the fruit’s pulp through its skin, so organic apples are recommended, since their pesticides content is minimal and more regulated than the allowable level for ordinary apples. 

For people who do not think it is necessary to minimize or avoid exposure to pesticides, be aware that science has demonstrated that pesticides mimic estrogens. As shown in HOW TO DETOXIFY YOUR LIFE NATURALLY, an increasingly large amount of pesticides entering the body leads to the development of excess fat, belly bulge, muffin tops, oversized men’s boobs, endocrine dysfunction, immune impairment, and many other issues.

 

Besides home-grown apples, the highest quality of apples that can be found in stores are labeled California Organic, USDA-approved, non-GMO. The commercial tag of such produce starts with the number 9 for their 5-digit code. Usually, produce with a 4-digit code is non-organic, meaning treated with a much higher level of pesticides and other chemicals.

Pristine apples of the organic kind can be a fortunate addition to one’s food supply when it is necessary to reduce excess weight for one reason or another.

Just because apples are so beneficial — especially during times of stress and sugar cravings — it does not mean that craving time is the only instance when one should consume the fruit. No one is to infer that apples are to be binged on either: excess of anything is unwise.

Quality apples of various type and colors, when consumed a few times a week or even a month, and in moderation, can be of support to anyone, whether or not one has a health issue or a weight concern.

And maybe, an apple a day can keep the pill-pushing doctor away…

In my books HOW TO DETOXIFY YOUR LIFE NATURALLY and GET SLIM EFFORTLESSLY, I provide valuable information on sensible nutrition, preventative health, as well as awareness of natural and indigenous remedies for the wellness of body and mind.

Sri Regine Lherisson-Bey, Ph.D. and doctorate degree candidate in Natural Medicine, is a Mind-Body Therapist, Wellness Coach, and published Author voted Wellness Expert by peer consensus in 2005. Therapist Lherisson-Bey is the author of the Kindle bestseller HOW TO DETOXIFY YOUR LIFE NATURALLY as well as the weight management program GET SLIM EFFORTLESSLY. From an original CD, the publication has evolved into an instructional picture book, an eBook, and an effective weight management program. Therapist Lherisson-Bey’s works have been featured on TV, radio, and in several magazines in the past 32 years.