Have you heard of the "apple diet"?
It's a low-calorie diet plan that has you eat apples with every meal: lunch, breakfast, and dinner.
It's based on the belief that eating an apple at each meal can make you feel fuller and cause you to eat less.
Given that apples are low in calories and dense in nutrients, they are a perfect fit for weight loss.
Depending on size, an apple can contain anywhere from 80 to 100 calories.
Apples also a rich source of calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A, B, and C, and fiber. It's not only a weight loss friendly fruit but also helps to improve your health as a whole.
How Does the Apple Diet Work?
The apple diet keeps your daily calorie intake low to about 1200 calories per day.
The 5-day apple diet plan includes:
Day 1
- Breakfast: 2 Apples.
- Lunch: 1 Apple.
- Dinner: 3 Apples.
Day 2
- Breakfast: 1 apple, 1 glass of skim milk or almond/ soy milk.
- Lunch: 1 apple and avocado green salad, topped with seeds and nuts. Dress it with a lemon and apple cider vinegar dressing.
- Dinner: Apples.
Day 3
- Breakfast: 1 apple; one slice of whole-grain bread and a slice of low-fat turkey bacon
- Lunch: 1 apple and cabbage and carrot clear soup with chicken breast.
- Dinner: Apples
Day 4
- Breakfast: 1 apple, a boiled egg, and one slice of whole-grain bread
- Lunch: 1 apple, 3-4 oz skinless chicken, and raw vegetables.
- Dinner: Apples
Day 5
- Breakfast: an apple and a bowl of whole-grain cereals and nut milk.
- Lunch: an apple, baked salmon, and green salad with a lemon and apple vinegar dressing.
- Dinner: Apples.
The Benefits of the 5-Day Apple Diet
This 5-day apple diet is comprised of common, affordable, and accessible ingredients.
When the meal consists of just apples, you can eat any amount of them.
Throughout the diet, good hydration is recommended. This prevents constipation, fosters detoxification, and aids weight loss.
Although most of your meals are nutrient-rich, it's not to say the apple diet is without downsides.
Here are a few to note.
The Disadvantages of the Apple Diet
The apple diet is extremely calorie restricted. This means you may experience side effects like headaches, dizziness, and irritability.
You may also experience gastric hyperacidity due to increased apple consumption.
You may also get triggered to overeat after the 5-day diet and experience a rebound fairly quickly.
As a rule of thumb, if you cut calories, exercise, you will lose weight without dieting.
Takeaway
If you decide to give this 5 Day Apple Diet a try, check with your doctor first, as you should with any diet.
How much weight you'd lose depends on many factors such as your weight, age, gender, and activity level. The heavier you are the more weight you'll lose.