The Apple Diet

Dr Barry L Marks
Orange County, CA Doctor of Chiropractic

I can hear it already from certain patients, “But I thought you said you don’t believe in diets? And that eating should be a lifestyle and not a fad routine that will eventually fail…”

Well, whether that is an actual patient saying that or just the little guilty voice in my head, it is right.

Diets always fail.

Diets fail becasue if you are eating a special assortment or portions of food for only a limited amount of time or until you lose a certain number of pounds, then go back to eating normally again, something is bound to happen. You’ll gain weight.

So, little voice, you are right. If you want to be healthier and normalize your weight you need to find an eating lifestyle that can be sustained for the long run.

With that said, I want you to consider this little experiment for the next 7 days and see what happens.

The Apple Diet
Just prior to each meal eat one apple. Doesn’t matter what type of apple it is. I prefer Gala’s, but Red Delicious, Fuji, Rome, Golden, Granny Smith, McIntosh are all great. And are filled with good nutrients. Therefore, if you eat three meals a day you will be eating three apples a day. So for shopping purposes make sure you buy at least 21 apples for the week. (Your local grocer or orchard will love you!)

What should you expect?
You should expect that after eating one apple prior to the meal, you will eat less at your meal. Apples are very filling and satisfying to the part of your brain that tells you when you are satisfied or not. Doing this with 3 meals a day will result in less overall calories being consumed and less cravings for sweets and snacks. This could result in appreciable weight loss over the course of a month or so.

Is this a Fad Diet?
Yes and no. If you do it for a short period of time, lose a few pounds and then quit and gain the weight back, then yes, it was a fad diet.

But what if you worked apples into your lifetsyle. Maybe after losing 10 or 15 pounds on three apples a day, you have some days when you eat three apples while on others it’s just one. Then you are making a conscious lifetsyle change to ad something nutritious, delicious and satisfying to your daily diet. Nothing wrong with that.

How’s this for a nice light lunch:

• 1 big beautiful Rome apple (if you’re unfamiliar, they are very large round red apples with a very mild sweet taste) cut into wedges
• A chunk of medium cheddar cheese cut into small slices
• A small wedge of Brie
• A mix of raw almonds, walnuts and pine nuts with cranberries or blueberries
• A tall icy cold glass of sparkling Apple-cranberry cider

Make sure to eat a piece of cheese and apple at the same time. Your taste buds will thank you. Then pair the nuts with the apple and nuts with the cheese. Flavor explosion!

And besides helping you lose weight and being delicious, apples are really good for you. New studies come out each year suggesting an apple (or 3) a day really can keep the doctor away.

Go here for an amazing Apple site. If you thought you knew apples, hold on to your hat when you see this place. More apple info than you can eat at one sitting!

As always, I invite your comments and here’s to your abundant health!

Dr Barry Marks