She’ll be apples! [Dieting after sixty]

There are around 7,000 varieties of apples worldwide and the apple tree is a member of the rose family. Apple trees have been know to live for up to 100 years and it normally takes energy from fifty leaves to produce one apple.

In ancient Greece, when a man proposed to a woman, he would throw her an apple. And if she chose to catch it that meant she was prepared to marry him.

The main apple season in Australia is from around late January to late May depending on the variety. Apples available at other times may have been in cold storage or may have been imported from the northern hemisphere. The whole apple is much better nutritionally than the juice as the whole apple is rich in dietary fibre.

Apples are relatively inexpensive when compared to some other foods and come packed with vitamin C, vitamin A and flavonoids, plus smaller amounts of phosphorus, iron and calcium. They also provide a source of potassium that may promote heart health. Many of the nutrients contained in an apple are just under the skin and the vitamin C and the vitamin A are actually in the skin.

They contain five per cent protein and 25 per cent of their volume is air. They have no fat or sodium. So it would seem this is why the proverb from 1866 of eating an apple daily still makes loads of sense today.

The uses for the apple are very diversified. They are great fresh or with cheese for after dinner and for inclusion in salads. When cooked they are mostly used in pies, desserts, cakes and slices.

But wait for it! For those that don’t know, apples are on the list of “negative kilojoule foods”.
A negative kilojoule food is a food that, when eaten raw, burns more kilojoules to digest it than the food actually contains.
In a standard 180 gram apple of around 355 kilojoules (85 calories), it takes around 426 kilojoules (105 calories) to digest. This is approximately 20 per cent more than the apple contains. Hence the term “negative kilojoule food”.

So for every raw apple you eat you are consuming NO kilojoules and burning additional energy to digest it. How good is this?

In my opinion, the apple is magic. They are great to eat and also quite filling which makes them a nourishing food for those watching their weight. When eaten fresh they can be very satisfying especially if eaten between meals. There is also a theory that if you eat an apple half an hour prior to a meal, it curbs the appetite and you are likely to eat less. Given the apple adds no kilojoules to your daily count what have you got to lose!

I used to find it difficult to eat an apple that was until I bought a great gadget at one of those two dollar shops and from that day on eating at least one apple a day has become so easy. I love my apple cutter so much that I now even take it with me when I’m on the go or if I go away. Below is a photo of the cutter showing the apple cut into eight bite size pieces that I took with my iPhone (excuse the quality).

If I have indulged a little too much especially at weekends I try to make up for the extra kilojoules I’ve consumed my having an apple for breakfast for the next couple of days. That means I’m having a no kilojoule breakfast.

Also, several nights a week I try to just have a light dinner of an apple, celery, cucumber and cheese. The celery and the cucumber when eaten raw are also on the negative kilojoule food list so I’m really only consuming kilojoules in the cheese!

Negative kilojoule fruits when eaten raw are:

–       Apples

–       Cranberries

–       Figs

–       Grapefruits

–       Mangoes

–       Oranges

–       Pineapples

–       Raspberries

–       Strawberries

–       Tangerines

Negative kilojoule vegetables when eaten raw with no additives are:

–       Asparagus

–      Broccoli

–      Cabbage (green)

–      Carrots

–      Cauliflower

–      Celery

–      Cress

–      Cucumbers

–      Endive

–      Garlic

–      Green beans

–      Lettuce

–      Onions

–      Radishes

–      Spinach

–      Turnips

Knowing that these fruits and vegetables are negative kilojoule foods has given me hope that weight loss is possible for us all if we just stay with it.

Carole xxx

Please note that Carole is not a physician, dietician or nutritionist. If a reader has any issues about their weight that are medically related then a professional opinion should always be obtained before embarking on any changes or restrictions to their diets.

Check out your BMI if you don’t know it. You can calculate your BMI here.

If you would like me to cover any particular topic in this column please email me at: [email protected]

Anyone with a BMI over 25 and over the age of 60 should really look seriously at devising an eating plan that has reduced kilojoules. You need an uncomplicated plan that can also fit in with your lifestyle, and one that you can adapt if necessary for unavoidable social events.