Green apples: composition, calorie and glycemic index

Everyone knows about the benefits of apples, as well as the fact that green apples are considered to be a dietary product.What is the reason for this and is the apple diet so beneficial, how do people speak about it?

Even one small apple, eaten daily, can bring great benefits to the body. It is all about its chemical composition, which includes vitamins, micro- and macronutrients, acids, fiber, pectin.

The sour taste of the apple is due to the large amount of organic acids - malic, citric, formic, tartaric. "Sour" provides and vitamin C, which is rich in fruit. Along with it, there are vitamins B, A, PP, E. This allows you to talk about the immune stimulating and tonic, restorative effects of fruits.

Green Apple also contains:

• iron;
• potassium;
• calcium;
• iodine;
• sodium;
• magnesium;
• copper;
• molybdenum;
• zinc;
• fluorine.

More than 85% of green apples consist of water, and this is a structured liquid, similar to the one that washes the internal organs. This means that apple juice (and this is water with minerals, acids, vitamins dissolved in it) is fully absorbed by the body.

Fiber and pectins help improve digestion, and are also found in fairly large amounts in the apple. Green apples, despite the sour taste, contain sugar. True, their number here is significantly inferior to the content of sugars in sweet red and yellow apples.

Green apple is considered to be a diet product, since it contains 35-40 kcal / 100 g. Low calorie content is due to the low content of carbohydrates and sugars. The amount of protein and fat in an apple is about the same and usually remains the same, while the amount of carbohydrates in green apples of different varieties may vary slightly.

Knowing the caloric content of 100 grams of the product, you can roughly calculate the energy value of a whole apple. In one medium fruit weighing 80-90 g contains about 30 kcal. Together with the mass of the apple, the number of calories in it grows, therefore the larger fruit, weighing 170-200 g, contains about 70-85 kcal.

These data are valid for fresh fruits, while dried and dried apple slices or rings have a high energy value of about 230 kcal / 100 g. This is due to the evaporation of moisture from the product, resulting in it increases the concentration of vitamins and minerals, as well as sugar . In other words, Dried apples are a concentrated, wholesome, but very high-calorie product.

Low calorie green apple, as well as the presence of fiber in it (100 g of apple can provide 20% of the body's daily need for fiber) and useful elements makes this product especially useful for those who seek to lose weight.

With an average calorie green apple of 35-40 kcal, the balance of BJU in it looks something like this - 0.4 / 0.4 / 10 g.

As already mentioned, carbohydrates in different varieties may be contained in more or less. Thus, the popular variety of Granny Smith apples has a caloric content of 47 kcal, carbohydrates account for 9.7 g. Since these fruits are very large (one piece of such fruit can weigh up to 300 g), the caloric content can reach 140-150 kcal.

Another popular variety, Semerenko, boasts a lower calorie content - only 37 kcal / 100 g. Naturally, the carbohydrate content in it is lower - 9 oz. At the same time, compared with “Granny Smith”, “Semerenko” is small, the average weight is 100-120 g. It turns out that 1 pc. apple contains about 40 kcal.

We have given the size of apples for good reason, since this should also be taken into account when drawing up the menu. The calorie content of an apple depends on its nutritional value and size, it is wrong to assume that 1 apple will not make a large contribution to KBRU. You should always calculate the energy value for a particular fruit of a particular variety.

To date, there is a lot of controversy over whether to include an apple in the calculations of the KBMU. Most nutritionists still give a positive answer to this question, especially if losing weight is a careful calculation of calories. The calorie content of some green apples (we are talking about the whole fruit) is quite high (for example, the same “Granny Smith) and reaches an average of 150 kcal.

The glycemic index (GI) is the rate at which the sugar from the incoming food enters the blood. A large amount of sugar, simultaneously arriving in the body, gives a large load on the pancreas, which produces insulin. The amount of the latter also increases dramatically, which leads to an insulin jump.

The body, trying to neutralize the sugar faster, converts it into body fat. That is why high GI foods cause weight gain, obesity.

However, for GI food is watched not only losing weight, but also people with diabetes. With this disease, an insufficient amount of insulin is produced in the body (this is in the second type of diabetes, in the first case insulin is not produced at all, but injected). The sugar that comes in large quantities does not have time to break down, therefore the organs and systems do not receive the necessary glucose, fructose, sucrose, which is why their activity is disturbed.

The inability to process fast carbohydrates, which is sugar, leads to metabolic disorders. At the same time, a high concentration of sugar remains in the blood of the diabetic, which provokes a sharp deterioration in the condition, in severe cases to whom. To avoid such diabetics allows consumption of exactly that amount of sugar, which can process their body, experiencing an insulin deficiency.

A green apple will not harm those who watch the figure, or diabetics, because its GI is 30 units. In addition, the high fiber content helps to partially neutralize the sugar, slowing its absorption by the intestines. As a result, blood sugar rises slowly and evenly.

Another merit of foods with a low glycemic index is the long-lasting feeling of satiety they provide. This is again explained by the fact that the sugar level rises rather slowly, for a long time, and most importantly, smoothly.

Low calorie and low glycemic index allow the use of green apples in the diet. However, this does not end the beneficial properties of the fruit.

Apples help more quickly and efficiently process food, which is largely due to the presence of acids and fiber in the composition. Dietary fiber improves intestinal motility, which affects the rate of passage of food through it and its absorbability. In addition, cellulose, being an indigestible element, passes through the intestines and is brought out. However, with it, slags, mucus and toxins are removed.

Better assimilation of food contributes to the acceleration of lipid and metabolic processes, and this is a necessary condition for losing weight. The composition of green apples also contains potassium, which removes excess fluid from the body (one of the factors for the development of cellulite, the cause of edema), and sodium, which provides the optimal ratio of fluids and salts in the body.

Finally, the richness of the mineral and vitamin composition of this fruit makes it possible to avoid a deficiency of certain microelements and vitamins, which is often observed with a strict diet.

Green apples fit perfectly into the system of proper nutrition. Most of those who adhere to healthy lifestyles consume one apple daily, usually in the morning. In combination with proper nutrition and a balanced diet, sufficient physical activity, apples help maintain good physical shape and demonstrate a tonic effect.

However, the name “apple” does not mean that only green apples should be consumed. Despite the low calorie content, such a diet will lead to weight gain and health problems. The fact is that apples do not have enough fats, proteins and amino acids, which will cause a metabolic disorder. A disturbed metabolism, as we have already found out, is a direct path to overweight.

In addition, a high acid content even in a healthy person can cause abdominal pain. Needless to say that Such diets are taboo for people with high acidity of gastric juice, who have gastritis, colitis, ulcers and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract of inflammatory nature.

Such diets suggest consumption of 3-5 green apples per day. They do not need to be heat treated, but should be eaten with the peel. Be sure to add to the diet of proteins and fats - chicken breast, turkey, lean sea fish, lean beef, eggs, vegetable oils, dairy and dairy products. To reduce weight, you should reduce the amount of salt consumed, follow the drinking regimen, and stop using tea (herbal decoctions are possible) and coffee.

Supplement the diet should be egg protein, kefir. It is important to drink plenty of water. If you keep the diet hard, and you feel a strong attack of hunger, you are allowed to eat vegetable broth, a piece of lean meat or chicken.

On why green apples are more useful than red ones, see the following video.