How many calories are in an apple? Does eating apples make you fat? How many apples can I eat in a day?

Many studies show that the habit of eating apples brings many health benefits thanks to its diverse essential nutrients. For example, a medium-sized apple (about 100g) has 52 calories along with the following nutrients:

• Protein: 0.3gr
• Carbs: 13.8gr
• Fiber: 2.4gr
• Fat: 0.2gr

In general, apples are a low-calorie fruit despite containing high amounts of carbs and sugar. Moreover, this fruit is rich in fiber, vitamin C, potassium and beneficial plant compounds (such as quercetin, catechin and chlorogenic acid).

2. Does eating apples make you fat?

Many studies show that apples are very suitable for a healthy diet, both improving overall health and supporting weight loss and do not cause weight gain in both adults and children. Specifically:

Apples are low in calories

Apples are high in water and low in calories. Each medium-sized apple contains about 86% water – which helps you feel full and reduces the total calories from food intake.

Besides, apples are inherently low in calories and some studies show that consuming low-calorie density foods often causes a feeling of fullness, contributing to reducing calorie intake as well as supporting good weight loss.

Contains a lot of fiber that is good for weight loss

As Dien May XANH shared above, thanks to its high fiber content, apples have the ability to slow down digestion, causing a feeling of fullness and avoiding cravings, thereby helping you control your ideal weight.

On average, a medium-sized apple contains about 4g of fiber, meeting 11% of the recommended fiber intake for men and 16% for women.

The soluble fiber in apples also becomes a food source for beneficial gut bacteria, helping to support digestive health and boost metabolism, thereby benefiting weight loss.

Eating apples helps create a feeling of fullness

Due to their high water and fiber content along with low calories, apples possess satiating properties, helping you avoid cravings and calorie absorption from other foods, thereby supporting effective weight loss.

Even when eating apples directly, you tend to take more time and feel fuller for longer compared to consuming fiber-free foods, including applesauce or apple juice.

3. Notes when eating apples

In general, apples are a health-friendly fruit, but due to the physical condition of some people and the impact of some objective factors related to cultivation and preservation, apples can cause side effects. For example:

Causes some digestive problems

Apples contain a type of fiber (called FODMAP) that can cause digestive symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating in some people. Therefore, eating apples should be considered for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Causes unwanted weight gain

Although apples contain many substances that are good for weight loss, if you eat too many, it can also cause unwanted weight gain. Not only that, the sugar content fructose can cause health instability for people with fructose intolerance.

Reduces the effectiveness of treatment drugs

Apple juice, as well as some substances in apples, can interact with the allergy medication fexofenadine. Therefore, if you are using this medicine, you should avoid using apples in any form, as it will reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.

Choose and eat apples properly

Apples often have a high pesticide content, so you need to wash them thoroughly before eating. Moreover, avoid eating apple seeds and the core, because the seeds contain compounds that turn into cyanide when entering the body.

In fact, one study showed that eating at least 150 apple seeds (even crushed) puts adults at risk of cyanide poisoning.

4. How many apples should you eat per day?

We should only eat 1-2 apples per day, and wash the apples and eat the peel as well. Researchers have shown that there are many antioxidants contained in apple peels, especially the polyphenol group, which can fight some cancers.

At the same time, choose fresh apples because they will contain more pectin, which is beneficial for controlling cholesterol levels and other health benefits.

You can even have 1 apple and a banana for breakfast, which will provide enough calories and other essential nutrients for breakfast. Specifically:

A banana contains about 110 calories, 1g of protein and meets 16% of the daily fiber requirement. Meanwhile, an apple provides up to 190 calories along with 36% of the recommended daily fiber intake.

In total, you’ll consume about 300 calories for breakfast, almost reaching the recommended calorie intake for a meal on a 3-meal-a-day diet.

5. How to choose delicious apples

To optimally absorb nutrients and minimize side effects, you need to know how to choose delicious apples as follows:

• The color of the apple peel is even, especially the more tiny white spots appear on the peel, the better the apple.
• The size of the apple fits the palm of an adult, even and not dented, with signs of softness or worms.
• The sound emitted from the apple sounds firm when you flick it with your finger.
• The stem is firmly attached to the fruit.
• Ripe apples have a very characteristic aroma.

So, you now know more about the calories in apples, whether eating apples makes you fat, and how many we should eat per day. We hope this information will be useful for you when choosing to use this fruit in your diet.

*Information compiled and referenced from Healthline.