For as long as I can remember, I have had an apple every day for lunch or an afternoon snack.  Honeycrisp are my favorite!  It's like Christmas to me when Fall rolls around and every store has a gorgeous display of local orchard apples.  Recently, I read an interesting article that I wanted to share with you.  The article was examining natural foods that supress your appetite.  Cindy and I both feel  the healthiest and most effective way to keep your eating under control is to eat smaller meals (4-6/day) that have a balance of wholesome carbohydrates and proteins.  In doing so, you will keep your blood sugar at a more consistant level keeping your hunger in check.  Eating nutritious foods filled with fiber, protein and carbs will help to keep your blood glucose and energy levels consistent and prevent you from feeling like you need to eat everything in the refrigerator...or the fast food drive thru!  YIKES!  

Much my my great joy, they have found  that eating an apple a day can help keep the extra LB's at bay!  According to the one study, apples contain a filling soluble fiber along with ursolic acid, a natural compound that has been found to boost fat burning and which may promote lean muscle mass.  Whaaaat?!  That's fantastic news!  Another study showed that women who added 3 small apples a day (total of 200 calories) to their diet lost more weight in 10 weeks than the dieters who didn't include apples in their diet.  Oh glorious apples!  You make me so happy!

As with everything, I'm sure there's a study that feels the natural sugar found in apples could potentially cause a third eye to grow on your forehead--tee hee!  You all know what I mean.  For every positive reaction to a food or exercise, there is a negative one.  Trying to navigate the constant bombardment of information can often leave me feeling overwhelmed.  But since I have been eating an apple a day for at least 20 years and I don't have a third eye on my forehead, I thought I would share the up side to this wonderful fruit.  

Grab one as you are heading out the door to pick up the kids for your afternoon snack.  If you have more time, have an apple with a little cottage cheese for the perfect combo of protein and carb.  Thank you, Johnny Appleseed, for this glorious Fall fruit!

• A medium apple has 95 calories and 6 grams of fiber; a small apple has 75 calories and 3.5 grams of fiber. The ursolic acid as well as beneficial antioxidants are concentrated in the skin, so make sure you eat the whole apple.