Have an Apple a Day To Stay healthy

Start your meal with an apple and, research shows, you're apt to eat less overall. The fruit's filling fiber content (a medium one contains four to five grams, or roughly a fifth of a woman's daily needs) may be partially to thank. Go with the actual solid fruit: In a study published in the journal Appetite, people who sank their teeth into an apple 15 minutes before a pasta meal consumed 15 percent fewer calories than those who had applesauce or apple juice instead. "We think the apple's volume, as well as the act of chewing, may result in a fuller stomach and a longer digestion time," explains study coauthor Julie Flood Obbagy, Ph.D., R.D.