Does An Apple a Day Really Keep the Doctor away?

maggiemax18

I stumbled across a great sale at my local grocery store for apples, salmon and shrimp. For the past 2 weeks, I've basically ate an apple (with 1 tbsp of peanut butter) for breakfast and for lunch. Its surprisingly filling when I drink the amount of water I'm supposed to. For dinner, I've been making lots of shrimp or salmon based meals and controlling my portions.

I've lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks, with no exercise. I'm still drinking my coffee with sugar and creamers and my occasional wine but no soda at all- only water.

My question is, are there any reasons why I shouldn't be eating apples as 2/3 of my day's meals?

janejellyroll

Is eating apples for 2/3 of your meals giving you enough calories? Is it allowing you to meet your nutritional needs?

Generally it's hard to get all the nutrients you need when you're basing your diet on a very small group of foods.

SnifterPug

Nothing to do with your question, but I read a quote recently which said that the definition of an optimist is a man who consumes an apple a day while conducting an affair of the heart with his doctor's wife.

corinasue1143

Lol. That is an optimist!

I see nothing wrong with 2 apples a day. The peanut butter adds some fat and protein. As long as you’re getting a good
Overall balance of nutrients for the day, and it’s working for you, carry on! Keep 2 doctors away!

AnnPT77

If you're getting sufficient (but not excess) calories, protein, and healthy fats, plus a variety of other colorful veggies and fruits, multiple apples per day would be fine. Based on what you've said, but without knowing your portion sizes of things like shrimp/salmon at dinner, I'd be most concerned about protein level.

In a very general sense, 500,000 foot view, a varied diet is "better" than a very repetitive one, in the sense that it can increase the probability of getting well-rounded micronutrients without too much effort. (I'm assuming you're explicitly monitoring the macronutrients.)

(Taking supplements is not the same as eating foods. For one, the supplemented form of certain micronutrients has different absorption or toxicity issues vs. food-based inherent forms. For two, many essential nutrients and beneficial nutrients have been discovered over the course of my lifetime. After discovery, they're put in supplements. But they were in food all along. I suspect science hasn't finished discovering all the beneficial/essential nutrients, so eating varied foods is a bet-hedge.)

cmriverside

Yeah, I'm with Ann. A meal plan that is limited in ingredients is certain to be lacking something.

With that said, I have a peanut butter and jelly toast almost every day. Or peanut butter, bread and banana or apple...so I guess I do it. But that's one snack. I do get enough protein, and a minimum of five different fruits or vegetables.

I recently bought several pounds of mushrooms on sale. Now I have a bunch of frozen sauteed mushrooms. That one will be a challenge. Doesn't go well with peanut butter.

springlering62

I just had a sudden overwhelming yen for an apple and almond butter. And since I have the calories........... see ya!

paperpudding

maggiemax18 wrote: »

I stumbled across a great sale at my local grocery store for apples, salmon and shrimp. For the past 2 weeks, I've basically ate an apple (with 1 tbsp of peanut butter) for breakfast and for lunch. Its surprisingly filling when I drink the amount of water I'm supposed to. For dinner, I've been making lots of shrimp or salmon based meals and controlling my portions.

I've lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks, with no exercise. I'm still drinking my coffee with sugar and creamers and my occasional wine but no soda at all- only water.

My question is, are there any reasons why I shouldn't be eating apples as 2/3 of my day's meals?

The answer to whether you shouldn't be eating an apple and a tsp of peanut butter for 2/3 of your meals depends entirely on what else your total days intake consists of.

There are people who only eat one meal a day - no problem if it works for them (it certainly would not for me) but if they eat an appropriate calorie intake and a reasonably nutritious diet - no problem.

Same goes for eating an apple and a tsp of peanut butter twice a day and a reasonably nutritious and calorie appropriate 3rd meal.

It is the days total that counts - and for most people that could easily include 2 apples and 2 tsp of peanut butter.

dejavuohlala

No

KimiAR

Honestly I don’t think a period of time where you do it is a problem and if you’re concerned take a multivitamin or a salad at lunch. If It’s not like you have an OCD issue where you are planning on doing this for years on end, A few weeks isn’t going to be a big deal in the long run.

bluej85

You're basically talking about eating one meal a day and two snacks. As it's been said, I don't see anything wrong with that if the meal is nutritious and your calories otherwise stay at a healthy level.