An Apple a Day Keeps Hunger Away

Welcome to Walking the Walk, a feature that takes a deeper look at commonly shared diet and fitness advice. Every other week, I'll choose one piece of advice and practice it for seven days. Then I'll report back on what I discovered about making it work in real life and how it affected my own personal fitness -- and how it ultimately can affect your own efforts.

A big, crunchy, juicy apple is the perfect snack to fill up on between meals. But did you know that eating an apple before a meal just might help you cut back on calories?

A 2007 study, out of Pennsylvania State University, found that when participants were given either fruit juice, one and a half peeled apples or applesauce 15 minutes before a meal, the people who ate the apple ate -- on average -- 187 fewer calories from their plates.

Apples have been shown to control blood sugar, but that's not the only thing going on here. Researchers believe that it's the volume of food -- whole fruit is more filling than applesauce or juice, for instance -- and the act of eating that helps keep hunger pangs at bay.

I'm going to put this theory to the test this week, eating an apple (with the peel -- more fiber and nutrition that way!) before each lunch and dinner.