Many people know that apples are not only very beneficial for the human body due to their richness in vitamins and fiber, but they are also an ideal product for dietary nutrition.
Apples contain a large amount of pectin, which can have a positive effect on the process of breaking down adipose tissue. It is in this regard that a special pectin diet was developed, which allows not only to get the body in shape, but also to improve the health of the body.
Recently, pectins have been actively used not only for dietary nutrition, but also in cosmetology, pharmaceuticals and the food industry.
What is apple pectin?
PECTIN is a high molecular weight polysaccharide that is a soluble dietary fiber (fiber) and is present in all cell walls of plants and their tissues.
Pectin provides fruits with the ability to retain water, thereby preventing its loss and increasing their safety during storage.
Almost all plants can contain pectin, just in different concentrations. There is a lot of it in grapefruit, orange, plum and apricot.
But apples have a particularly high level of pectin; they are its main industrial sources.
It is present in their skin and pulp, giving this fruit a lot of beneficial properties.
Bonus! Let's understand the versions: citrus vs apple
Since we have studied the issue seriously, we will not regret a few words about citrus pectin.
Advice from personal experience on how not to get confused by brands and choose the best one. At the beginning of the article, we mentioned that dietary supplements with an emphasis on “pectin” most often contain a substance from citrus peel. Research shows that in terms of effectiveness as a sorbent and prebiotic, such a polysaccharide is inferior to its analogue obtained from apples or citrus pulp. () Therefore, read the labels - fine print and detailed composition. Or immediately choose pectin from apples.
It is curious that for therapeutic detoxification, reputable brands on iHerb offer a special modified citrus pectin - from the white part of the peel of citrus fruits.
The product is billed as a “low molecular weight miracle.” It passes the intestinal barrier and binds small amounts of those heavy metals that a person receives from regular exposure to ordinary environmental factors.
- Dietary supplements are recommended for use during aggressive weight loss programs (for example, a semi-starved menu of less than 600 kcal/day, a drinking diet, etc.).
- It is also used in biomedical protocols for chelation and the treatment of complex health problems (endocrine pathology, pediatric neurology, severe poisoning).
Beneficial properties of apple pectin
Apples contain two types of fiber: insoluble and soluble.
Fiber is the roughest part of the plant. Insoluble is a porous fiber similar to a sponge; it is in no way digested or absorbed in our body.
But when it enters our body, it begins to actively absorb all the accumulated toxins and processing products of our cells, and then remove them from our body. This is a kind of detox!!!
Also, this insoluble fiber swells in our digestive tract and promotes good digestion, speeding it up and preventing toxic substances from remaining inside us for a long time (in simple terms, this is an excellent prevention of constipation)
Pectin is a soluble fiber; when it comes into contact with water, it turns into a gel, the favorite habitat of our beneficial bacteria.
They use it as a prebiotic source of nutrition, absorb it and produce beneficial substances that, when released into our blood, have a lot of beneficial effects. For example, they lower cholesterol.
Benefits of Apple Fiber
A research team at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England, discovered that pectin blocks the activity of the enzyme galactin 3, which allows cancer cells to break away from tumors and attach elsewhere (metostasis), a major factor in the spread of cancer.
- Improving digestion, intestinal environment and preventing constipation, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea
- Slows down the absorption of sugar and fats in the body, which leads to lower blood glucose levels
- Reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases by reducing blood cholesterol levels
- Regulates blood pressure
- Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer
- Promotes weight loss by slowing down the movement of digested food in the colon, as it increases its viscosity
- Binds and removes toxins and heavy metals from the body (mercury, lead, aluminum, etc.)
- Reduces the effects of radiation
- Naturally cleanses the skin, restoring its natural purity and pleasant color. You lose warts, papillomas, acne, pimples, all those signs on the skin that indicate your body is polluted.
How to choose the right one and personal experience
There are several options for dietary supplements with our hero.
Dry powder.
The product is light brown or white in color - apple and citrus, respectively. It comes in capsules and loose.
Here are two quality leaders among apple analogues in the iHerb online store (iHerb)
- Now Foods, Apple Pectin, 700 mg - 120 Capsules
These capsules are very convenient for fasting days and diets. 2 capsules 2 times a day - between meals, with a glass of water. In the office, on the road, at home - no dancing with eating porridge or fortifying dishes with powder. The capsules harmonize digestion, protect against constipation on protein diets, and maintain a healthy microflora structure. By the way, health, beauty and the ability to maintain the achieved slimness directly depend on the latter.
- Solgar, Apple Pectin Powder - 114 g
Features of the release form:
- Sourish taste. More pleasant than not.
- Can be added to smoothies and sauces that are blended with a blender.
- Difficult to dissolve in water.
- It may stick to your teeth if you just drink it down.
Liquid.
In this form, the polysaccharide is pre-dissolved in water. This avoids lumps when adding it to food.
Apple fiber: two in one
Now Foods Pure Apple Fiber stands out - 340 g
Our review is beyond doubt!
This is a favorite feature on the family menu! It contains at least 10% apple pectin.
Suitable for long-term and regular use - as a source of dietary fiber in a healthy diet. We use it in different ways. Just like porridge, throw it into a smoothie or curd paste with berries, add it to pancakes, omelettes and baked goods.
From the latest favorite versions: pour the fiber from apples with hot water, add a little coconut oil, inulin and a pinch of cinnamon. Fragrant and quite tasty. For those who lack sweetness, use any safe sucrose containing stevia.
We eat it like porridge. On average, it’s better in the afternoon. But you can do it in the morning, with a cup of warm tea. This choice is a direct step towards regular colon cleansing.
An unexpected plus: even children love apple porridge in this version.
Attention!
Be careful with any fiber if products containing it are rare guests on your table. These are all types of cabbage, beets, carrots, beans, and bran bread.
Evaluate whether you have eaten enough dietary fiber so far. If it is not enough, then sharply introducing more than 10-15 grams of the described porridge can create increased gas formation. If you are healthy, it will certainly pass - in 2-4 days if you continue taking it.
Love yourself! Don't push your body to extremes. Improve your diet gradually, even if just yesterday you ate worse than you could. There is no need for sacrifices and overexertion. Only a moderate transition to new habits will allow you to get the maximum benefit from pectin supplements and fiber for cleansing, weight loss and health.
When is it recommended to take fiber?
- For weight loss and obesity prevention.
- For the prevention of constipation, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, varicose veins of the lower extremities.
- For the prevention of malignant neoplasms of the large intestine, prostate, mammary gland and other tumors of organs and tissues.
- For the prevention of gastric and duodenal ulcers, neurotic dyspepsia, flatulence
- For the treatment of dysbiosis
- For the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system (atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension)
- For the prevention and treatment of cholecystitis and cholelithiasis
- For the prevention of diabetes mellitus
- With a decrease in immunity of any etiology
Pectin diet for weight loss
The pectin diet is based on apples because they contain the most pectin. And pectin can have a beneficial effect on the digestive system.
Pectin has good properties for weight loss:
- Removes cholesterol and stagnant fat cells, radionuclides and waste
- Reduces appetite, resulting in a decrease in daily calorie intake
- Excellent effect on intestinal microflora
The pectin diet lasts a week and promises weight loss of up to 10 kg. A very unusual weight loss in 7 days.
What happens on the pectin diet, what is the point?
Contraindications and application features
Pectin in supplements should not be overused.
The daily fiber intake is about 30 g per day, but you should always start with a small amount. (0.5-1 tsp)
- It is undesirable to take fiber for open stomach and intestinal ulcers, acute cholecystitis and pancreatitis.
- Pectin improves the absorption of vitamins and minerals, except iron!!!. The interval between taking fiber and iron supplements should be about 2 hours!
- When taking fiber, be sure to drink enough water throughout the day.
Pectin for weight loss: how to take? Menu for 7 days
1st day:
- breakfast - a plate of fresh salad of 3 grated apples, 2 chopped walnuts and lemon juice dressing;
- lunch - a large plate of salad made from a fresh apple, a boiled egg and chopped onion and parsley;
- dinner - 5 apples of sweet and sour varieties.
Day 2:
- breakfast - a salad of 3 grated sweet and sour apples, 150 grams of boiled rice without oil, salt and sugar;
- lunch - 3 large apples baked in the oven (or steamed) with a few drops of lemon juice;
- dinner - 2 apricots or 2 plums, 100 grams of boiled rice without sugar, salt and butter.
3rd day:
- breakfast - a plate of salad from 2 grated apples, 150 grams of low-fat cottage cheese;
- lunch - a serving of salad from 2 grated apples and quince;
- dinner - 100 grams of low-fat cottage cheese, 1 large peach.
4th day:
- breakfast - a plate of grated apple salad, 3 carrots 2 apricots;
- lunch - a portion of salad of grated apple, peach, plum and a dessert spoon of honey with a few drops of lemon juice;
- dinner - 3 apples baked in the oven (add a little natural honey).
Day 5:
- breakfast - a plate of fresh salad of 3 grated apples, 2 carrots, small beets and a teaspoon of natural honey;
- lunch - a plate of oatmeal, cooked in water without adding sugar, salt and butter, 2 hard-boiled chicken eggs (or 4 quail), a cup of boiled grated beets;
- dinner - grated raw carrots with 2 tablespoons of natural honey.
Day 6:
- breakfast - a plate of fresh salad of 3 grated apples, 2 chopped walnuts and lemon juice dressing;
- lunch - a large plate of salad made from a fresh apple, a boiled egg and chopped onion and parsley;
- dinner - 5 apples of sweet and sour varieties.
Day 7:
- breakfast - a salad of 3 grated sweet and sour apples, 150 grams of boiled rice without oil, salt and sugar;
- lunch - 3 large apples baked in the oven (or steamed) with a few drops of lemon juice;
- dinner - 2 apricots or 2 plums, 100 grams of boiled rice without sugar, salt and butter.
During the entire dietary course, it is recommended to drink large quantities of liquid: still water, green tea without sugar, as well as mint, chamomile and lemon balm tea.
Salt, sugar and any sweets are strictly prohibited during the pectin diet.
Pectin for weight loss has surprisingly good reviews.
Useful tips for going through the pectin diet
So, how can you make your diet easy and as effective as possible?
- Try to drink clean, still water every day. According to the diet, it is better to eat vegetables raw; the effect will be greater for weight loss.
- Make yourself herbal tea from lemon balm, acacia, chamomile or linden. Still do without juices.
- You should avoid alcohol, salt and sugar for the entire week. It is also better for smokers to quit smoking for a week, if possible.
If you feel very hungry, satisfy your appetite with apples. You can use any apples, sweet or sour. You can also bake apples; they are more filling and last longer than raw ones. Also, if you are very hungry, you can drink low-fat kefir or fermented baked milk, as well as green tea without sugar
For each day, buy 1.5 kg of apples in advance and divide them into about 5 doses. When baked, apples are not sweetened without sugar or honey.
Products with pectin
The actual content of valuable pectin varies depending on each plant. For example, apples, lemon, orange, pumpkin, apricots or carrots have higher fiber levels.
— apricots about 4-7%
— bananas about 0.59-1.28%
— citrus peel about 30%.
Research has also shown that the effectiveness of the pectin diet is reduced if unsaturated fats and simple carbohydrates are not excluded from the diet. During the period of losing weight on pectin, you can consume the juices and pulp of vegetables and fruits, both fresh and processed in the form of unsweetened jelly, pastille or puree. Salads and smoothies are welcome on the menu. Pectin supplements are widely available in capsule or powder form.
Approximate menu of the pectin diet:
breakfast - oatmeal with fruits and berries, boiled egg;
snack – smoothie made from apples, carrots and berries in season;
lunch - beans or beans with herbs, grated carrots, boiled chicken, apple;
afternoon snack – baked pumpkin (puree) or plums.
dinner - salad of apples, carrots, low-fat cottage cheese, seasoned with lemon juice and a spoonful of honey, kefir.
Many have heard about such a product as pectin. However, it remains a mystery to most. In fact, the polysaccharide was known more than 200 years ago and has many positive properties.
Pectin is a clarifier and thickener of plant origin, widely used in the food industry and pharmaceuticals. In the natural environment it is found in roots and fruits.
The polysaccharide has several varieties. The most popular are citrus and apple. The substance is registered as food additive E440. It can often be seen on packages of ketchups, jelly products, dairy products, mayonnaise, sweets, and so on.
The main purpose is to use it in food products as a stabilizer and thickener. Production - industrial method.
What are the benefits of pectin for the human body, and can it cause harm? How to use the substance for weight loss and are there any contraindications? Let's take a closer look.
Pectin diet. Diet for a week
First day on apples. Result from -1 to -2 kg.
- In the morning, grate 3 medium apples and season with lemon juice. For satiety, add 2 walnuts.
- Lunch - fresh salad of apples, green onions and parsley. Grate the apples, finely chop the parsley and green onions. You can season it with a boiled egg, cut it into cubes or grate it too.
- For lunch you need 150 grams of apples, a bunch of parsley, 3-4 green onions, one boiled egg.
- For dinner, eat 5 medium apples.
Second day on apples and rice. Result from -1 to -1.5 kg.
- In the morning - 3 medium apples and 100 grams of boiled rice, even better steamed, without salt or additives
- For lunch, apples with rice too. Peel the apples and remove the core and seeds. Pour hot water over the apple slices. Add lemon juice and squeezed lemon zest to the apples. Boil apples with lemon until soft and leave to cool in a warm place. Boil the rice and mix it with the resulting applesauce. Eat the finished dish of rice with apples.
- For dinner, only 100 grams of boiled rice, nothing to eat.
Third day on cottage cheese and apples. Result -2 kg.
- In the morning - 100 grams of low-fat cottage cheese and 2 medium apples
- For lunch, apples with cottage cheese. Cut the apples into strips and place in water acidified with lemon. Mix low-fat cottage cheese with 2 tsp. honey and 2 shelled walnuts. Then add the apples soaked in lemon to the cottage cheese.
- For dinner, only 150 grams of 0% fat cottage cheese.
Fourth day on apples and carrots. Result -2kg.
- In the morning, grate 3 large carrots and 1 apple.
- For lunch, carrot and apple salad. Grate apples and carrots, add 2 tsp lemon juice and honey. The salad is ready, mix and serve.
- For dinner - bake 4 medium apples with 1 tsp. honey
Fifth day on carrots and beets. Result -2kg.
- In the morning - 2 boiled carrots and 1 boiled beets, it is better to steam them. It’s even better to eat vegetables raw, perhaps grated.
- For lunch - a portion of oatmeal, 2 boiled eggs and one boiled beetroot; it is better to eat the beets raw.
- For dinner - raw carrots in any quantity, grate and add a little honey.
The sixth day is the same as the first, and the seventh is the same as the second.
In the evenings, you can drink half a glass of water with a squeeze of half a lemon. This drink should be drunk from 22 to 23 pm, it is at this time that you can burn fats.
And the lemon diet also involves burning fat and filling the body with vitamins, just like the pectin diet.
The essence of the pectin diet
What benefits does pectin provide to the body?
- The first effect of pectin identified by nutritionists is a decrease in appetite. A person who eats pectin then eats less food per day than with his usual diet.
- Pectin also binds bad carbohydrates that affect weight gain and prevents them from being completely absorbed.
- Another positive quality of pectin is its effect on intestinal motor function. When digested in the intestinal tract, pectin acts as an “adsorbent” and cleanses the intestinal walls of fats and toxic substances.
- It is also important that pectin substances are able to remove radionuclides, stagnant fat and excess cholesterol from the body. Thanks to such positive qualities, you can lose weight well and make the process of losing weight easier in the future.
The diet is very effective in cases where the weight has been gained over the years and is already established.
- Stagnant fat deposits are much harder to break down than edematous fat gained over six months.
- According to some nutritionists, the pectin diet seriously deals with fat deposits and cleanses the body.
Studies have been conducted that have proven that consuming 25 grams of pectin fibers of apple origin can reduce weight by 300 grams.
At home, it is quite difficult to determine the amount of pectin fiber eaten. In order to approximately eat the required amount of fiber, you need to adhere to the proposed diet as much as possible and prepare dishes as in the menu.
Only by strictly following the diet is it possible to lose weight from 1.5 to 2 kg every day for seven days.
- And you don’t need to count the amount of pectin yourself, the menu has already been calculated by nutritionists. Get ready, most of the diet contains apples, carrots and beets!
- These products contain the most unique and inimitable pectin. So be sure to eat beets and carrots in addition to apples.
