JOPLIN, Mo. —
Some calories are better than others, apparently. A new diet book assures readers that all calories are not created equal. Leslie Bonci, registered dietitian and director of sports medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is the author of the upcoming book, “The Active Calorie Diet.”
According to her book, some calories are more efficient than others. Whether it’s through the acts of preparing or digesting them, these special calories are found in super foods that “pay for themselves,” she writes.
Is it a good plan? Apparently so — dietitian Heather Boline said that these foods are outlined in another publication: The USDA’s dietary guidelines.
“It makes sense to eat lean protein, a diet rich in fiber and low in fat,” Boline said. “Not surprisingly, this is exactly what the USDA dietary guidelines recommend.”
Boline, a dietitian with Freeman Health Systems, said all foods use energy for digestion and metabolization. Known as the thermic effect of food, it usually burns up 10 percent of the calories consumed.
Healthier foods require more energy to digest, Boline said, and fat is easily digested and stored. So while the book is full of good advice about healthy eating, it’s not necessarily groundbreaking, she said.
The book, published in conjunction with Prevention magazine, makes the point that knowledge about calories has increased over the years.
By identifying these different calories, Bonci makes the point that counting calories may not be specific enough — 500 calories of chocolate is not the same as 500 calories of cabbage.
Putting this in practice, dieters can increase their calorie burn by 30 percent, Bonci writes. Adding some of these foods can also be easy ways to increase the fat-burning efficiency of their daily meals, whether it’s for them or their families.
Such a diet could give the impression that the more one eats, the more calories he or she will burn. Not the case, said Laura Vinyard, a dietitian with St. John’s Regional Medical Center.
“I don’t believe there are any foods that you’d want to eat more of to burn fat,” Vinyard said. “Watch the foods that you eat, and watch the portion sizes.”
But the food recommendations make sense to both dietitians:
• The act of cooking food from scratch helps burn calories much more than a heat-and-serve entree or ordering take-out.
“Another benefit to homemade cooking is that you can select your ingredients,” Boline said. “You can also use less salt, healthier ingredients and health-friendly cooking methods like baking, grilling, broiling or steaming.”
• Lean proteins, such as lean meat, eggs and low-fat dairy, require the most work to digest, followed by fiber-rich foods such as fresh vegetables, fruit, beans, bran cereals and whole-wheat products.
• If you’re worried about flavor, Bonci encourages you to spice things up. Crushed peppers, wasabi and hot sauce help burn an extra 10 to 20 calories a day, she wrote.
Though dietitians always encourage people to be wary of fad diets, Boline said “The Active Calorie Diet” doesn’t look like a fad diet.
“It seems like it provides a generally healthy message overall,” Boline said. “It’s not like some other previous fad diets that promise magical results. There is no magical ingredient that just dissolves calories away.”
Lifestyles
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Book outlines traits of 'active' calories
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