Go Catabolic

Apples burn fat. I remember this every time I bite into one (as I did this morning -- breakfast is the easiest time to get fruit in on an empty stomach so I try to do it as much as possible). It's funny, really. An apple actually burns calories. That means that your body uses more energy to digest an apple than it gets from digesting the apple. In a way it is the antithesis to the Western diet which attempts to provide the body with as many easy and cheap calories as possible (and why we're all fat and on the verge of type II diabetes). Think about this next time you're watching the calorie counter on that treadmill: every apple you eat burns in the neighborhood of 100 calories. Foods that burn more calories than they supply the body through digestion are called catabolic.

The good news is there's lots of them and if the apple example excited you get this: it's actually considered a "low grade" catabolic. Even better ratios are obtained from berries, citris, asparagas, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. Truth is that tons of fruits and vegetables are catabolic. You probably already eat a number of catabolic foods without even knowing it. This brings us back to the beginning and why I only remember that apples are catabolic when I'm actually biting into one.

The lesson to me is simple -- forget about catabolic foods and just remember that this is yet another reason why people should be eating a varied diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. But if you're really concerned about calories and weight, forget diets and special low-cal foods. Eat some stuff that's good for you and burns more than it provides.