Thermic Effect of Food Explained
How Your Body Processes Food
Not all calories are created equal. Two foods with the same calorie count can have different effects on your body when it comes to burning calories.
Imagine you have two snacks in front of you. Snack A is a sugary treat with 100 calories, while Snack B is a protein-packed delight also containing 100 calories. You might assume that since both snacks have an identical calorie count, they would contribute equally to your body's energy balance.
They don't.
The thermic effect of food refers to the energy expended during the digestion, absorption, and metabolism of the nutrients we consume. You might also hear it referred to as "diet-induced thermogenesis" or "specific dynamic action." Fancy terms for a tiny bit of extra calorie burning.
In this case, Snack A, high in sugar and low in protein, has a LOWER thermic effect. It requires LESS energy to digest and metabolize simple carbs. Snack B, rich in protein, demands MORE energy for digestion, resulting in a HIGHER thermic effect.
So, while both snacks provide 100 calories, Snack B's higher thermic effect leads to a greater calorie burn during digestion. This means that your body expends more energy processing Snack B than Snack A, despite the calorie content being the same.
So, how many calories does it take to digest food? On average, it's estimated that about 10% of the calories you consume are burned during digestion. Of course, this can vary depending on the specific food you eat, with some causing a higher thermic effect than others. But overall, the average is a mere 10%.
This is how the thermic effect works on a diet.
Protein takes the crown when it comes to the thermic effect. It requires around 20-30% of the calories it provides to digest. So, if you munch on 100 calories of protein, your body will spend approximately 20-30 calories processing it. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, need only 5-10% of their calories for digestion, while fats are pretty chill, requiring only about 3%. Alcohol falls somewhere in the middle, with a thermic effect of about 10-30%.
That means higher protein diets have a slight edge in calorie burning over lower protein diets, even if the calorie content is the same. Incorporating lean protein sources like chicken, fish, beans, and legumes into your meals can give your energy expenditure a little boost during digestion.
Now let's put these numbers into perspective with the typical American diet. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the average American consumes roughly 50% carbohydrates, 15% protein, and 35% fats. Based on these percentages, if someone consumes 2,000 calories a day, their thermic effect of food would amount to around 200-300 calories.
But hold on! Before you start rejoicing at the thought of burning off all those extra calories, it's important to note that the thermic effect of food is just a tiny piece of the puzzle. It's not a significant player in your overall calorie burning throughout the day. If I eat 2,000 calories of carbs, the thermic effect is about 200 calories. If I eat 2,000 calories of pure protein, I'll burn an additional 100 calories in a day.
But eating 100% of your calories from one food group is not healthy. Reducing simple carbs and increasing protein, for the average American, will help you burn about 25-50 extra calories a day.
Don't be misled by the notion that low-calorie foods like celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, and kale are magic weight loss solutions. While they are healthy choices, they still contribute calories. If you aim to shed some pounds, you must keep track of ALL the calories you consume throughout the day.
Focus on making healthy food choices that support your overall well-being. Achieve a sustainable calorie deficit through mindful eating, regular physical activity, and lifestyle modifications.
Reference Links:
Measuring the thermic effect of food
G W Reed, J O Hill
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Published 01 February 1996 https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/63.2.164
Diet induced thermogenesis
Klaas R Westerterp
Nutrition & Metabolism | BMC Part of Springer Nature, Published 18 August 2004
The Thermic Effect of Food: A Review
Manuel Calcagno, Hana Kahleova, Jihad Alwarith, Nora N. Burgess, Rosendo A. Flores, Melissa L. Busta and Neal D. Barnard
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Published April 2019, DOI:10.1080/07315724.2018.1552544
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6/13/2023
