What is the thermic effect of food?
Well, the term itself says a lot. ‘Thermic effect’, gives a clear idea of its association with temperature.
However, the thermic effect of food is not that much about the temperature it’s about energy consumption inside the body.
To lose weight, most people take the route of calorie deficit. It is the biggest priority for every obese and overweight people.
Although the quality of the food is really important when we decrease the quantity.
Every food item has different effects to impart on your system.
However, in this blog, we’re going to cover only the thermic effects.
So, let’s see what is the thermic effect of food?
What is the Thermic Effect of Food?
When we eat food, some of the calories that are present in food are used to digest, absorb, metabolize, and store the remaining food, and some burn off as heat.
The dissipation of food’s calorific value in processing and digestion is termed as the thermic effect of food.
It is one of the many ways our bodies use energy throughout the day. Plus, we burn calories through the little movements we do.
All these things count in our total energy expenditure.
Now understand that there are no hard and fast values for the thermic effect on the different macronutrients.
Certain food groups have higher thermic effects than others such as carbohydrates, fats, and protein.
The studies show slightly different results. TEF is different in every individual because of several physiological factors.
Those factors are age, activity levels, meal frequency, and so on which affects the thermic effect of food.
But there are some standard parameters:
#1: Thermic effect of protein:20-30% of calories burned through processing
#2: Thermic effect of fats: 0-5% of calories burned through processing
#3: Thermic effect of carbohydrates: 5-15% of calories burned through processing
These nutrients are highly available in certain foods known as high thermic foods.
High thermic foods boost the number of calories you burn every day and help promote fat loss. This is the thermic effect of food calories.
Now, let’s discuss high-thermic foods…
High-Thermic Foods
Foods that use up more energy in processing than their own calorific value are high-thermic foods.
When our body burns calories, the core temperature of our body goes up. This, as a result, burns more fat cells. This process is thermogenesis.
You can consider this as an advanced application of the thermic effect of foods.
Although thermogenic effect definition is much more that that. But we won’t digress from our main topic for now.
For every food item, the intensity of the thermic effect varies.
10 thermogenic foods having the highest thermic effect are:
- Low-fat dairy
- Eggs
- High-quality fish
- Nuts and seeds
- Avocados
- Green tea
- Dark chocolate
- Coffee
- Whole grains
- Sweet potatoes
The purpose of mentioning these foods is not only to show the count in the list.
These high-thermic foods account for several amazing physiological results.
Let’s have a look at these results…
Results of Eating High Thermic Foods
High thermic foods are generally the best addition to your diet if you want to lose weight.
However, there are a few other benefits as well:
#1: You will stay full for a long time
The thermic foods make sure that you are not taking many calories. It makes you feel full for a long period.
#2: Reduces the Risk of Diseases
Coincidently, high thermic foods are also rich in Vitamins and minerals. It helps to boost your immunity and reduces the chances of diseases.
#3: Keeps Your Energy Levels on the Top
The same nutritional content that boosts your immunity is also responsible for high energy levels.
#4: Optimizes Your Sleep
As your energy levels are already on top, you don’t need any caffeinated drinks to recharge yourself at regular intervals. So, the chances of a good night’s sleep increase.
Apart from all these amazing results, high thermic foods have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that take care of your overall health and wellness.
We now have a basic idea about what is the thermic effect of food.
However, its results vary from person to person.
Let’s see how how to calculate the thermic effect of food…
How to Calculate the Thermic Effect of Food?
Usually, we perform the estimation of the thermic effect of food in a science lab.
It is because the calculations of thermic effect of food percentage require controlled conditions and a lot of scientific variables go into it.
However, the gold standard of measuring the thermic effect of food involves comparing calories burned in the fed versus fasting state.
We don’t any reliable way to know the exact TEF by giving meals at home. Every human body has a different physical response mechanism.
Furthermore, certain foods have a higher thermic effect than others.
This blog is for general readers. Hence, we won’t stuff the content with complex calculation measures.
The above information is good enough, to sum up…
Conclusion
We have got a good understanding about what is the thermic effect of food. Few particular groups of people can utilize these effects to their benefit.
Athletes, powerlifters, and people who want to lose weight can make the most out of the results of the thermic effects of food.
Furthermore, the high thermic foods are really beneficial for you from a health perspective.
Hope the article was informative…!
Please do share your feedback.
