Our bodies use energy for everything—including digestion. The thermic effect of food, or the energy used to digest, can be used to increase your weight loss efforts.
Read on to learn how to utilize the thermic effect of food for weight loss.
What is the Thermic Effect of Food?
Eating increases energy usage for a short time after a meal. This energy is used to break down food into nutrients that are then stored or used. The thermic effect of food (TEF) is the energy required to digest and absorb our food. Scientists also sometimes refer to this as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT).
It is hard to know exactly how many calories you burn each meal, but TEF only accounts for about 10% of your daily energy expenditure. The thermic effect of food varies from person to person. Advanced age decreases thermic impact. Physical activity increases thermal impact.
Certain foods have a higher thermic effect than others. Meal size, meal composition, and meal frequency play a role in how substantial the thermic impact of food is. Your body composition and gender can also affect the way you digest food. The number of calories burned can vary from person to person.
You want to maintain a balance between the amount of energy you expend and consume. This is called an energy balance.
Still, there are ways you can use TEF to increase your metabolic rate and encourage weight loss.
How Do You Calculate the TEF of Foods?
TEF is measured in the amount of calories required to digest that food. For example, a food that has a TEF of 30% would represent that 30 calories are being burned out of the 100 calories total.
The first factor that determines the thermic effect of food is its macronutrient composition. Protein usually has around 20-35% TEF. Carbohydrates are about 5-10%, and fat is about 0-3%. The second factor determining the food's thermic effect is the level of processing the food has undergone.
Processed foods have a lower TEF than whole foods. That's why it is important to incorporate many high-fiber vegetables and whole grains into your diet. The last factor for determining TEF is the size of your meal. Larger meals in one sitting have a more significant impact than smaller meals.
However, the only way to truly measure TEF is in controlled conditions comparing fasting vs. fed states. Although there are several foods thought to have a higher TEF, it is impossible to accurately determine this outside of a laboratory.
How Can You Use TEF to Lose Weight?
You can use your knowledge of the thermic effect of foods to lose weight. If you eat foods with high thermic effects, you can boost your metabolism post-meal to help burn more calories.
However, you need to ensure that you're eating a healthy, balanced diet and getting exercise. For TEF to work, it requires a calorie deficit.
You should also be cautious when consuming high-thermic-effect foods. Alcohol has a high thermic effect, but it also can make you hang on to body fat. So, it's always about balance. As part of a balanced weight loss plan, you need to think about your calorie intake, the food you are eating, and your activity level.
Additionally, there are no foods that have negative calories. Some people think of high-thermic-effect foods like freebies when dieting. Eating foods with a high thermic effect is only one part of a healthy weight management plan. You should not live on celery, lettuce, or cucumbers alone.
People need a variety of foods that contain both macronutrients and micronutrients to fuel their bodily processes. Unhealthy eating habits lead to negative health effects and are not sustainable for a long-term weight loss plan.
If you struggle with diets and feel like you'll never lose the weight you want, Male Excel offers a solution. We have Semaglutide, a GLP-1 medication used to aid weight loss and manage blood sugar. In clinical trials, this medication showed a 5-20% reduction in weight after a year.
Most clinics charge a lot for this medication, but we offer it at a fraction of the cost. Our non-commitment membership is a great way to jump-start your weight loss journey. We provide flexible dosing, and the medication can be taken as a sublingual tablet or as an injection. Check out our website for more information.
Foods With a High Thermic Effect
If you are looking for ways to reduce body weight and increase your total energy expenditure, you can meal plan around types of food that increase thermogenesis. Here is a list of foods with a high thermic effect that you can add to your diet to encourage weight loss.
Whole Grains
Brown rice, quinoa, oats, and other whole grains are high in fiber. Digesting these takes your body longer, thus requiring more energy. Whole grains also contain many vitamins and minerals that are important for your overall well-being.
Whole grains can lower bad cholesterol, insulin levels, and blood pressure. High-fiber diets also create a longer-lasting feeling of fullness, helping you curb cravings while trying to lose weight.
To add whole grains to your diet:
- Eat whole-grain cereals for breakfast.
- Switch out your regular toast or bagels with whole-grain options.
- Make sandwiches with whole-grain bread options.
- Instead of white rice, opt for brown rice or wild rice.
- Add barley or wild rice to soups and stews.
In place of breadcrumbs in recipes, substitute rolled oats. You can also add cooked brown rice to ground meat to bulk up your meal.
Fibrous Vegetables
High-fiber vegetables such as kale, spinach, and broccoli are also high-thermic foods. Eating a diet rich in fibrous vegetables helps lower the risk of hemorrhoids and colorectal cancer.
It also increases the weight and size of your stool. A bulky, softened stool is easier to pass, preventing constipation. Fibrous vegetables can help to absorb water in your bowels and solidify your stool.
To add more fiber-rich vegetables to your diet, try eating about five or more servings a day. However, be cautious and don't add too much fiber too quickly. You should gradually increase your fiber over a few weeks so your gut bacteria can adjust to the change. Otherwise, you get intestinal gas, bloating, and cramps.
Protein-Rich Foods
Since proteins have the highest TEF, adding this macronutrient is essential for utilizing thermogenesis. You can eat lean proteins, lean meats, fish, eggs, and dairy to help you burn more calories.
Protein has a high energy content. Adding extra protein to your meals increases your appetite-reducing hormones while reducing your hunger levels. This can help you to decrease the number of calories you consume naturally.
You can combat muscle loss while you are losing weight with protein. Losing muscle is often a side effect of losing weight, but if you eat a protein-rich diet, you can slow down muscle mass breakdown. Eating more protein as you age to reduce muscle and bone loss is also important. Increased protein can also improve wound healing. According to a 2015 review, eating up to 1.6 g of protein per day may help promote weight loss, reduce body fat, and help maintain muscle mass.
To add more protein to your diet, try switching up some of your carbs for proteins. Eggs, avocados, cottage cheese, poultry, and yogurt are good examples of protein-rich foods that are easy to add to your typical meals.
Spicy Foods
Spicy foods such as peppers contain capsaicin. According to a 2017 study, capsaicin has multiple benefits for metabolic health. It can help people suffering from obesity lose weight. You can use dietary chili peppers to encourage thermogenesis with few side effects.
Capsaicin inhibits adipogenesis (the accumulation of body fat). It also affects the hypothalamus by decreasing appetite and leptin resistance while increasing satiety. Capsaicin also modulates intestinal hormones by increasing GLP-1 secretion and balancing your gut microbiome.
It is relatively easy to add more capsaicin to your diet. We often season many dishes with chili peppers. Try adding a little more spice to your meals to boost your metabolism.
Green Tea
Catechins are found in green tea. These substances work to reduce reactive oxidative stress and inflammation that people with obesity often suffer from. Although human studies are limited, there is some evidence that suggests that catechins may have positive effects on body weight, body composition, blood biomarkers, and inflammatory markers due to their thermogenic properties.
One study involving men found that green tea extract made positive changes in body fat mass and total fat area. Researchers suggest that a daily consumption of tea for 12 weeks could reduce your risk of obesity.
Green tea also has antioxidants that may reduce your risk of cancer. Caffeine and L-theanine may also improve your cognitive functioning and protect your brain from the effects of aging. Green tea may also be effective in helping to reduce blood glucose levels while fasting. This delicious beverage may also help you live longer and reduce your risk of heart disease.
However, more studies are needed to understand all of the benefits of green tea. Yet, adding green tea to your daily diet is an easy way to boost your energy intake to improve your wellness.
Does Caffeine Have a High Thermic Effect?
Caffeine is a stimulant that is commonly found in coffee, sodas, and teas. It is a natural substance found in some plants that acts as a natural pesticide. Some studies suggest that caffeine intake may promote weight loss and body fat reduction. It acts as a stimulant to increase your ability to perform physical activity, but it also has thermogenic effects.
However, caffeine can also increase heart rate and insomnia. Too much caffeine can be harmful to your health and even cause death. You can also become addicted to caffeine and withdrawals can cause headaches, grogginess, and irritability.
Many people also consume caffeine in coffee filled with sugars and dairy products. These drinks have lots of extra calories that can actually pack on the fat rather than reduce it. Also, caffeine can stimulate the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone signals to your body that it needs to store more energy and raise the heart rate, and blood pressure.
Caffeine may also prompt a drop in blood sugar, which can increase your appetite and cravings. People who consume a lot of caffeine often eat lots of starches, sweets, fruit, and milk. It can also cause you to have insulin resistance that can affect the way your body regulates blood sugar and stores fat.
So, although caffeine may have fat-reducing qualities, it is important to consume it in moderation. Too much caffeine may have the opposite effect on your goal to increase calorie burn. It might cause you to gain more weight rather than experience fat loss.
Conclusion
The thermic effect of food is the amount of energy your body uses to digest food. You can add more high-thermic-effect foods to your diet to boost metabolism and help you lose weight. Many types of foods are relatively simple to add to your diet that can increase your metabolic rate including fiber, protein, whole grains, green tea, and caffeine.
Alongside adding these high-thermic foods, also be sure to balance your diet for optimal nutrients and participate in regular, moderate-intensity physical activity. Weight loss is something that takes time and hard work, but by understanding how your body uses energy, you can maximize your diet and lifestyle to make this journey a little easier.
Find out if TRT Can Help You
TRT from Male Excel
