Do our bodies burn all calories the same?
Have you ever wondered why you can eat a big, satisfying salad and feel light, but a small bag of chips leaves you feeling sluggish?
It all comes down to how your body processes the food—a concept called the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF).
Think of TEF as the energy cost of digestion. Your body has to spend calories just to break down, absorb, and utilize the nutrients from the food you eat.
Whole Foods: The Calorie-Burning Workout
When you eat a whole, single-ingredient food (like an apple, chicken breast, or broccoli), your body has to work hard:
Fiber and Structure: The natural fiber and complex structure of the food act like a barrier. Your digestive system has to put in serious effort to break through it.
Higher TEF: Because of this hard work, you actually burn more calories digesting whole foods. It’s like a mini-workout for your metabolism!
Slow and Steady: Nutrients are released slowly, preventing huge blood sugar spikes and keeping your energy stable.
Processed Foods: The Storage Shortcut
Processed foods, refined grains, and added sugars operate under a completely different metabolic rule:
Pre-Digested: Processed foods are often stripped of fiber and nutrients, making them essentially "pre-digested." Your body gets a free pass—it barely has to work to break them down.
Low TEF: Low effort means a low TEF. You burn far fewer calories digesting them.
Insulin Spike: The quick-release starches and added sugars flood your bloodstream rapidly. This forces your pancreas to release a large amount of insulin, whose primary job is to clear that sugar out. Where does it often go? Straight into fat storage.
These all suck. Stop eating them.
The Bottom Line: Your body burns whole foods to fuel its processes, but it’s designed to quickly store the excess, easy-to-absorb calories from processed sugar and refined ingredients as fat.
Choosing whole, fiber-rich foods isn't just about the calorie number on the label; it’s about choosing foods that make your metabolism work for you.