Top 8 Foods with Highest Thermic Effect to boost your Metabolism

Well, foods with highest thermic effect contain a high amount of energy normally to digest and process the food you eat. Fundamentally, every bite of food “releases” a certain amount of calories to break down. You can increase your daily TEF by eating more protein and whole foods, but not by increasing the frequency or the size of your meals. No doubt eating more often doesn’t “exploit” your metabolism in addition you should also control your calorie intake regardless of the TEF of the food.

Entirely this blog post is about the thermic effect of food ( TEF ) and also we’ll discuss the top 8 foods with highest thermic effect.

What is the Thermic Effect Of Food?

Generally, The thermic effect (TEF) of food is the amount of energy, usually, it digests and processes the food. However, the major determinants of TEF are the macronutrient composition of the food, also how the food has been processed, and the amount of food. Commonly, foods with highest thermic effect are also known as “High Thermogenic Foods”.

Also called specific dynamic activity (SDA) and dietary thermogenesis (DIT), studies show that it accounts for approximately 10% of total daily energy expenditure. Typically, TEF is the percentage of calories in food needed to digest that food. In other words, if a serving of a certain food contains 100 calories and your body burns 20 calories to digest it, ultimately that food has a TEF of 20% (20/100 = 20%). A major factor in determining the thermogenic effect of foods is the macronutrient composition of foods. Here’s how it works.

• Proteins make up about 20-35% of the TEFs on the list.
• Carbohydrates are about 5-10% TEF.
• And the final amount of fat is 0-3% TEF.

Highest Thermic Foods and Weight Loss

Consuming food increases energy expenditure, merely which has a positive effect on body fat loss. Mainly, foods with highest thermic effect are significant in weight to lose surely by boosting  metabolic rates.

But the worst thing to lose weight is after eating as it surely reduces the body’s fat-burning mechanism and is unlikely to improve the body fat storage mechanism. In other words, eating does not burn fat but power consumption yes!

Some foods store less fat than others, but rest assured that excess energy can lead to a certain amount of fat regardless of the composition of your diet. Your body will begin burning body fat until the last meal is fully digested and absorbed, hence leaving you in a calorie deficit.

FOODS WITH HIGHEST THERMIC EFFECT

1. Pepper

Remember in that article that capsaicin is an excellent fat burner due to its ability to stimulate thermogenesis?

Capsaicin is a bioactive compound in cayenne pepper and other hot peppers. Anyone who has tried it will soon realize that it raises your body temperature and ultimately makes you sweat, which can burn more calories. Additionally to reducing inflammation and improving cardiovascular fitness scores. Several studies have shown that capsaicin consumption has positive effects on metabolism, respiratory rate, and also appetite. They found that it increases energy expenditure, increases fat oxidation (lower RQ) and even reduces appetite.

2. lean meat

As mentioned earlier, protein has the highest thermogenic response and burns about 20-30% of calories during digestion. Thus making it one of the best macros if you want to lose weight (and keep it off muscular). Mainly, lean meat is at the top in foods with highest thermic effect.

Particularly, this is because studies have shown that the synthesis of peptide bonds (the bonds that hold amino acids together) and factorogenesis (the formation of urea) and gluconeogenesis (the formation of glucose from non-carbohydrate raw materials) are expensive.

3. Pulse & Legumes

Because of their high protein and carbohydrate content, pulse and legumes are a good choice if you want to burn fat and lose weight. Essentially, they are a good source of fiber, which contributes to slow digestion and truly increases satiety. Yet that’s not all because fiber also improves blood sugar control by usually reducing insulin spikes. Glycemic dysregulation is a large part of overweight and obesity, among many other chronic health conditions.

4. Leafy greens: spinach, broccoli, cabbage

Spinach, collard greens, collard greens and other green vegetables are rich in minerals such as iron and magnesium. Verily, this mineral plays a role in several metabolic processes that are important for burning fat. For example, iron is involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones and importantly Thyroid hormones regulate the body’s metabolic rate. Low iron levels can eventually lead to thyroid hormone deficiency, which can lead to weight gain. Deficiency of thyroid hormones is one of the causes of unexplained obesity.

5. Olive oil

Oil has the least thermal effect but there aren’t many healthy fat options that can help you lose weight. Nevertheless, studies have shown that olive oil is effective for weight loss. Adding olive oil to your diet can especially help you lose more weight than following a standard fat-free diet. Even Olive oil contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) and these MCTs in olive oil have a greater thermic effect than the long-chain triglycerides found in other oils.

6. Coffee

Like green tea, coffee also contains caffeine, which generally improves the body’s metabolism. Nonetheless, glucose promotes fat storage, so don’t consume too much sugar with your coffee. Remember, a rapid increase in blood sugar stimulates the release of the hormone insulin, which readily converts glucose into fatty acids.

7. Nuts & seeds

One study found that people who ate 70 grams of almonds per day had a smaller waist circumference than those who did not eat almonds.

Brazil nuts and chia seeds are known to boost the body’s metabolism by stimulating thyroxine, typically a hormone that regulates the body’s metabolism (energy metabolism).

8. Water

Almost many people forget to drink enough water as part of healthy eating. Our body typically requires water for all essential metabolic activities. Though, studies have shown that drinking at least 500ml of water per day can increase your body’s metabolic rate by 30%. Therefore, you should drink enough water to experience the full thermic effects of the fat-burning foods we’ve discussed.