Written by: William King, Fitness Director @ O2 Seaboard
Did you know...That your body has to burn calories just to digest the food you eat in day?
The term thermic effect of food is used to describe the energy expended by our bodies in order to consume (bite, chew and swallow) and process (digest, transport, metabolize and store) food. We "expend energy" by burning calories. Processing protein requires the greatest expenditure of energy, with estimates ranging as high as 30%. Dietary fat, on the other hand, is so easily processed and turned into body fat that there is little thermic effect, perhaps only 2 or 3%. The amount of energy required to process carbohydrates falls between that of protein and fat. This is one of the many reasons that skipping meals is NOT an efficient way of losing body fat. Instead, eat small meals often that are nutrient dense.
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