August 2025
Karen Ensle EdD, RDN, FAND, CFCS
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County
The thermic effect of food (TEF) is the amount of energy it takes for your body to digest, absorb, and metabolize the food you eat. TEF makes up a part of your daily calorie expenditure (calories out), and usually represents about 10% of the caloric intake of healthy adults eating a mixed and balanced diet.
When it comes to losing weight, eating in a calorie deficit should always be your biggest priority, but food quality is important as well. While there is no one food that can help you lose fat, certain foods are better than others at boosting your metabolism.
These are called high thermic foods. Including them in your diet can boost the number of calories you burn every day and further help promote fat loss.
Here are 13 high thermic foods that can help boost your metabolism: Lean meats, Low-fat dairy, eggs, high-quality fish, nuts and seeds, avocados, green tea, dark chocolate, coffee, chili peppers, beans and legumes, whole grains, sweet potatoes.
What Is A "High Thermic" Food?
A high thermic food is a food that requires your body to use more energy to digest than it takes to eat. Through a process called diet-induced thermogenesis, high thermic foods cause an increase in metabolic rate, the rate at which your body burns calories.
Certain food groups have higher thermic effects than others. Protein has the highest thermic effect and can increase your metabolic rate by 15–30%. Carbohydrates increase your metabolic rate by 5–10%, and fats increase it by just 0ndash;3%.
While high thermic foods increase your metabolic rate, the effects are temporary. There are better ways to increase your metabolism for the long term, such as increasing your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) and lifting weights.
Furthermore, the thermic effect of food is different in every individual. Factors such as age, activity levels, overall meal size, the breakdown of macronutrients at each meal, and meal frequency can all influence the thermic effect of food.
TEF makes up a part of your daily calorie expenditure (calories out) and usually represents about 10% of the caloric intake of healthy adults eating a mixed and balanced diet. So, for example, if you expend 2000 calories in a day, around 200 of those will be burned just from eating food.
Certain food types such as protein and complex carbs have a higher thermic effect than fats or simple carbs because your body must work harder to break those foods down, thus spending more energy and burning more calories.
Varying factors affect TEF, primarily the portion size of your meal and its macronutrient composition – protein, carbohydrates and fats – along with your age. Take small steps and eat a balanced diet every day for good health.