Are all calories are the same?
True/False question for you:
Q: When it comes to losing weight, all calories are the same.
So, what do YOU think?
Well, it turns out the answer is…FALSE!
That’s because of something called the thermal effect of food, or TEF.
You see, your body uses energy for everything that it does… including breaking down your food.
And some foods are much more difficult to digest…
So your body has to work a lot harder to get the job done — which is great if you’re trying to watch your weight.
Because “working harder” means your basal metabolic rate (BMR) increases — and you burn more calories!
I always recommend you get plenty of protein and fiber.
They’re not just good for you, they help you feel full longer — so you eat less.
Well, guess what:
Researchers have found that whole foods that are high in protein and fiber give you the biggest BMR boost…
And that’s because they make your body work a lot harder to process them — especially compared to processed foods and simple carbs.
So when you eat those protein- and fiber-rich foods, your body burns more calories trying to digest them.
That’s the conclusion reached by researchers in one “sandwich” study.
They began by determining the BMR of a group of volunteers.Then they divided the volunteers into two groups and gave them cheese sandwiches.
The “processed” group got sandwiches made with white bread and processed cheese product…
And the “whole” group got sandwiches made with multigrain bread and cheddar cheese.
The researchers then measured the BMRs of both groups for 6 hours.
A few days later they repeated the experiment, with the groups “switching” sandwiches.
And when the numbers were compared, the results were pretty incredible:
Even though the “processed” and “whole” sandwiches both had 800 calories…
The BMR of the people eating the “whole” food sandwiches was dramatically higher.
In fact, they used up almost 47% MORE energy to digest the “whole” sandwiches!
That means that the NET calories (the sandwich calories that weren’t burned off digesting the sandwich) for the “whole” food were much less than for the “processed” food.
Here’s what that means for YOU:
You can reduce your calories and lose weight — while still enjoying the same foods!
Simply choose whole, fresh foods filled with plenty of protein and fiber…
Instead of processed foods that break down easily — and can end up stored as fat.
When it comes to calories, sometimes 1 does NOT equal 1.
To your Health!