Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

Written & Edited By T.A

Awan

The Myth The theory of the hot and cold effect of food (Thermic Effect of Food-TEF) has been practiced for many centuries. It is a belief seen in qualified doctors, homeopaths, Traditional Physicians and the common people in many parts of the world. Thermal effects of food are associated with many myths and misconceptions and are widely prevalent in the East. Invariably patients ask the attending physician regarding particular food restrictions during episode of illness. Ironically, in the East nutrition is not included in the medical curriculum except in a few medical universities. Thus much of dietary advice given by physicians is based on their own perceptions rather than on any scientific evidence, this further reinforces cultural beliefs relating to food restriction. In the West medical universities have realized the importance of nutrition in the curriculum and have made necessary provisions for giving appropriate number of teaching hours to it. Thermic effect of Food - Myth Explained Sensational phrases like negative calories are popular amongst people trying to create fashioned diets. It seems that too many want something for nothing and are attracted by these sorts of terms. The problem is that it's not true. In the modern biomedical model tends to disregard this theory altogether, stating it to be 'too variable and inconsistent'. On the contrary in countries of the East one finds that even medical practitioners have a firm belief in the thermal effects of food on the body. As you chew and swallow your food, which are activities that require calorie expenditure, the food mass breaks down into smaller pieces and mixes with saliva. The swallowed food still needs to be reduced further. Digestion in the stomach and intestines breaks down the food into smaller particles until nutrients can be transported to the individual cells

All it means is that when you eat an Apple with calorie value of 100 the body system spends more than 100 calories to digest it. This is where the Minus Effect comes into play. It is also referred as Thermic- Effect of Food (TEF). Simply, the term Negative Calories refers to food that takes more calories to process than it delivers. Such food wastes its calories first with chewing and then in intestinal churning (The Metabolism). But actually, there are really no Negative Calorie foods that offer the body zero or minus calories. Calories wasted in extracting nutrients are already considered in calculating the Thermic-Effect of Food (TEF). TEF usually wastes about 10% of calories. Take for instance water at zero degree contains zero calories, but the body still needs to burn at least 37000 calories to consume 1000 gram (approx. 1 liter) of it. 0 calories 0 fat 0 cholesterol 0 carbohydrates 0 protein 0 vitamin A 0 vitamin C 0 Iron The Caloric Effect Remember a calorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius at atmosphere pressure. So lets calculate the net gain or loss of calories if 1000 grams of freezing ice water is consumed: Temperature to be raised of ice cold water times the amount of water in ml = calories burnt to digest that food 37.5 * 1000 = 37500 calories. Since normal body temperature is 37.5 degrees Celsius and there are approximately 1000 grams of water in a liter, we burn about 37,500 calories for every liter of almost freezing ice water we drink.

Above, we took example of water to elaborate the point in discussion as water is the simplest of the foods. It must be kept in mind that series of bio-chemical, chemical and physical processes are involved in the digestion of a complex food that may require additional amount of energy at different stages. Some foods are rated as negative calorie foods or Cold. No! it doesn't mean the foods have negative calories. What it means is that when you eat these foods raw or in some cases slightly cooked with nothing on them like many green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits your body burns more calories during digestion i.e. the metabolic process than what is actually in the food itself (Cold- Effect of Food. Whereas, for high calorie foods like ripe mangoes, pork & beef during chewing & churning process calories that are burnt are very little as compared to calorie contents of that particular food (Hot-Effect of food) As a general rule 85 Calories are burnt per hour of metabolic process plus 10% loss of the food calories. Examples: One medium sized lemon contains 20 calories, to digest it body needs to burn 85 + 2 = 87 calories in an hour (85 calories + 10% loss). So we are left with a net loss of almost 67 calories (So called Cold Effect). One the other hand a medium sized mango has 150 calories in it. Applying the same principal as above 85+15 = 100 calories will be burnt during digestion and the body will still gain 50 calories (so called Hot Effect). "Raw celery and grapefruit are often claimed to have negative caloric balance (they take more energy to digest than usable energy received from the food). Then, see this for instance:
Product Milk, whole 3.25% fat Milk, 2% fat Milk, 1% fat Milk, fat-free or skim amount 230 g 230 g 230 g 230 g C/H in g 11.4 11.7 11.7 11.9 Fats in g 9 5 2.6 0.4 Calories 157 121 102 86

If we minus the calories needed for the metabolic process for the above food in different dilution, it will be very simple to establish the net intake of calories for different products of milk.

Moreover, the number of calories you expend in digestion also depends on your body composition. Those with greater muscle mass burn off more calories digesting food than those who have more fat, Conclusion The concept of Negative Calorie Food or free food has been used forever by dietitians and diabetic educators to describe foods with a negligible calorie count that, presumably, one can eat with abandon. These foods include negative calorie foods, like, cucumbers, watermelon, lettuce, greens, sprouts, mushrooms, onions, and others that are basically water and dissolved nutrients wrapped in a bundle of fiber. The only real calories they provide are those that we add. Fruit has too much easily digested natural sugar can referred as to be "negative". And so, Negative Calories was a cute term, innocent enough. The concept had little research backing. But then negative calories went out into the world where it became the darling of a group of sensationalized Negative Calorie Diets. Those diets utilized the Negative Calorie Effect - the calorie wasting process. They produce weight loss because they are generally lacking in food. Therefore, it is now established that TEF is decided on the basis of calorie contents of the food and has nothing to do with sensational term like (TASEER of food).

My profound acknowledgement and gratitude to Prof. Lenore Manderson, professor of Social Science and Health Research Unit School of Psych, Psychiatry and Psychological Med Monash University, Australia. She has been very kind for granting access to her invaluable research work.