Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) Calculator
Enter the grams of protein, carbohydrate and fat you eat in a day, or just your total calories, to estimate the energy spent digesting them.
- Nothing you type is stored
- Free
- No signup
Calories burned digesting food
162kcal/day
- Calories eaten
- 1,940 kcal
- TEF as % of intake
- 8.4%
An estimate for general information, not medical advice.
How to use
- Choose by macros or by total calories.
- Enter your daily grams or calories.
- See the calories used for digestion and the split by nutrient.
Good to know
Typical costs as a share of each nutrient's energy (Westerterp, Nutrition & Metabolism 2004): protein 20–30%, carbohydrate 5–10%, fat 0–3%. This calculator uses the middle of each range: 25%, 7.5% and 1.5%. Energy: 4 kcal per g of protein or carbs, 9 per g of fat.
For a mixed diet TEF comes to about 10% of calories eaten, which is what the "total calories" option uses (with a 5–15% range).
TEF is a small part of daily energy. Higher-protein meals raise it a little and help you feel full, but no food has "negative calories". Alcohol and fibre are not counted here.
Questions
What is the thermic effect of food?
The extra energy your body uses to digest, absorb and store food. It is about 10% of what you eat.
Which food has the highest thermic effect?
Protein, at about 20–30% of its calories. Fat has the lowest.
Can I lose weight by eating more protein?
Protein slightly raises TEF and keeps you fuller, which can help, but total calories still decide weight change.
Do spicy foods or green tea burn more?
Their effect is very small, usually a few to tens of calories a day.
Is my data stored?
No. Everything is calculated on your device.