Free TEF Calculator (Thermic Effect of Food)

Calculate the thermic effect of food (TEF) — the calories your body burns digesting and processing nutrients. TEF typically accounts for about 10% of your total daily energy expenditure, but varies significantly by macronutrient: protein burns the most calories during digestion.

What is the Thermic Effect of Food?

The thermic effect of food (TEF), also called diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), is the energy your body expends to digest, absorb, transport, and metabolize the food you eat. It is one of three major components that make up your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), alongside your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and physical activity.

When you eat a meal, your body must work to break down macronutrients into their usable forms. This metabolic process requires energy — and that energy cost is what we call TEF. On average, TEF accounts for approximately 10% of total calorie intake, but this number varies considerably depending on the composition of your diet.

TEF by Macronutrient

Not all macronutrients are created equal when it comes to digestion cost. The thermic effect varies dramatically between protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Macronutrient	TEF Range	Midpoint Used	Why
Protein	20-30%	25%	Complex amino acid processing, protein synthesis, and urea cycle
Carbohydrates	5-10%	7.5%	Glycogen storage and glucose metabolism
Fat	0-3%	1.5%	Minimal processing needed for storage

Protein has the highest TEF because the body must invest significant energy to deaminate amino acids, convert them for use, and excrete nitrogen as urea. Fat, on the other hand, requires very little metabolic processing to be stored as body fat, which is why its TEF is so low.

How TEF Fits Into Your Total Energy Expenditure

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn each day. It consists of three components:

• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — ~60-70%: The calories your body burns at rest to maintain basic life functions like breathing, circulation, and cell production.
• Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) — ~10%: The calories burned digesting, absorbing, and processing the food you eat.
• Physical Activity — ~20-30%: The calories burned through intentional exercise and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).

So the formula is: TDEE = BMR + TEF + Physical Activity. While BMR is largely determined by genetics, body size, and age, TEF is one component you can influence through dietary choices.

Can You Increase TEF to Burn More Calories?

Yes, there are evidence-based strategies to increase the thermic effect of food:

• Eat a higher protein diet: Since protein has a TEF of 20-30% compared to 5-10% for carbs and 0-3% for fat, shifting your macro ratio toward more protein can meaningfully increase total TEF. For a 2,000-calorie diet, increasing protein from 15% to 30% of calories could burn an extra 50-75 calories per day through digestion alone.
• Choose whole foods over processed foods: Research shows that whole, unprocessed foods require more energy to digest than their ultra-processed counterparts. A study published in Food & Nutrition Research found that whole-food meals had nearly double the TEF of equivalent processed meals.
• Consider meal timing and frequency: While the total TEF over a day is primarily determined by total calorie and macro intake, some research suggests that regular meal patterns may optimize the thermic response compared to erratic eating schedules.
• Stay hydrated: Adequate water intake supports metabolic processes including digestion. Some studies suggest drinking water before meals may slightly enhance TEF.

Related Tools

Explore our other free nutrition calculators to get a complete picture of your dietary needs:

• TDEE Calculator - Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure using multiple formulas
• Mifflin-St Jeor Calculator - Calculate your BMR with the most accurate general-population formula
• Macro Calculator - Calculate your optimal protein, carbs, and fat intake
• Body Fat Calculator - Estimate your body fat percentage using multiple methods

For Nutrition Professionals

Are you a dietitian, nutritionist, or personal trainer looking to streamline client nutrition planning? Foodzilla automatically factors in TEF, BMR, and activity levels to generate personalized meal plans in seconds.

• Built-in TDEE calculator with TEF considerations
• Automatic macro calculations based on client goals
• AI-powered meal plan generation
• 1,500+ dietitian-approved recipes
• White-label mobile apps for your clients