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HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT DOES THE THERMIC ENERGY OF DIGESTING FOODS HAVE?
Some of the foods people consume are easy for their body to digest (convert into a form that their body can use). Those foods have a low thermic energy. Some foods are difficult for their body to digest. Those foods have a high thermic energy.
One way to think about thermic energy (digestion) is: The faster your body can convert the food you eat into a useable source of energy; the fewer calories your body will burn digesting that food. The human body can process white sugar into a useable form of energy within minutes. Sugar starts to get absorbed by your body before it even leaves your mouth and enters your digestive system. Consquently, the thermic energy of white sugar is extremely low. If you just consumed 100 calories worth of white sugar; your net calorie consumption is going to be extremely close to 100.
Some types of meats require about 5 hours for the human body to digest. Those types of foods will have an extremely high thermic energy. If you just consumed 100 calories worth of that type of meat; your net calorie consumption will probably be around 70 calories because your body used about 30 calories digesting that meat.
The amount of calories you consume when you eat celery is less than the amount of calories your body will burn when you digest the celery. Celery is considered to be a negative calorie food.
The thermic energy of lean protein tends to be in the 20 - 30% range.
The thermic energy of complex carbohydrates tends to be in the 7 - 15% range.
The thermic energy of fats tends to be in the 4 - 6 % range.
The thermic energy of simple carbohydrates tends to be close to 0%.
If you are trying to lose weight; your goal should be to create consistent calorie deficits with a combination of reducing calorie consumption and doing cardiovascular and strength training exercises.
Creating a calorie deficit is easier if you aren't hungry most of the time.
Strategies for reducing hunger are:
1. Eating 5 to 6 small meals per day.
2. Eating mostly foods that are high in protein and fiber and
consuming enough of the good fats.
3. Eating foods that have a high thermic energy. Foods
that take a long time for your body to digest will help
keep you feeling full much longer.
People can create a calorie deficit by eating only chocolate candy. That would be extremely difficult to do, though. Most people would be extremely hungry most of the time if they ate only chocolate candy.
If you consume only lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and drink only water most of the time; you will be much more likely to lose weight than you would if you consumed a lot of the bad fats and the simple carbohydrate foods.
Approximate Digestion Time of Foods:
Watermelon.................20 minutes
Canteloupe.................30 minutes
Honeydew...................30 minutes
Orange.....................30 minutes
Grapefruit.................30 minutes
Grapes.....................30 minutes
Apples.....................40 minutes
Pears......................40 minutes
Peaches....................40 minutes
Cherries...................40 minutes
Lettuce....................30 to 40 minutes
Tomato.....................30 to 40 minutes
Cucumber...................30 to 40 minutes
Celery.....................30 to 40 minutes
Red Pepper.................30 to 40 minutes
Green Pepper...............30 to 40 minutes
Spinach....................40 minutes
Zucchini...................45 minutes
Broccoli...................45 minutes
Cauliflower................45 minutes
String beans...............45 minutes
Yellow squash..............45 minutes
Corn on the cob............45 minutes
Carrots....................50 minutes
Beets......................50 minutes
Turnips....................50 minutes
Brown rice.................90 minutes
Buckwheat..................90 minutes
Cornmeal...................90 minutes
Lima Beans.................90 minutes
Chick Peas.................90 minutes
Peas.......................90 minutes
Kidney beans...............90 minutes
Soy Beans..................2 hours
Sunflower seeds............2 hours
Almonds....................2.5 to 3 hours
Cashews....................2.5 to 3 hours
Peanuts....................2.5 to 3 hours
Pecans.....................2.5 to 3 hours
Walnuts....................2.5 to 3 hours
Skim milk..................90 minutes
Low fat cottage cheese.....90 minutes
Ricotta cheese.............90 minutes
Cottage cheese.............1.5 hours
Egg yolk...................30 minutes
Whole egg..................45 minutes
Flounder...................30 minutes
Salmon.....................45 to 60 minutes
Herring....................45 to 60 minutes
Chicken....................1.5 to 2 hours
Turkey.....................2 to 2.25 hours
Beef.......................3 to 4 hours
Lamb.......................3 to 4 hours
Pork.......................4.5 to 5 hours
Even though this list of foods lists digestion times that may seem quick. You may be wondering; if this is true; wouldn't people be starving every hour and a half or so if they didn't eat meat? When you consume fats with carbohydrates; the rate your body will digest the carbohydrates will slow down dramatically. Eating the good fats with the carbohydrates is one of the methods you can use to help you feel full longer.
If hunger is a major obstacle for you when you are trying to reduce your calorie intake; including foods in your diet that take a long time to digest can really help. The foods that take a longer time to digest tend to have a higher thermic energy; consequently, you can consume more total calories when you include those foods simply because many of the calories in those foods will be burned when you are digesting those foods.
Written by: Dawn Perucca
www.thesoccerlockersite.com
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