The Leangains Method: The Art of Getting Ripped. Researched, Practiced, Perfected.

by Martin Berkhan

But an interesting new study shows how these benefits extend beyond satiety and nutrient density. The thermic effect of whole foods are significantly higher than an equal number of calories from processed foods. In this study, subjects ate a “wholesome” meal of multi-grain bread and cheddar cheese, or a more processed meal of white bread and pasteurized cheese. Remarkably, results showed the wholesome meal produced nearly twice the DIT of the processed meal. Both groups ate the same number of calories, but DIT burned off 137 calories in the wholesome group and only 73 calories in the processed group. This suggests the former may produce higher DIT than the latter—even if calories and macronutrients are equal (ref. 10).