Tag: Heat production

An estimated 10% of a person's total daily energy expenditure is used to digest, absorb, and process food. This process, known as the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), explains how and why carbohydrates provide heat to the body. While all food generates some heat during digestion, carbohydrates play a specific role in fueling this internal warming process.

The thermic effect of food accounts for roughly 10% of the daily caloric expenditure in healthy adults. If you have ever felt a temporary rise in your body temperature, sometimes called "meat sweats," after consuming a large protein-rich meal, you have experienced this natural physiological response.

Following a meal, a person's body temperature can increase noticeably within 20 to 30 minutes, a process known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). This metabolic boost, triggered by the digestion and absorption of nutrients, causes a slight but temporary rise in internal temperature.

According to nutritional science, the body expends energy to digest, absorb, and metabolize food, a process called the thermic effect of food (TEF). This metabolic activity is a direct way that eating food keeps your body warm, albeit on a small and temporary scale.