13 High-Thermic Effect Foods To Boost Your Metabolism

Eating specific high-thermic foods can give you a leg up on increasing your metabolism to boost the number of calories you burn daily and further help promote fat loss.

In this guide, I’ll explain why 13 foods are considered high-thermic and review the research detailing how they can boost your metabolism.

I’ll also discuss the results you can expect from adding more high-thermic foods into your diet and who can benefit the most from consuming them.

Key Takeaways

• Eating high-thermic foods will require your body to use more energy, which has a positive effect on your metabolic rate.

• The benefits of consuming high-thermic foods go beyond boosting the metabolism and include improving sleep and digestion, lowering the risk of disease, and maintaining muscle mass.

• Incorporating high-thermic foods into your diet coupled with a customized workout plan from Fitbod can help you achieve weight loss results.

What Is a “High-Thermic” Food?

A high-thermic food requires your body to use more energy to digest than it takes to eat. 

Through a process called diet-induced thermogenesis, high-thermic foods cause an increase in metabolic rate, the rate at which your body burns calories.

Here’s a list of 13 high-thermic foods to help boost your metabolism:

• Lean meats
• Low-fat dairy
• Eggs
• High-quality fish
• Nuts and seeds
• Avocados
• Green tea
• Dark chocolate
• Coffee
• Chili peppers
• Beans and legumes
• Whole grains
• Sweet potatoes

Certain food groups have higher thermic effects than others. 

Protein has the highest thermic effect and can increase your metabolic rate by 15-30%. Carbohydrates increase your metabolic rate by 5-10%, and fats increase it by just 0-3%.

While high-thermic foods increase your metabolic rate, the effects are temporary. 

There are better ways to increase your metabolism for the long term, such as increasing your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) and lifting weights. 

The Fitbod app automatically progresses as your fitness level evolves, which helps you increase and maintain muscle mass, lose fat mass, and get the greatest benefit from your workout.

Furthermore, the thermic effect of food is different in every individual. Factors such as age, activity levels, overall meal size, the breakdown of macronutrients at each meal, and meal frequency can all influence the thermic effect of food.

What Foods Have The Highest Thermic Effect?

Here’s a list of 13 high-thermic foods to incorporate into your diet.

1. Lean meats

In addition to having the highest thermic effect of the three main macronutrients, protein has a high degree of satiety. Protein-rich foods help keep your blood sugar levels stable in between meals and help you feel fuller for longer.

Paul Kriegler, RD, Director of Nutritional Product Development at Life Time told Parade:

“Studies have found that protein exerts an ‘increased thermic’ or calorie-burning, effect when compared with carbs and fats. This means that our bodies use more energy to digest and burn protein than carbs or fat.”Lean meats such as chicken, turkey, pork, lean cuts of steak, and 90% or leaner ground meat are all excellent sources of lean protein. For example, ground turkey is very versatile and easy to prepare.

2. Low-fat dairy

Studies show low-fat dairy foods help support healthy body composition. If you don’t like to eat a lot of meat, you can swap out your chicken or pork for low-fat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese.

However, be sure to look for products that aren’t laden with sweeteners. Greek yogurt cups with fruit on the bottom, for example, tend to have higher amounts of carbs due to all of the added sugars.

3. Eggs

Eggs are another great substitute for lean meat. They’re healthy sources of both dietary fat and protein, and they’re rich in iodine, a mineral that helps promote normal thyroid function.

Eggs also contain all of the essential amino acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. They’re also high in vitamin D, vitamin E, choline, and iron, all of which are necessary for metabolic health.

4. High-Quality Fish

Fatty fish such as salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). This helps lower your bad cholesterol and reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.

People who regularly consume fish oils exhibit higher activity levels of hepatic mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme that’s involved in thermogenesis.

5. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds contain a lot of vitamins and nutrients that support metabolic health. They’re also high in soluble fiber, which slows the absorption of food and keeps you satiated.

While all types of nuts and seeds are considered high-thermic foods, flaxseeds and Brazil nuts are the best choices you can make.

A study published in 2019 showed that flaxseeds helped improve the gut’s microbiome and increased energy expenditure in mice. 

While these effects weren’t tested in humans, the results from this study suggest that flaxseeds are a metabolically beneficial food.

Brazil nuts are high in selenium, a mineral that plays a vital role in thyroid function and the regulation of your metabolism.

6. Avocados

Avocados are another high-fat food, with half an avocado containing about 16 grams of fat. 

However, one thing that makes avocados a high thermic food is their high magnesium content. 

Magnesium is essential in absorbing other nutrients and helps regulate digestion and blood glucose levels. 

It also activates enzymes that synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that provides energy to the cells in your body.

Avocado consumption is also linked to a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome.

7. Green Tea

There are conflicting reports on the health benefits of green tea, but some studies suggest that it plays a positive role in fat metabolism during exercise and while you’re at rest. 

Researchers believe this is due to the presence of catechins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Researchers have also discovered that green tea can increase energy expenditure by 4-5%.

If you don’t like green tea, you can try oolong tea instead, as it boasts many of the same health benefits.

8. Dark Chocolate

Like green tea, dark chocolate is rich in catechins. It also contains a high amount of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) and is rich in fiber and minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Researchers at Louisiana State University found that after ingesting dark chocolate, the gut microbes in our stomachs ferment the chocolate and encourage the production of polyphenolic compounds. One of those compounds is butyrate, which has been shown to increase thermogenesis in mice with obesity.

However, this doesn’t mean you should fill up on any candy that claims it has dark chocolate. You should look for dark chocolate that isn’t overly processed and contains at least 70% cocoa.

9. Coffee

Coffee contains compounds called chlorogenic acids that aid in the regulation of glucose. In addition, the caffeine found in coffee stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and increases lipolysis, which helps the body break down fat.

Coffee also acts as an appetite suppressant. You still need to eat enough calories to support your activity levels, but drinking a cup of coffee when you feel hungry can help prevent you from overeating.

10. Chili peppers

Not all researchers agree on chili peppers’ metabolism-boosting effects, but some studies show that they can help you burn an extra 50 calories per day. This is due to the presence of capsaicin, the chemical compound that makes peppers spicy. Capsaicin may also play a role in fat oxidation and appetite suppression.

Jalapeño, serrano, cayenne, and Thai chili peppers are some of the most common peppers that contain capsaicin. 

You don’t need much for them to take effect — consuming just 9-10 mg of capsaicin is enough to boost your metabolism. 

That’s about one jalapeño a day.

If you don’t like spicy foods, you can also take capsaicin supplements, which are available over the counter.

11. Beans and Legumes

Legumes such as lentils, peanuts, black beans, chickpeas, and green peas are excellent sources of plant-based protein. 

They also have a high fiber content, which reduces insulin spikes by keeping your blood sugar levels consistent throughout the day.

The fiber in beans and legumes also slows digestion and promotes beneficial prebiotic effects in the large intestine. 

12. Whole Grains

Complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, oats, and quinoa require more energy to digest than simple carbs like white bread or pasta. A study done in 2010 showed that the post-meal energy expenditure in subjects who ate a cheese sandwich on multi-grain bread was significantly higher than in those who ate a cheese sandwich on white bread.

Sheri Berger, Registered Dietitian and Nutritional Consultant for Health Insiders, advises:

“Choose whole grains versus refined grains. For example, choose brown

rice, whole wheat bread, or farro instead of white rice, white bread, or white

pasta.”

Complex carb sources also have more fiber than their less nutritious counterparts. High dietary fiber intake prevents a significant increase in blood glucose levels after a meal. It can also improve insulin sensitivity, aid in losing or maintaining body weight, and positively affect the gut microbiome.

13. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index, meaning they don’t significantly raise your glucose levels when you eat them. They also can prevent the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.

They’re also another excellent source of soluble fiber, which slows down digestion and helps you feel fuller longer.