Your body burns more calories digesting real food like whole grains and cheese than fake food like white bread and processed cheese, even if both have the same calories.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
Community contributions welcome
Postprandial energy expenditure in whole-food and processed-food meals: implications for daily energy expenditure
The study found that your body burns more calories digesting a sandwich made with real bread and cheese than one made with white bread and processed cheese, even if both sandwiches have the same calories. This supports the idea that whole foods make your body work harder to digest them.
Postprandial energy expenditure in whole-food and processed-food meals: implications for daily energy expenditure
This study found that eating a sandwich made with real bread and cheese burns almost twice as many calories during digestion as one made with white bread and processed cheese—even though both sandwiches had the same calories. This supports the idea that whole foods make your body work harder to digest them.
Contradicting (1)
Community contributions welcome
Whole-grain pasta reduces appetite and meal-induced thermogenesis acutely: a pilot study.
The study found that eating whole-grain pasta actually burned fewer calories after eating than some other pasta meals, which is the opposite of what the claim says. So it contradicts the idea that whole foods make your body work harder to digest.