In the short term, meat and dairy make your body burn more calories after eating than plant proteins like beans or tofu, but after a while, both types work the same way.

Diet-induced thermogenesis is significantly higher for dietary protein compared to carbohydrates and fats due to the greater metabolic cost of protein absorption, transport, and amino acid metabolism.

Diet-induced thermogenesis is significantly higher for dietary protein compared to carbohydrates and fats due to the energetic cost of protein absorption, metabolism, and amino acid synthesis.

Even though eating more protein makes you burn more calories right after a meal, your body gets used to it over time — so after weeks, that extra calorie burn disappears.

Even though eating more protein every day makes you burn more calories at rest, it doesn’t make you burn more calories after meals over the long term—your body gets used to it.

Eating more protein makes your body burn a bit more calories just to digest it, compared to eating less protein.