Is Protein The New Celery?*

Protein, as a singular macronutrient, does have a higher Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) than fat and carbohydrates, and higher protein meals have been found to have a higher TEF compared to lower protein meals [1-5].

But, the practical significance of this seemingly falls away when you eat sufficient protein in whole food-based meals and this increase in TEF likely isn’t independently driving significant weight loss [5-9].