Two identical 800-calorie meals, one processed and one whole food, showed the body burns twice as many calories digesting the whole-food version. The processed meal left people hungrier afterward, making them eat more later. Whole foods burn more calories and keep you fuller, which matters more for weight loss than calories alone.
This is 800 calories of processed white bread and American cheese. And this is 800 calories of unprocessed multigrain bread and cheddar cheese. And people will argue if you'll lose more weight eating the whole foods versus the processed foods, even if the calories are the same. Well, we actually don't have to argue about it. There's a study that tells us the truth. This study showed even though the calories were the same, your body burns twice as many calories digesting the whole food than it does the processed food. They also found the processed foods left people more hungrier for the same amount of calories, leading them to overeat. And since a calorie deficit comes down to eating less calories than you burn, eating whole foods will help you burn more calories and eat less calories, leading to more weight loss.
