JJ Virgin4x NYTimes Best Selling Author, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Fitness Hall of Famer

Choose Your Calories Wisely

16 Sept 2025 · 0 min

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0:27

In this short clip, nutrition expert JJ Virgin emphasizes that while calories still matter for weight management, the source of those calories is even more important. She explains that ultra‑processed foods have a lower thermic effect than protein, meaning the body expends less energy digesting them. Citing a study comparing a highly processed cheese sandwich to a whole‑foods cheese sandwich, she notes that participants burned about 500 fewer calories per day when consuming the processed version. The core takeaway she offers is to prioritize whole foods over ultra‑processed options when choosing calories.

Calories still count, but where they come from counts more. And here's what's amazing: ultra-processed foods actually have a lower thermic response to food than protein does. If you're eating something like a very processed cheese sandwich— this was an actual study— they showed that you burned 500 calories less a day than if you ate a whole foods-based cheese sandwich. The takeaway: choose your calories wisely. Eat whole foods first.