Calories are the amount of energy released when our body breaks down (digests and absorbs) food.

Protein calories are less fattening than calories from carbs and fat, because protein takes more energy to metabolize (to use chemical processes in the body to turn food into energy, new growth, and waste products).

Research shows that protein-rich foods (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, nuts, and seeds) increase thermic effect of food (TEF) the most – TEF refers to the number of calories your body needs to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in your meals, it increases our metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared with 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. 100 calories of protein would end up as 75 calories, while 100 calories of fat would end up as 98 calories.

Studies have stated that higher protein diets may: spare lean body mass during weight loss, promote weight management, enhance glycemic regulation, and increase intestinal calcium absorption – which may result in long-term improvements in bone health. 

[Sources of Information: healthline.com & ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

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Protein-Rich Food Recipes