Does "Thermic Effect of Foods" really matter?

In the cronometer there is an option called "TEF" which calculates the amount of calories burned by digesting certain foods, for example protein rich foods or fiber rich foods would have a higher value of burned calories. If the goal of the person is to maintain or gain muscle, does Thermic Effect of foods really matter or it should be turned off?

Answer

Not to a significant amount. If you do the math, replacing 50g of carbs with 50g of protein doesn’t burn THAT much more calories. I think for most people, there’s far more important factors to focus on. It’s good info to know and certainly every bit counts but the satiating effects of fiber/protein probably have a much greater effect on CICO than the thermic effect. But it’s definitely a nice added benefit

But out of all the things that affect CICO, TEF is gonna be the most minor

Answer

A balanced diet it is about 10% of your calorie expenditure.

If theoretically all of your calories came from protein it would be closer to 25% of your calorie expenditure.

Source: https://www.gigacalculator.com/calculators/thermic-effect-food-calculator.php