Problem: The nurse is meeting with a group of student nurses. They are discussing the various effects of calories on the body. The nurse explains that the caloric cost of digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing food is called: The nurse is meeting with a group of student nurses. They are discussing the various effects of calories on the body. The nurse explains that the caloric cost of digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing food is called: the thermic effect. the metabolic effect. the basal metabolic rate. the resting metabolic rate.