Eggs & Weight Loss

Eggs are making a comeback as a healthy and nutritious food after years of sitting on the list of unhealthy foods due to concerns over their cholesterol content and assumed associations with heart disease.

What is in an egg?

Eggs are a highly nutritious food. Along with being a source of high quality protein, eggs contain at least 11 different vitamins and minerals such as antioxidants, iron, omega 3 fats, folate, vitamin A, iodine and vitamin B12. Eggs are also one of the few food sources of vitamin D, a nutrient that many people lack, especially in winter.

The fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E) and essential fats such as omega 3 fats are present exclusively in the yolk. That is why to get all the benefits of eggs, you need to eat both the egg white and yolk.

Why were eggs previously considered unhealthy?

The historical concern about egg is due to the cholesterol content and assumed associated heart disease risks. Older analysis set the cholesterol content of an egg at a high of 250mg, when the recommended maximum is 300mg a day. So, eating one egg was enough to put you close to the daily limit. Current figures, however, shows that the cholesterol content of 2 small eggs is only 182mg, which is a far less concern.

Furthermore, research shows that the effect of cholesterol eaten through foods on blood cholesterol and heart disease risk is a lot less the effect saturated fats have on cholesterol levels.

Eggs and weight loss

Should you avoid egg if you’re trying to lose weight? Well, at around 300kJ for a 60g egg, the energy content is quite low and it provides a good amount of protein, which helps fill you up. A standard 50g of chocolate bar will easily contain double the energy without any of the nutritional benefits obtained from eggs. If you are trying to lose weight, start by cutting foods with empty nutrition – low nutrient high calorie foods such as soft drinks, cakes, chips, biscuits. Eggs can be a regular part of healthy eating, but do go easy on the oil, butter or cream that often goes with egg dishes.

The proteins in eggs are complete (contain all nine essential amino acids) and are of high biological value, which means more readily absorbed and used by the body. In fact, scientists often use egg protein as the standard against which they judge all other proteins.

Conclusion

So, the bottom line is, eggs are a great protein source as well as other important nutrients for health. Everybody, even if you have diabetes or are trying to lose weight, you can enjoy 6 eggs per week without them adversely affecting your health. Eggs are very affordable and highly nutritious, which makes them a great food for families, fussy eaters and the elderly.