The egg debate is one of the most heated debates in the world of nutrition. Researchers have been trying to determine whether eggs are healthy for you for over 40 years. There have always been two arguments for labeling eggs as unhealthy: they are rich in fat and cholesterol. According to this, it would be easy to guess that avoiding the yolk or eggs altogether are part of any healthy diet.
However, this is one of the commonest myths concerning eating. Actually, if you make eggs a standard part of your diet, you will make one of the best decisions. In this text you will read on why eggs are number one when it comes to weight loss.
What ingredients can be found in eggs?
Eggs are a rich source of high-quality proteins, healthy fats, and many vitamins and minerals. Let’s find out about some of the properties eggs have.
One large egg has 72 calories. It’s only 4 percent of the total daily calorie intake based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. As long as it stays within the number of calories that is appropriate for your needs, eggs won’t make you fat.
Eggs also contain 5 grams of total fat, which consists of 2 grams of saturated fat and 186 miligrams of cholesterol. But if you take care of your calorie intake, saturated fat in eggs won’t make you fat. However, since saturated fat and cholesterol build up in the arteries, they increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. So, if you have a family history of heart issues or you have been diagnosed with any of them (for instance, high blood pressure), you should avoid the yolk since it contains all of the fat.
Another ingredient that can be found in eggs are unsaturated fats. There are two types of them – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These fats may lower the cholesterol levels. Some of the polyunsaturated fats in eggs contain omega-3 fatty acids. These acids have anti-inflammatory properties and lower the risk of heart diseases.
Eggs contain the following nutrients: proteins (11 percent of the recommended daily intake), zinc and iron (5 percent), vitamin D (7 percent), vitamin B-12 (16 percent), vitamin B-6 (6 percent). These three vitamins reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The yolk of one large egg contains vitamin A, which consists of lutein and zeaxanthin. These chemicals are actually antioxidants. They reduce the risk of developing age-related eye disease.
Why are eggs ideal for losing extra pounds?
Eggs are among low-calorie foods. As it was said before, eggs don’t have many calories. Only 72 calories can be found in one big-sized egg. Besides, eggs are rich in nutrients, especially the yolk.
A meal containing eggs is usually made of a few eggs. The calorie content of three big boiled eggs is smaller than 240.
If you add a generous amount of vegetables to this, you will eat only 300 calories and feel full.
However, you should know that frying eggs and using oil for that matter adds around 50 calories per each teaspoon.
By eating eggs you can lose weight since your calorie intake won’t be high.
You are full after eating eggs. Thanks to the fact that eggs are rich in proteins, this food can make you feel full soon after eating. Foods that are protein-high can curb your appetite and provide the feeling of fullness very fast, unlike foods with lower protein content. Since egg meals enhance the feeling of fullness, you are less likely to overeat for the rest of the day. This isn’t true for other foods with identical number of calories.
The scale named the Satiety index measures how full you feel after eating certain kinds of food and whether your calorie intake is reduced later on. Eggs rank very high on this scale.
Additionally, if you concentrate on eating high protein food you won’t be likely to obsessively think about food in general and you probably won’t feel like eating late-night snacks.
Eggs can improve your metabolism. For optimal functioning your body needs amino acids. Since eggs are rich in them, if you eat them regularly, your metabolism will improve.
Various studies have shown that a diet rich in proteins may significantly boost your metabolism, since your body then uses more energy to process foods than it is the case for carbohydrates and fat. According to this, if you eat foods rich in proteins (eggs among other things), you will increase your calorie burning rate.
A perfect choice for the first meal of the day are eggs. Many studies have demonstrated that having eggs in the morning is one of the main factors for a successful weight loss. In almost all of them the researchers wanted to check how having breakfast that consists of eggs influences this aspect compared to opting for some other foods for the first meal of the day with the identical calorie content. All those studies have demonstrated that if you eat eggs in the morning, you will be less hungry during the rest of the day and therefore you will eat much less calories. If you choose this food for breakfast your glucose levels will be more stable.
Another study, whose main aim was to concentrate on the impacts of having various breakfasts in young and healthy men on their body, has proved this fact as true since the men who had breakfast with eggs were less hungry and, what is more, their calorie intake for lunch later during the day was significantly smaller.
Here is the proof how powerful eggs are for losing extra pounds.
Eggs aren’t expensive and the preparation is very simple. You can easily make eggs one of your daily eating habits since they are cheap, easily available and their preparation is fast and simple too. There are various ways you can prepare them and they are equally delicious. Eggs are usually used for making an omelet, scrambled or boiled. If you want to lose some extra pounds, opt for having an omelet and any vegetables you like for breakfast.
In these lines we broke a common myth that eggs are fattening. On the contrary, this is an ideal food for weight loss, as you could read in this text.
