It’s a fact that egg consumption is insane. At a reasonable rate of consumption, even chicken farming could be much more humane. Therefore, consider eggs as a food that you can safely eat, but don’t overdo it. The principle known as ‘one egg a day’ is a great advertising slogan. Personally, however, I would advocate a version of one to two eggs a week. As part of a varied diet, this is a tasty and nutrient-dense food.
Egg yolk
Many do not want to eat egg yolks because they contain fat and cholesterol. But if you don’t eat them often, your cholesterol intake won’t be so dramatic – eggs also contain substances that lower cholesterol. One egg yolk contains over 300 milligrams of cholesterol, which is also the maximum recommended daily allowance.
My advice to you is don’t look at the egg yolk as poison. I know people who honestly throw egg yolk in the garbage because it is “fatty”. However, for the same portion of food, they will grate 50 grams of emmental in a few seconds with ease. Yet per 100 grams, both foods contain almost the same amount of cholesterol fat.
- An egg yolk has roughly 6 grams of fat.
- 50 grams of emmental has about 13 grams of fat.
Yes, both cholesterol and fat are good to keep to a minimum. But if you’re making some sort of egg food and don’t plan on putting anything else “fatty” in there, then the yolk is fine. Especially if we’re talking about eating such a meal once or twice a week. Especially if your diet is otherwise about right and you get enough exercise, then you’re not putting yourself at any serious risk by eating an egg yolk. High cholesterol is not caused by your diet but by your body not functioning properly. It can be a manifestation of a disease, but also of a very inappropriate lifestyle.
Egg white
When losing weight, you will probably use mainly egg whites. They contain protein and nothing else.
If you’ve seen a movie about the life of a bodybuilder, do NOT take a cue from it. For example, such Ronnie Coleman eats dozens of egg whites. In the movie, you see him making a big pan of such scrambled eggs and eventually dousing the whole thing with egg white powder. Do not imitate this practice.
- First of all, you are not professional bodybuilders. If you are 120 to 150 pounds like him (height 180) then you probably have a waist circumference similar to his chest circumference.
- Secondly, too much protein, and animal protein at that, is not good for your health. They severely increase the risks of “civilisation” diseases, including oncological ones.
On the other hand, if you take egg whites in a reasonable amount, then you can use them extremely effectively in weight loss. You can buy egg white products (shmakoun and similar brand names) which have zero fat, zero carbs and a bit of energy. Excellent stuff. With, say, a small handful of nuts and some three slices of knekebrot, you get a snack that doesn’t get in the way in the fridge. If one day you find yourself wanting a snack, you can pull out a snack like that on cue.
Whole egg
Thus, it is possible to eat the whole egg even when losing weight. An example is spinach. If you have a large portion of spinach, an egg is a suitable and traditional accompaniment. However, I would also add a tablespoon of good quality olive oil to the spinach per serving. This will also add the appropriate fats in the serving and make the spinach more delicious.
However, it is also good to keep in mind that eggs are often eaten in combinations that are not suitable for weight loss.
- Sandwiches – eggs, butter, mayonnaise.
- Pancake – egg, cheese, flour.
- French fries – potatoes, eggs, cheese, sausage, bacon.
- Bábovka – flour, sugar, fat, egg
These are all examples of dishes where the egg forms only one of the fatty components. Then you need to think carefully about whether you should eat such food. For while we look at the egg as a separate entity, it is some 6 grams of fat. It is advisable to eat around 10 to 12 grams of fat in a single meal. Preferably not animal fat. If some of the fat is cheese and nuts from time to time, that’s fine. If at other times it’s an egg and a bit of good quality oil, it’s okay. Or if you put good quality mayonnaise (egg yolk + good quality oil) in your salad. But it’s not good for all the fat in a meal to be made up of just animal fat, for example a fried schnitzel in lard. Or a margarita pizza. You really should only allow yourself to eat such a composed meal on rare occasions.
Eggs in weight loss
Eggs can therefore be used for weight loss without any problems. When you know that egg whites are high quality protein without fat, you can use it more boldly. The yolk should be used sparingly.
Do you know what our stainless steel specialty egg cooker is? …. Read more
