How You Can Eat Eggs On A Low Fat/Calorie Diet

One question that many people ask is “Can you eat eggs on a low fat diet?”  The answer is yes, as long as you use them in moderation.  If, because you read some alarming newspaper column, you thought that eggs had high levels of cholesterol, this article is worth reading.  Although most eggs contain roughly 210 mg of cholesterol, which is less than the old estimate of 275 mg, and this is 2 1/3’s of the 300 mg daily limit, there are things you should also keep in mind when choosing whether to eat eggs or not.

The Cholesterol

There is still much debate as to whether there is a link between blood cholesterol and dietary cholesterol.  Factors such as exercise, smoking, age, family history and diet affect the body’s levels of blood cholesterol.  However, there is real evidence that suggests eating foods with trans-fats and saturated fats have a bigger impact on the levels of blood cholesterol than the ingestion of dietary cholesterol.

The Fat

It may be true that many of the foods that have high levels of cholesterol also have high levels of saturated or trans-fat, eggs are not one of them.  An egg has around 5g of fat, 1.5 g of which saturates.  The only reason that people consider eggs to be high in fat is because of the type of foods people eat with them, such as sausage and bacon for the humble fry-up or with cheese in omelettes.

They Are High In Nutrients

As well as being a great source of protein, eggs contain around a dozen different minerals and vitamins – including amongst others vitamins B-12, E, D and A; Riboflavin; Phosphorous; Folate; Zinc and Iron.  That is a reasonable amount of nutritional value for something that has about 70 calories each.

Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids

There are eggs available that contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.  These are acids which can’t be produced by the boy, but are connected to preventing the risk of heart attacks and other conditions related to heart disease.

Whites Versus Yolks

The yolk of an egg is where all the cholesterol and fat is contained, with the majority of the protein being in the white.  Therefore, in order to get the most out of eggs if you are trying to low calorie diet and eat low calorie meals, you need to cut down on the amount of yolks you use.  One handy tip is where a recipe says to use 2 whole eggs, use instead 2 egg whites, but be careful as it could affect recipes, such as baked ones.

Eating Eggs The Low Fat Way

Hopefully from the above, you have learnt that you can have eggs as part of a low calorie diet, as long as you eat them in moderation.  Try making omelettes full of veggies, scrambled eggs (following the egg white to full egg ratio) and poached eggs.  In addition if you use cookware such as non-stick skillets and pans, you don’t need to use oil or butter.