Eggs are often recommended for people who are on a diet. In fact, in 2018, Arielle Chandler published a book about a boiled egg-based diet which was later referred to as the boiled egg diet. If you look deeper, the boiled egg diet is actually similar to the keto diet. The principle of the keto diet is to reduce carbohydrate consumption and increase protein consumption. Because eggs are an affordable source of animal protein compared to other animal proteins, the egg diet was developed. However, is it true that consuming eggs in your daily diet can make you lose weight?
- Eggs Have Low Calorie
Based on the list of food exchange food groups, one egg only contains about 75 kcal calories but is very rich in nutrients. Some examples are lutein and zeaxanthin as a source of antioxidants for healthier eyes, vitamin D to improve bone health and immune function, and choline to increase the body's metabolism.
- Can Maintain Satiety
Protein can help you lose weight because it can give you a feeling of fullness more easily than other nutrients. This is proven through research conducted by Rains, et al, which was published in the Nutrition Journal in 2015. In this study, it was explained that consuming foods containing 30-39 grams of protein at breakfast helps control appetite and reduces intake at lunch.
The question is, how much protein is contained in one egg? According to the Exchange Food Group List, one egg contains about 7 grams of protein. This amount does not meet the recommendations of the study, so the consumption of other protein sources such as chicken and fish is still important. However, the bioavailability of egg protein is very high. Eggs have a protein bioavailability value of 100. It means eggs are rich in essential amino acids needed to meet the body's protein needs.
- Eggs Can Accelerate Metabolism Processes
Consuming high-protein food sources such as eggs is also able to speed up metabolism through a process called the thermic effect of food. When we eat food, the body needs extra calories to digest and process the nutrients in the body. According to a literature study conducted by Pesta & Samuel, which was published by the journal Nutrition & Metabolism in 2014, protein consumption increases the metabolic rate by 15-30%. This figure is much bigger than the increase in metabolism due to the consumption of carbohydrates and fats which are only 5-10% and 3%, respectively.
However, it should be noted that the consumption of eggs still needs to be balanced with a variety of healthy eating patterns, especially fruit and vegetable consumption. This is because fruits and vegetables will help meet the needs of fiber, vitamins, and minerals that eggs cannot provide. Every day, we are allowed to consume 1-2 eggs per day. On a note, we do not consume other high cholesterol foods. This is because egg yolks are rich in cholesterol. For those of you who have a history of cholesterol or cardiovascular disease, it is recommended to consume egg whites only.
Do not forget, while doing a diet to lose weight, it is also necessary to pay attention to whether the diet makes you healthier or not. Therefore, keep reading other articles from Fitie to get the latest information on nutrition and health!
Sources :
Pesta, D. H., & Samuel, V. T. (2014). A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutrition & metabolism, 11(1), 53.
Rains, T. M., Leidy, H. J., Sanoshy, K. D., Lawless, A. L., & Maki, K. C. (2015). A randomized, controlled, crossover trial to assess the acute appetitive and metabolic effects of sausage and egg-based convenience breakfast meals in overweight premenopausal women. Nutrition Journal, 14, 17.
Kementerian Kesehatan RI. (2017). Daftar Kelompok Bahan Makanan Penukar. Jakarta: Kementerian Kesehatan RI.