Although no food in particular can guarantee that you will lose weight, certain foods may encourage diet success. Although calorie content is of primary importance, other factors do influence your ability to lose weight. One type of food that can enhance your weight loss is eggs. Eggs are low in calories, but also offer other nutritional benefits that can help reduce your weight. Consult a doctor before starting a weight-loss program.
Calorie Content
To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you expend on a daily basis. Eggs are helpful because each contains just 70 calories, which provides 3.5 percent of the daily suggested intake of 2,000 calories. This makes an egg, or even two, lower in calories than many other breakfast foods such as oatmeal; 1/2 cup of oatmeal provides 150 calories.
High Protein Content
One egg provides 6 g of protein. Protein is essential for building muscles, but it can also promote weight loss. Research from the October 2009 issue of the journal "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases" found that consuming a high-protein diet improved weight loss and body fat reduction compared with lower protein diets.
Fat and Carbohydrate Ratio
Eggs contain a high ratio of fat to carbohydrates --- one egg contains 4.5 g of fat and just 1 g of carbohydrates. Although fat is higher in calories than carbohydrates, it may provide weight-loss benefits. A study published in the May 2004 issue of the journal "Annals of Internal Medicine" indicates that low-carbohydrate diets can be more effective than low-fat diets at promoting weight loss. In addition, the researchers found that low-carbohydrate diets had higher rates of retention than low-fat diets.
Satiety
Another way eggs may help you lose weight and fat is their tendency to provide satiety. A study published in the February 2010 issue of the journal "Nutrition Research" found that a breakfast of eggs provided more satiety than one consisting of bagels. The extra fullness reduced calorie intake throughout the day, which promotes weight loss.
References
- LIVESTRONG.COM MyPlate: Calories in Egg
- LIVESTRONG.COM MyPlate: Calories in Quaker Oatmeal
- "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases"; High Protein Diets Decrease Total and Abdominal Fat and Improve CVD Risk Profile in Overweight and Obese Man and Women with Elevated Tricyglycerol; P.M. Clifton, K. Bastiaans, J.B. Keogh; October 2009
- "Annals of Internal Medicine"; A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet Versus a Low-Fat Diet to Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidimia: A Randomized, Controlled Trial; W.S. Yancy Jr., et al.; May 2004
- "Nutrition Research"; Consuming Eggs For Breakfast Influences Plasma Glucose and Ghrelin, while Reducing Energy Intake During the Next 24 Hours in Adult Men; J. Ratiff, et al.; February 2010
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