The best foods for a diet are low in calories and fat, high in protein and other nutrients and easy to prepare. Boiled eggs fit the description, making them a convenient, nutritious part of your weight loss program. Hard-boiling makes it easy to separate the fatty yolks from the high-protein whites, allowing you a tighter control of the calories consumed.
Nutritional Value
Eggs are a protein-packed food with more than 6 g in one large egg. Eating protein-filled food helps to retain a feeling of fullness, making dieters less prone to succumb to between-meal hunger pangs. With one large egg weighing in at a mere 70 calories, they will not make a big dent in daily calorie intake whether consumed as part of a meal or quick snack. Eggs are also a good source of vitamin B-12 as well as omega-3 fats, riboflavin and phosphorous. In fact, one boiled egg, one chicken breast and one cup of low-fat yogurt combined equal a full day's supply of vitamin B-12.
White vs Yolk
Although they are low in calories and a good source of protein and other nutrients, one large boiled egg contains more than half of the recommended daily value of cholesterol and more than 1.5 g of saturated fats. Most of the protein, however, is contained in the egg white, while all of the saturated fat and cholesterol is in the egg yolk. With a hard-boiled egg, it is a simple matter to cut the egg in half and remove the yolk, making it easy to reduce or eliminate bad fat and cholesterol.
Accessibility and Portability
When schedules get busy, many dieters are lured into grabbing something quick and easy rather than taking the time to prepare something healthy. But with a pot and some water, even an amateur cook can produce a perfect boiled egg in roughly 10 minutes. In fact, the USDA states that if kept refrigerated, hard-boiled eggs can be made up to one week ahead of time. Since they don't require a plate or utensils and they do not leave a mess behind, they are a fitting grab-and-go snack for the car, the office or outdoors.
Healthy Preparations
Make a wholesome breakfast out of whole wheat toast and a hard-boiled egg. At lunchtime, indulge in some healthy egg salad by omitting the yolks and substituting Greek yogurt for mayonnaise, or simply top a salad with a sliced or quartered hard-boiled egg. Cut-up hard-boiled eggs also make a flavorful addition to most soups and stews.
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