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Eggs are one of the best high protein meals you could regularly include in your morning routine for weight loss. Not only are they low in calories and high in nutrients to increase satiety and promote a faster metabolism, but they also are incredibly versatile in the ways in which they can be prepared, making it even easier not to fall into a rut with your cooking so that you can enjoy your eating habits without growing bored.
But while eggs are typically a valuable addition to your diet and can foster healthy changes within your body, not every method of preparation offers the same benefits and some may even negate the nutritional value that eggs provide your morning. If you’re hoping to get the most out of your morning meal and don’t want to minimize the nutrients coming from your eggs, there’s one method of preparation you should steer clear of in order to offer your body its best chance at weight loss.
The connotation surrounding the word ‘fried’ is often negative, and for good reason. Typically depending on a calorically dense oil or butter, fried foods instantly become a threat to your calorie deficit while negating many of the valuable nutrients that the unfried version of the meal can offer. With this in mind, heavily fried eggs, particularly in butter should be kept to a minimum in your diet if you want to actually reap the benefits of your breakfast.
Eggs are packed with vitamins and minerals to improve your overall health, but when combined with oils, butter, or grease, the caloric value of your meal can skyrocket. “If you are trying to lose weight, one of the worst ways to cook your eggs is frying them in butter, coconut oil or bacon grease. All three of these are very high in saturated fat. The addition of saturated fat not only adds significant calories to your egg dish, this type of fat is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke,” warns Carrie Gabriel, MS, RDN.
Using oil to keep your egg from sticking to the pan is common practice, but oils may actually cause inflammation depending on the temperature at which you cook them. “Frying your eggs in any oil at high heat oxidizes oils. When you consume oxidized oils, it can trigger inflammation in the body,” says Gabriel.
However, that doesn’t mean that all oils are off limits and you’re sentenced to have burnt eggs for the rest of your life. In fact, certain oils are actually wonderful sources of healthy fat which is one of the primary macronutrients that your body needs to thrive. “If you want to fry your eggs in a healthier manner, use a monounsaturated oil like avocado oil that has a high smoke point or use a cooking spray. This will prep your pan for cooking with no excess calories or fat,” says Gabriel.
Another sneaky mistake to be weary of is overcooking your eggs. Nobody wants their meal charred to the pan, but not only does this take away from the flavor, overcooking your eggs can also reduce the health benefits it provides to your body as well. “Overcooking anything, including eggs, is going to deplete the nutrients. Cooking eggs over hard takes some of the nutrients away, but fried eggs are almost worse because of the oils that are used to fry them,” warns Jay Cowin, NNCP, RNT, RNC, CHN, CSNA.
You don’t have to be the perfect chef in order to make yourself a healthy breakfast for weight loss, but not relying on heavy oils or butter, and avoiding overcooking your dish are two easy ways to preserve the valuable nutrients that eggs provide.
At the end of the day, having eggs for breakfast is always going to be healthier than a sugary cereal or pancake meal which will fail to keep you full and likely lead to overeating in later hours. However, it’s still important to be aware of your cooking methods, keeping heavy oils and butter to a minimum when preparing your meals in order to reap the most benefits from this nutrient dense food.
Rich in protein and low in carbs, eggs are great when paired with whole wheat or multigrain toast for a balanced breakfast that hits all the primary macronutrient groups without depriving you of calories. Making sure not to overcook your eggs, having this meal for breakfast each morning is a surefire way to lose weight with ease in a healthy manner.
