Study: Eating Eggs Lowers Calorie Consumption

High-protein eggs thrash high-carb bagels for a satisfying breakfast

A new study out of Canada reveals something about a popular breakfast food that people who are low-carb already know about.

Published in the lastest issue of Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the study found that eating just 2 eggs for breakfast helps keep people satisfied longer than a small bagel does because of the high amount of protein contained in them. As a result, study participants had less hunger and actually took in fewer calories over the next full day as a result.

To the right, here are the cold hard nutritional facts about an egg according the American Egg Board.

The study included two groups that ate breakfast foods with the same amount of calories and food. The first group had two scrambled eggs with toast and low-calorie jelly while the second group ate a 3 1/2 inch bagel with cream cheese and some fat-free yogurt. The eggs group ate 163 few calories at lunch that day and a remarkable 418 fewer calories over the next 24 hours compared with the bagel group.

WOW! Talk about your compelling reasons for eating a high-protein breakfast (although I’d skip the toast and jelly)! This study even impressed the Nutrition Officer with the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency named Kim Kesseler, who also happens to be a registered dietitian.

“It only takes a couple of minutes to cook eggs in the microwave — making them a great weekday breakfast for people who don’t have a lot of time to spare in the morning,” she said.

Kesseler has hit on something here that is actually one of my favorite low-carb breakfasts to make. I’ve been cooking my eggs in the microwave at work for over a year now and it’s a quick and easy way to cook them. I usually scramble about four eggs in a medium-sized bowl, cook them for two minutes on high, stir them, cook them another minute on high, stir them again, put my favorite cheese on top, cook them for 30 more seconds and voila — they’re hot and ready to eat. What a YUMMY low-carb breakfast with just a dash of pepper for taste!

I like eggs because they are inexpensive and healthy. People always ask me how I can afford to be on the low-carb lifestyle and want to know a cheaper way to do it. I ALWAYS recommend eggs to them because you can’t go wrong with them. In fact, if money gets tight (as it is sometimes prone to do in life), then don’t feel bad about eating a whole lotta eggs for a while. There’s nothing shameful in doing so and you’ll keep your weight in check by sticking with your low-carb plan.

The incredible satiety of eggs was the topic of a previous blog post and is the secret about low-carb that some people may not even realize. If you feel stuck in a rut with your weight loss, why don’t you try adding more eggs to your diet. I ate my fair share of hard-boiled eggs while I was losing weight and I’m so glad I did. Whether you scramble, boil, fry, or poach them, eggs really are the PERFECT low-carb food!

The researchers concluded: “Eggs are an integral and established part of breakfast in numerous cultures and the satiating effect of eggs may be useful in reducing energy intake thereby promoting weight management.” They are now studying the long-term effects of egg consumption on weight loss specificially. I’m gonna go out on a limb and make a prediction here — EGGS HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT! How’s that for a bold claim?! LOL! We shall see, won’t we?

For more information about the benefits of eating eggs, visit The Canadian Egg Marketing Agency.

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