Swap your bowl of Cheerios and milk for eggs, and you'll stay satisfied until lunch, new research says. Here's why.
When it comes to health, eggs have a bit of a bad reputation.
But not for much longer: Egg protein is
better than a breakfast of wheat protein for keeping hunger at bay, according
to a study conducted at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton
Rouge, La., (and funded by the American Egg Board).
This is the latest in a
slew of research that has found eggs to be weight-loss superfoods for one simple reason: They provide an
extremely low-calorie punch of protein — six full grams for only 70 calories
per large egg. In comparison, dieter favorite Special K cereal has the same
amount of protein for 120 calories per serving. Original Cheerios have 3 grams
of protein per 100-calorie serving.
In
the Pennington study, researchers evaluated 20 overweight or obese
participants. Each of the 20 ate an egg breakfast every day for a week, and
then later ate from a structured lunch buffet. The study was repeated with
ready-to-eat breakfast cereals in place of eggs. Individuals who ate the egg
breakfast felt fuller before lunch and ate less at the buffet than when they
ate the cereal breakfast, researchers found.
Plus, participants who ate
eggs had lower levels of the hunger-stimulating hormone acylated ghrelin and
higher levels of PYY3-36, a hormone that signals fullness.
What's the Bottom Line on Eggs?
Eggs' bad reputation is
largely due to the cholesterol that's found in the yolk, but the
American Heart Association (AHA) says it shouldn't necessarily be a concern.
One large egg yolk has about 186 milligrams of cholesterol, a little more than
half of what a healthy person should consume in one day. The AHA recommends
that people with normal cholesterol levels cap their egg consumption at four or
fewer whole eggs per week. People with heart
disease should eat two
or fewer whole eggs. Cholesterol-free egg substitutes and egg whites are
perfectly healthy for unlimited consumption, the AHA says.
The reason for the change
of heart on eggs? Study after study has found that dietary cholesterol has a
much smaller impact on total levels than was once believed. Cholesterol is also
hugely impacted by genetics and activity levels.
To keep calorie counts
down, it's also important to watch how you cook eggs. Any cooking method that
does not involve oil or butter, such as boiling or poaching, is considered to
be the healthiest way to eat eggs. Hard boil a few to have on hand for snacks
or as part of quick meals. Scramble eggs and egg whites with mixed vegetables
for a healthy meal at any time of the day, or search Everyday Health'shealthy
recipe database for
more ideas.