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Eggs give you a great nutrient boost first thing in the morning. Photo: Kit Wise
TODAY is World Egg Day. To mark the occasion the Australian Egg Corporation has released some new stats on the health benefits of this food source.
“As a dietitian, you are often asked to rank different food choices and I am hard pressed to find a better breakfast option nutritionally than the egg,†says Susie Burrell (who is the Australian Egg Corporation Ambassador).
Here she gives us five reasons you should be eating eggs for breakfast.
1) Eggs are one of the highest protein breakfast options
One of the key steps individuals can take to help manage their appetite throughout the morning is to ensure that their breakfast choice has enough protein, and the good news is that when you choose eggs for breakfast you can be sure that this box is ticked. In fact, 2 eggs served with 2 slices of wholegrain toast contain at least 20g of protein, much of which is ‘high biological value’ protein, which means it is easily used in the body. This means that choosing eggs for breakfast will give you at least 25% more protein than other popular breakfast choices.
2) Enjoying eggs will keep you fuller for longer
One of the benefits of enjoying protein rich meals is that protein helps to keep us fuller for longer after eating it. This may explain why you do not feel the need to snack as much when you have enjoyed a hearty omelet for breakfast as opposed to a bagel or quick bowl of cereal. Specifically it is thought that the amino acid leucine, found in relatively high quantities in eggs naturally helps to control insulin levels in the body. Insulin is the hormone that regulates fat metabolism in the body and well controlled insulin levels are linked to weight control and a reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes long term.
3) Eating eggs will help you to eat less
Yes, you heard it right. Simply choosing eggs for breakfast will help you to control your appetite and calorie intake for the remainder of the day. A breakfast study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the calorie intake of study participants who had eggs, breakfast cereal or a pastry for breakfast and found that individuals who consumed the egg breakfast ate significantly less throughout the remainder of the day. Who would have thought a bigger breakfast = eating less?!
4) Eating eggs supports weight control
Although eggs are often considered a more indulgent breakfast option, data suggests that eggs may actually be linked to weight control long term. It is already known that breakfast eaters tend to have lower body weights than non-breakfast eaters and that protein rich breakfast options help to control calorie intake later in the day. More specifically it has also been shown in a study published in the International Journal of Obesity that dieters who enjoyed an egg based breakfast compared to a bagel breakfast reported better weight loss results over an 8 week period, when consumed as part of a calorie controlled diet.
5) Eggs are natural, nutrient rich superfoods
Forget processed cereals, breakfast drinks with ingredients you cannot pronounce and sugary yoghurts, when it comes to the most natural, nutrient rich breakfast options you cannot go wrong with eggs. Not only do eggs contain more than 20 vitamins and minerals including essential fats and powerful antioxidants but they can easily be prepared in just a few minutes and enjoyed with fresh vegetables and salad to give your morning the nutrient boost it needs on a daily basis. There is nothing healthier than that.
Read more:
The dos and don’ts of breakfast