Eggs contain important nutrients that are linked to many health benefits. They are also a versatile ingredient and a breakfast staple in many countries. In fact, according to a study on the overall eating habits and preferences of Americans, eggs are the number one go-to breakfast food in the U.S., topping a respectable list that includes other breakfast favorites like coffee, cereals and toast.
Egg nutritional facts: calories and nutrients
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one large, hard-boiled egg contains about 78 calories.
Getting enough calories from food is important as calories serve as the body's major source of energy. Experts recommend that adult women eat an average of 2,000 calories a day, and men an average of 2,500 calories.
Eggs are an excellent source of protein as well as essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and D, calcium, potassium and iron. Iron is beneficial for blood and immune health, while potassium plays an important role in muscle health and the regulation of bodily fluids.
The list below outlines the nutrient content of one hard-boiled egg weighing around 50 grams (g):
- Calories: 78
- Protein: 6.29 g
- Total fat: 5.3 g
- Sugars: 0.56 g
- Carbohydrate: 0.56 g
- Phosphorus: 86 mg
- Potassium: 63 mg
- Iron: 0.59 mg
- Zinc: 0.53 mg
- Calcium: 25 milligrams (mg)
- Folate: 22 micrograms
- Vitamin A: 260 international units (IU)
- Vitamin D: 44 IU
- Cholesterol: 186 mg
Despite their high cholesterol content, eating two eggs a day six days a week won't have a negative effect on your blood cholesterol levels. In fact, studies suggest that adding eggs to your daily diet could help increase your satiety. This is especially helpful for people who wish to reduce their food intake.
Other studies have also found that eating one egg a day is linked to a lower risk of stroke and heart disease. (Related: Diabetic? Eat more eggs.)
Best way to eat eggs
There are several ways to cook an egg: It can be scrambled, poached or hard-boiled and added to salads, sandwiches and other dishes.
But it's important to know that the way you cook an egg alters its nutritional profile. For example, a 50-gram scrambled egg has around 4.99 g of protein and 36 IU of vitamin D, whereas a hard-boiled with the same weight has 6.29 g of protein and 44 IU of vitamin D.
Therefore, knowing how best to cook eggs will help you maximize this superfood's health benefits.
Note that, like vegetables and other nutritious foods, using high heat to cook an egg will cause it to lose much of its nutrient content. To prevent this, avoid cooking eggs for too long.
Studies also show that microwaving, boiling and frying eggs could reduce the amount of antioxidants they contain by six to 18 percent. Meanwhile, baking eggs for 40 minutes reduces their vitamin D content by 61 percent.
To keep all the nutritional goodness of eggs intact, cook them for a short period of time. If you're trying to cut back on calories, poaching or boiling eggs is the most ideal cooking method as they do not add extra calories. But if you enjoy your eggs fried, choose healthy varieties of cooking oil, such as avocado oil or sunflower oil.
No matter how you choose to eat eggs, keep in mind that a balanced diet is key to a healthy body. So pay close attention to what you eat and combine a well-balanced diet with regular exercise to maintain good overall health.
Learn more about the benefits of eating more eggs at Superfoods.news.
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