The Incredible, Edible Egg

I eat eggs for breakfast, lot of eggs. Michael eats eggs for breakfast. Between the two of us, each morning we go through a whole dozen. Yep, you read that right... a whole dozen! When I first heard from our trainers that this was how we'd start each day, two things went through my mind. First, wow, that's a lot of eggs. Second, I am going to get so sick of that.

Well, we are three weeks in and the only thing I can say is that if I don't have my egg whites, I sure crave them! I do switch it up on the weekends, but during the week it's pretty much hard boiled eggs every morning. We boil them the night before and get them all ready to go so that we can just grab our breakfast on the way out the door. On the weekends, we get creative with omelets and scrambled eggs filled with spinach, onions, bell peppers and sometimes mushrooms (for me). If we really feel like being spoiled, we'll add ham and cheese.

So here's why they are so good for Michael and I:

Egg Whites

Calories: 17 (only 17 calories per egg!!)

Protein: 3.6 g

Carbohydrates: 0.21g

Total fat: 0.06 g

Whole egg

Calories: 75

Protein: 6.29 g

Carbohydrates: 0.39 g

Total fat: 4.97 g

We mostly eat egg whites which keeps the calories and fat low and the protein high. So, my egg breakfast is 143 calories, 20.60 g of protein, 1.23 g of carbs and 5.21 g of fat. Plus all the vitamins! On the weekends, these numbers go up depending on which vegetables I add, but mostly that just adds more vitamins and minerals!

Michael's egg breakfast is 177 calores, 27.89 g of protein, 1.65 g of carbs and 5.33 g of fat.

The high-quality protein in eggs helps you to feel full longer and stay energized, which contributes to maintaing a healthy weight. In fact, research* shows that eggs eaten at the start of the day can reduce daily calorie intake, prevent snacking between meals and keep you satisfied on those busy days when mealtime is delayed. I personally have to set reminders for myself to make sure I don't skip meals, because I really do feel satisfied longer and the urge to snack just isn't there.

Research indicates that high-quality protein may help active adults build muscle strength and middle-aged and aging adults prevent muscle loss. Why is this good for me? Lean muscle burns more energy (calories) than fat does so the more lean muscle mass, the more of a burning machine I'll be. Eggs are just part of equation, but I'm all for anything thats helping me.

For more information check out the offical home of the incredible edible egg!

* Vander Wal JS et al. 2005. Short-Term Effect of Eggs on Satiety in Overweight and Obese Subjects. J Am Coll Nutr. 24(6):510-515.