Eggs are among some of the healthier and tasty foods to eat. They are rich in fat, protein, and have essential minerals and vitamins. They also have a few properties that make them egg-ceptional to help with weight loss. In the Body Reboot book, in addition to discussing a diet that has helped many people lose weight, we also reveal why eggs are ideal to eat on a high-fat, low-carb diet. Eggs and other high-fat foods may help some dieters lose more weight when they participate specifically in the keto diet. Keep reading to find out why eggs are a killer weight loss food that should be a diet staple.

Eggs Are Filling

Healthline adds more evidence on why eggs are a fantastic way to lose weight and that’s because they are high in protein. The keto diet is a diet that is high in fat, but a lot of the food you eat is also high in protein, which is why you won’t be as hungry.

Eggs are incredibly nutrient-dense and filling, mainly because of their high protein content.

High-protein foods have been known to reduce appetite and increase fullness, compared to foods that contain less protein.

Studies have repeatedly shown that egg meals increase fullness and reduce food intake during later meals, compared to other meals with the same calorie content.

Eggs also rank high on a scale called the Satiety Index. This scale evaluates how well foods help you feel full and reduce calorie intake later on.

Additionally, eating a diet high in protein may reduce obsessive thoughts about food by up to 60%. It may also cut the desire for late-night snacking by half.

Healthline mentions a study by J Am Coll Nutr. in 2005 which reveals that eggs reduce hunger, making them an excellent food option to stay fuller, longer.

Compared to an isocaloric, equal weight bagel-based breakfast, the egg-breakfast induced greater satiety and significantly reduced short-term food intake. The potential role of a routine egg breakfast in producing a sustained caloric deficit and consequent weight loss, should be determined.

They’re Not Hard on Your Heart

Contrary to what many people may say, Eat This, Not That says that eggs are not harmful to your cholesterol levels. In fact, they’re great for your health and may even lower Triglyceride levels. Of course, if there is any doubt in your mind check with your doctor before implementing any new foods you’re unsure whether you should be eating or not.

The myth of eggs being harmful to your cholesterol levels and therefore your heart health (a risk many overweight people run) has been disproven by science, and dietitians are on the same page. “The available evidence indicates that eggs, when consumed as part of an overall healthy diet pattern, do not affect risk factors for cardiometabolic disease,” Pincus says.

And keeping eggs in your weekly food rotation can even keep levels of a certain fat in the bloodstream that can be potentially harmful in high amounts, Artigues says. “Consuming 1 to 2 whole eggs a day does not appear to negatively affect one’s blood cholesterol level or heart disease risk factors. In fact, Omega 3-enriched eggs may even help lower Triglyceride levels,” she explains. That’s great news as high triglyceride levels are a common health issue facing many overweight Americans.

It’s Easier to Eat Veggies With Them

Any food that makes it easier to incorporate veggies is a good option, and eggs with broccoli, or spinach, for example, may make a tastier combination. Eat This, Not That brings up another valid point: Vegetables can help with weight loss! Veggies are something to eat frequently on the keto diet and it’s easy to add fat to them either with butter or cooking them in olive oil.

While being healthy themselves—”eggs are minimally processed source of fat, protein and other vitamins”—Sara Artigues, RD, a nutritionist and trainer at All-Inclusive Health, a personal training and nutrition planning facility in New Orleans tells us that having eggs in our diet will also help us eat more vegetables. (Think: scrambled eggs and omelets.) A Journal of the American Dietetic Association study found that adding more vegetables to your diet has been linked to increased weight loss.

They May Boost Your Metabolism

Everyone loves having a faster metabolism, and even though the keto diet speeds up weight loss because you’re burning fat, that’s mainly due to the foods you are eating, such as eggs. Both Healthline and the 1998 study NCBI: Eur Journal Clinical Nutrition tell us that eggs can help a lot if your metabolism needs a little boost.

Objectives: To evaluate energy expenditure after three isoenergetic meals of different nutrient composition and to establish the relationship between the thermic effect of food (TEF), subsequent energy intake from a test meal and satiety sensations related to consumption.

Methods: Energy expenditure was measured by indirect calorimetric measurements, using an open-circuit ventilated-hood system; intake was assessed 7h later by weighing the food consumed from a test meal and satiety sensations were rated by means of a satiety rating questionnaire.

Results: TEF was 261+/-59, 92+/-67 and 97+/-71 kJ over 7 h after the HP, HC and HF meals, respectively. The HP meal was the most thermogenic (P < 0.001) and it determined the highest sensation of fullness (P=0.002). There were no differences in the sensations and thermic effect between fat and carbohydrate meals. A significant relationship linked TEF to fullness sensation (r=0.41, P=0.025). Energy intake from the test meal was comparable after HP, HC and HF meals.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that TEF contributes to the satiating power of foods.

Eat This, Not That also addresses how eggs can help with metabolism and what nutrient that contain that aids in weight loss:

Choline, only found in the yolk of eggs (so you have to eat the whole egg) is a major source of nutrition that we may be neglecting in our normal diet, dieticians say. “The body can synthesize a small amount of this nutrient, but not enough to meet its needs,” explains Allison Knott, MS, RDN, CSSD, a registered dietitian based in Brooklyn, NY, so you need to load up on foods like eggs to ensure you have the right levels. “Choline has a part in many functions within the body including metabolism, nerve function, and brain development,” Knott says.

“One large egg, with the yolk, supplies about 145 milligrams choline, or more than one-quarter of the Daily Value of 550 milligrams,” says Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, founder of NutritionStarringYou.com and author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club so it’s not a bad idea at all to make eggs part of your daily routine. One Journal of Human Kinetics study even reported that supplementing your diet with choline contributed to a lower body mass in female athletes and was thought to have contributed to positive athletic performance as well.

Low in Calories and No Sugar

Since eggs fill you up longer that’s good news because you don’t have to eat as many of them. That means you’re consuming fewer calories! Business Insider also reminds us that eggs don’t have sugar, which, on any diet, including the keto diet, won’t help you lose weight or get healthy.

Now, you might look at the nutritional facts for a single egg and think differently, after all, 78 calories seems like a lot for just an egg, especially when you consider there are some breakfast bars and cereal for just 100 calories per serving. However, those types of foods wouldn't fill you up as much as eggs would. If you were to have two scrambled eggs, that's only an investment 138 calories that will make you feel fuller for a longer period of time compared to a breakfast bar (which can be loaded with hidden sugars that you aren't aware of). And yes, you should eat the yolk, because there are a ton of health benefits for eating the whole egg.

Speaking of sugar, eggs don't have any! Sure, if you have a sweet tooth, a plate of eggs won't be as satisfying as that indulgent donut or muffin in the morning, but they still taste great and are more wholesome and nutritious. The sugar loaded in those pastries will actually make you feel hungrier in the long run, and will have you craving sugar until you get your next sugar “fix”. By having eggs instead, you are reducing your sugar intake for the day. Sugar is definitely one of those foods to cut if you want to lose weight.

At the time of writing this post, we're currently giving away free copies of the Body Reboot book because it's our mission to increase awareness and to help people lose weight and get healthy! If you help us cover the cost of shipping, we’ll send a copy to your door FREE. Go over to this page to see if there are any copies left.

Sources: Healthline, NCBI: J Am Coll Nutr. 2005, NCBI: Eur Journal Clinical Nutrition,1998, NCBI: Journal of Human Kinetics, 2014, Eat This, Not That,