There are many different types of food to eat on the keto diet, and eggs happen to be one of them. Eggs have many nutrients that keep the heart healthy such as choline and betaine. They also have vitamin D, which helps protect bones. Eggs are a significant part of the keto diet since it’s a high fat, low carb diet. Not only are they high in fat, but they’re filling. They’re excellent to eat for weight loss and weight management. There is a lot of delicious food to eat on the keto diet, which we discuss in the Body Reboot book. Learn more about why eating eggs while on the keto can help you reach your diet goals with their nutritious benefits.

1. Helps with weight loss 

As we just mentioned, eggs are excellent for weight loss. Since they’re filling, they do an excellent job at keeping you fuller, longer. Healthline further explains why eggs keep you full and what positive effects that can have on your health. 

Eggs are incredibly filling. They are a high-protein food, and protein is, by far, the most satiating macronutrient.

Eggs score high on a scale called the satiety index, which measures the ability of foods to cause feelings of fullness and reduce later calorie intake.

In one study of 30 overweight women, eating eggs instead of bagels for breakfast increased feelings of fullness and made them automatically eat fewer calories for the next 36 hours.

In another study, replacing a bagel breakfast with an egg breakfast caused significant weight loss over a period of eight weeks.

Dr. Axe also argues that eggs are ideal for eating when you’re trying to lose weight. There are many ways to prepare eggs to make them extra delicious, such as creating a keto-friendly omelet. In other words, eat eggs and stay fuller for a more extended time! 

Many people are familiar with the role of eggs in a protein-rich diet that’s especially significant for athletes and those who work out regularly. Do you know one reason, other than protein, that eggs are a great food for people who want to lose weight?

Interestingly, it’s because of lutein! Although lutein is famous primarily for its role in eye and skin health, a recent study has determined that lutein also may positively impact a person’s physical activity level. 

Add to that the fact that their high protein content makes them filling, one of the health benefits of eggs seems to clearly be their aid in weight loss. So if you’re wondering how to lose 20 pounds or so, eggs make a great addition to your diet. You’ll stay fuller for longer, according to the ranking of eggs on the satiety index, a measure of how well foods make you feel full and keep you from eating more calories over the 36 hours following consumption.

2. Less likely to get heart disease 

A study by Arch Internal Medicine from 1981 revealed that people who ate more eggs were less likely to get heart disease. 

Based on six years of follow-up evaluations of the Framingham, Mass, men and women aged 49 to 82 years, it was found that a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration was associated with a low incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk but with a statistically significant excess of stroke incidence in women and of deaths from non-CHD causes in both sexes. There was no suggestion that an elevated HDL cholesterol level was associated with an excess incidence of any of the cardiovascular end points considered or of death. An inverse relation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level with CHD and its major consequences, CHD death and congestive heart failure, was observed. Triglyceride determinations seem to add little information respecting cardiovascular risk to that elicited from HDL and LDL cholesterol and other known cardiovascular risk factors. While the relation of HDL and LDL cholesterol with CHD is paralleled by findings from a variety of sources, the inverse relation of LDL cholesterol with stroke in women and with death from non-CHD causes requires additional confirmation and exploration.

3. Contains chlorine 

Another vital nutrient that many people don’t even realize they need is chlorine, which happens to be in eggs. Healthline discusses how choline has a huge role in brain health below: 

Choline is a nutrient that most people don't even know exists, yet it is an incredibly important substance and is often grouped with the B vitamins.

Choline is used to build cell membranes and has a role in producing signaling molecules in the brain, along with various other functions.

The symptoms of choline deficiency are serious, so fortunately it’s rare.

Whole eggs are an excellent source of choline. A single egg contains more than 100 mg of this very important nutrient.

4. Keeps eyes healthy

Studies show that eating the right food, such as eggs, can help counteract some of the eye conditions that may develop later in life. Eating eggs may significantly reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts, which are two common eye problems. The yolks in eggs have large amounts of both lutein and zeaxanthin, which are the nutrients that can counteract age-related eye problems. Web MD briefly mentions the importance of lutein and zeaxanthin below, as does the Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. study from 2006:

Lutein and zeaxanthin help to prevent macular degeneration, the leading cause of age-related blindness. Other vitamins also promote good vision.

PURPOSE:

To assess the associations of plasma lutein and zeaxanthin and other carotenoids with the risk of age-related maculopathy (ARM) and cataract in the population-based Pathologies Oculaires Liées à l'Age (POLA) Study.

METHODS:

Retinal photographs were graded according to the international classification. ARM was defined by the presence of late ARM (neovascular ARM, geographic atrophy) and/or soft indistinct drusen (>125 microm) and/or soft distinct drusen (>125 microm) associated with pigmentary abnormalities. Cataract classification was based on a direct standardized lens examination at the slit lamp, according to Lens Opacities Classification System III. Plasma carotenoids were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), in 899 subjects of the cohort.

CONCLUSIONS:

These results are strongly suggestive of a protective role of the xanthophylls, in particular zeaxanthin, for the protection against ARM and cataract.

5. Keeps your skin healthy 

While you’re eating eggs on the keto diet, you can also feel good knowing that eggs can help your skin stay healthy. Dr. Axe explains how eggs improve the face, and in the process can keep you looking and feeling younger.  

The lutein and zeaxanthin in eggs don’t just protect your eyes by filtering certain light wavelengths. They do the same with your skin. By filtering out the more harmful blue spectrum rays, these carotenoids slow down the oxidative damage light can wreak on your skin, specifically by UV rays. 

Eggs contain five of the eight best nutrients that help you to fight and reduce your risk of skin cancer. If you have a risk for skin cancer, eggs can be one of the weapons you use to prevent it happening to you.

A Nutrients study from 2015 found that not only are eggs packed full of nutrients, but they’re also an essential food source. In particular, they’re essential for women to eat. 

Eggs are sources of protein, fats and micronutrients that play an important role in basic nutrition. However, eggs are traditionally associated with adverse factors in human health, mainly due to their cholesterol content. Nowadays, however, it is known that the response of cholesterol in human serum levels to dietary cholesterol consumption depends on several factors, such as ethnicity, genetic makeup, hormonal factors and the nutritional status of the consumer. Additionally, in recent decades, there has been an increasing demand for functional foods, which is expected to continue to increase in the future, owing to their capacity to decrease the risks of some diseases and socio-demographic factors such as the increase in life expectancy. This work offers a brief overview of the advantages and disadvantages of egg consumption and the potential market of functional eggs, and it explores the possibilities of the development of functional eggs by technological methods.

Eggs represent a very important food source, especially for some populations such as the elderly, pregnant women, children, convalescents and people who are sports training. The volume of both fresh eggs and eggs used by food companies in their formulations increases constantly. Owing to their higher security, lower price and easier handing and storing properties, food manufacturers prefer to use pasteurized egg products rather than fresh eggs. Additionally, the number of functional-food markets has also increased in recent decades and, owing to some factors such as the progressive aging of the population of developing countries, are expected to continue to increase in the coming years. Nevertheless, the presence of functional eggs in the market and knowledge of such products by the consumers are lower than other groups of foods.

Consequently, the development of functional egg-derived foods through technological methods could be an interesting way to gain profitability for egg producers and the food industry, in addition to improving the general conditions of public health. This could be especially interesting for the addition of bioactive compounds that need to be stored at refrigeration temperatures, because egg-derived products such as pasteurized liquid eggs must be stored under refrigeration during the commercialization process. Additionally, these products are safer from the microbiological point of view, cheaper, easier to hand and store, and because of the heat treatment applied, in some cases are less allergenic than fresh eggs. Thus, functional egg-derived products obtained through technological methods are a very interesting option for food manufacturers.

Read the Body Reboot book and learn about what other high-fat foods, in addition to eggs, are good to eat on the keto diet. To get a free copy today, help us cover shipping. Head to this page to get a free copy before they’re all gone! 

Sources: BBC Good Food, Healthline, NCBI: Arch Intern Med. 1981, Medical News Today, NCBI: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006, NCBI: Nutrients. 2015, Dr. Axe