Eating Eggs Helps Adults Lose More Weight

Skip the bagel this morning. Eggs, which are full of protein, will help you feel fuller longer --a lot longer. A multi center study of 30 overweight or obese women found that those who ate two scrambled eggs (with two slices of toast and a reduced-calorie fruit spread) consumed less for the next 36 hours than women who had a bagel breakfast of equal calories. Other research has shown that protein may also prevent spikes in blood sugar, which can lead to food cravings.
"While it's been well-established that foods such as eggs that contain the highest quality protein help people feel full longer, we were surprised at how definite these findings were."
said Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, Ph.D., lead researcher and associate professor in the department of infection and obesity at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

"The women who consumed eggs as part of their diet plan lost significantly more weight, had greater reductions in waist circumference and reported significantly higher energy levels."
The study found that overweight women who ate 2 eggs for breakfast at least 5 days a week for 8 weeks (as part of a low-fat diet with a 1,000 calorie reduction):

* lost 65 % more weight
* had 83 % greater reductions in waist circumference
* reported greater improvements in energy levels than their dieting counterparts who consumed a bagel breakfast of the same calories

In the study, the egg and bagel breakfasts not only provided the same amount of calories, but also the same weight mass, an important control factor in satiety and weight loss studies.

Eggs help healthy people stay healthy
Additional research presented at Experimental Biology 2007 this week further highlighted the benefits of eggs, including their role in providing choline, an essential nutrient, which has been shown to help prevent birth defects and promote brain and memory development.Eggs are easy to include in everyday diets

"It's especially good news because eggs, which contain one of the highest quality proteins naturally found in food, are an easy, inexpensive and, importantly, versatile food to incorporate into our diets."



So easy, in fact, that Zelman offers these tips to help dieters keep their energy levels up throughout the day:

* Jump Start. Start your day off right with a complete breakfast by pairing high-quality protein foods like eggs or low-fat dairy with other healthful foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. A vegetable-filled Garden Omelet is a great way to get your protein and vegetables all at once.
* The Morning Rush. Make an on-the-go breakfast sandwich by topping a whole wheat English muffin with microwave scrambled eggs, low-fat cheese and tomato. To make the eggs, beat an egg (and milk, if desired) in a small bowl or mug and pop it into the microwave on HIGH for 60 seconds.
* Stay Energized. Avoid an afternoon slump by eating high-quality protein throughout the day. Try a Tangy Raspberry Salad topped with hard-cooked eggs for lunch or Dilly Veggie Dunk for a satisfying but healthful afternoon snack.
Source: aeb