Boiled egg diet 'not sustainable long-term' but will promote weight loss

Despite its name, the boiled egg diet does not consist of eating exclusively eggs. However, it claims consuming three hard-boiled eggs a day can promote weight loss. The diet recommends at least two eggs for breakfast and eggs for lunch or dinner. Lean proteins such as skinless white meat and fish are also allowed after breakfast, as well as non-starchy vegetables including celery and onions. However, fruit should be limited and only small amounts of fat from foods such as mayonnaise are allowed.

Exercising on the diet is not compulsory, but is encouraged.

Speaking about the fad to Women’s Health, Erin Palinski-Wade, RDN said: “This is a version of a low-calorie, low carb diet that will promote weight loss.

“But [it] will not be sustainable long-term and does not provide your body with balanced nutrition.”

The NHS describes eggs as a nutritious source of protein, as well as Vitamin D,A,B12, B2, folate and iodine.

Despite its benefits, yolks are high in cholesterol, and the boiled egg diet promotes eating more than some bodies recommended.

Having too much cholesterol in your body can block your blood vessels and increase your likeliness of developing heart problems or having a stroke.

Heart UK – the cholesterol charity – says eating “three to four eggs a week should be fine”.

However, the Heart Foundation warns those at high risk of heart disease should eat no more than three eggs per week.

The Heart Foundation explained: “Dietary cholesterol [i.e. eggs] has little impact on blood cholesterol levels within the context of a diet lower in saturated fat.

“However, dietary cholesterol and saturated fat act synergistically.

“Intakes of dietary cholesterol higher than 300mg/day were a more important determinant of total and LDL cholesterol when saturated fats accounted for more than 15 per cent of total energy intake.”

Both organisations say it is “more important” to limit the amount of saturated fat consumed, rather than the number of eggs.

This is why the NHS promotes eating eggs as “part of a healthy, balanced diet” but recommends cooking them without salt or fat – as frying eggs can increase their fat content by around 50 percent.

It therefore recommends boiling or poaching eggs and not adding salt – or scrambling them without butter and replacing cream with low-fat milk.

source: express.co.uk