Calories in an egg

Eggs are an impressive versatile food. From scrambled to poached, there are different ways to cook an egg exactly the way you like.

They’re not just for breakfast either. Eggs are used in a different variety of foods, including:

• ice cream
• baked goods
• soups
• salads
• sandwiches
• stir-fries
• sauces
• casseroles

Since you might be eating eggs on a daily basis, any health-conscious person should know about their nutrition.

luckily, eggs are healthier and lower in calories than most people think!

Calorie breakdown

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there are about 72 calories In a large egg. A large egg weighs around 50 grams (g).

The actual number depends on the size of an egg. You can expect a small egg to have a little bit fewer than 72 calories and an extra-large egg to have slightly more.

Here’s a general breakdown by size:

• small egg (38 g): 54 calories
• medium egg (44 g): 63 calories
• large egg (50 g): 72 calories
• extra-large egg (56 g): 80 calories
• jumbo egg (63 g): 90 calories

 

Keep in mind that this is for an egg without any ingredients.

Once you start adding butter or oil to a frying pan to cook the egg or serve it alongside bacon, sausage, or cheese, the calorie count increases efficiently.

Whites vs. yolks

There’s a pretty huge difference in calories between the egg white and the egg yolk. The yolk of a large egg contains about 55 calories while the white part contains just 17 calories.

An egg’s nutrition is about more than just its calorie count, however.

Eggs are impressive well-rounded food and contain a wealth of healthy nutrients. Like calories, the nutritional content greatly varies between the yolks and egg whites.

Protein

Protein is important for growth, health, and repair. It’s also needed to make hormones, antibodies, and enzymes.

There are 6.28 g of protein in one large egg, and 3.6 g is found in the egg white. This is a lot of protein!

Doctors suggested dietary allowance for protein is 0.8 g of protein per kilogram (kg) of body weight.

For example, a person who weighs 63.5 kg needs about 51 g of protein per day. A single egg would provide nearly about 12 percent of this person’s daily protein needs.

You can use this handy calculator from the United States Department of Agriculture to figure out how much protein you need each day to stay fit and healthy.

Fats

Nearly half of the calories in an egg come from fat. One large egg has a slightly less than 5 g of fat, which is concentrated in the egg yolk. About 1.6 g is saturated fat.

Egg yolks also contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation in the body and may lower your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.

They’re highly concentrated in the brain and have been shown to be important for knowledge, understanding, and memory.

The actual amount of omega-3s varies depending on the specific diet of the hen that produced that egg. Some hens are fed with diet supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids.

In the grocery stores, look for eggs labeled omega-3 or DHA. DHA is a type of omega-3.

Cholesterol

You might have heard that egg yolks have a lot of cholesterol. The average massive egg contains 186 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol.

It’s a common misunderstanding that eggs are “bad for you” because of the cholesterol content. Not all cholesterol is bad. Cholesterol actually provides several vital functions in the body. Most of the people are having an egg or two every day without having a problem with their cholesterol levels.

If your cholesterol is already at the extreme level or you have diabetes, you can still eat eggs in moderation (four to six per week) without any problems. However, make sure you don’t consistently eat other foods high in trans fat, saturated fat, or cholesterol.

Carbohydrates

Eggs contain very little amount of carbohydrates, with only .36 g per large egg. They’re not a source of sugar or fiber.

Vitamins and minerals

A different variety of vitamins and minerals can be found in eggs.

Vitamins

Eggs are a great source of vitamin B, especially vitamins B-2 (riboflavin) and B-12 (cobalamin).

Vitamin B-12 is used by the body to make DNA, the genetic structure in all of our cells. It also keeps our body’s nerve and blood cells healthy, prevents against heart disease, and prevents a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia.

Only animal foods carry vitamin B-12 naturally. If you’re a vegetarian who doesn’t eat meat, eggs are the best way to make sure you still get some B-12.

Eggs also contain some amount of vitamins A, D, and E, as well as biotin, folate, and choline. Most of the vitamins in an egg, except riboflavin, are found in the egg yolk.

Choline is an essential vitamin for the normal functioning of all cells in your body. It makes sure the functions of cell membranes, especially in the brain. It’s needed in higher amounts during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

A large egg has roughly 147 mg of choline, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Minerals

Eggs are also a good source of selenium, iodine, calcium, and phosphorous.

The antioxidant selenium helps to protect the body against free radical damage that’s been associated with heart disease, aging, and even some types of cancer.

Egg safety

Eggs are one of the eight types of foods considered to be an important food allergen. Symptoms of an egg allergy that may appear right after eating one include:

• nasal congestion
• hives the face or all over the mouth
• coughing tight chest
• nausea, cramps, and sometimes vomiting
• life-threatening, a severe, and rare emergency called anaphylaxis

Raw eggs aren’t considered safe to eat. This is because of the risk of harmful bacteria known as Salmonella.

Some people eat raw eggs, as the risk of Salmonella contamination is very low in the United States. But Still, it might not be a risk worth taking.

Salmonella poisoning can cause fever, cramps, and dehydration. Infants, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are at an increased risk level for serious illness.

The best way to protect poisoning is to refrigerate store-bought eggs as soon as you get home and to make sure to cook your eggs thoroughly, to at least 160°F before eating.

If you’re going to have raw or undercooked eggs, opt for pasteurized eggs.

Recipes to try

Eggs might be cooked in many different ways. You can boil them along with their shell to make a hard-boiled egg. You can fry eggs, make an omelet or just have them scrambled, poached, or pickled.

Eggs can be used in recipes for lunch, breakfast, dinner, and dessert too! Here’s just a handful of the countless ways to cook with eggs:

Green vegetable frittata

Frittatas are the best for a quick dinner or weekend brunch. Include vegetables such as zucchini and spinach. Leave out the egg yolks for a lower-calorie version, like this recipe from “The Healthy Chef.”

Baked eggs in avocado with bacon

The combination of an egg with avocado is amazing. Try this recipe for baked eggs in avocado with bacon from “White on Rice Couple” for your next hearty and healthy breakfast.

Creamy corn gratin

Eggs are the big part of this prepare-ahead creamy corn gratin side dish from the professional chef behind the blog “Easy and Delish.”

Jalapeno egg salad

Egg salads can get old quickly. Go with this spiced-up version of the classic egg salad from “Homesick Texan.”

3 ingredient flourless chocolate cake

No recipe lists are complete without a dessert! Flourless chocolate cakes are both gluten-free and relatively rich in protein. There are three ingredients in this recipe from “Kirbie’s Cravings.”

The takeaway

A single large egg contains about 72 calories: 17 in the whites and 55 in the yolks. Eating a large egg will account for fewer than 4 percent of the calories in a 2,000-calorie diet.

Eggs are a rich source of:

• choline
• protein
• B vitamins, including B-12
• omega-3 fatty acids depend on the diet of the hen

The nutrients, vitamins, and minerals found in eggs can help you:

• protect against heart disease
• enhance your brain development, memory, and brain function
• build and repair muscles and organs
• prevent anemia
• grow healthy and strong hair and nails

In general, the white part of an egg is the best source of protein, with very few calories. The egg yolk contains the cholesterol, fats, and the bulk of the overall calories. It also contains choline, vitamins, and minerals.

If you’re looking for a way to add some vitamins, protein, and healthy fats to your diet without adding too many calories, eggs are the best choice.

Why Eggs Are a Killer Weight Loss Food

Eggs are the healthiest foods you can eat.

They are rich in high-quality protein, healthy fats, and many important vitamins and minerals.

Eggs also have unique properties that make them egg-ceptionally weight loss friendly.

This article explains why eggs are a killer weight loss food.

Eggs Are Low in Calories

The simplest way to lose weight is to reduce your daily calories intake.

One large egg contains only about 78 calories, yet it is rich in nutrients. Egg yolks are especially nutritious.

An egg meal normally consists of about 2–4 eggs. Three large boiled eggs carry less than 240 calories.

By adding a great serving of vegetables, you’re able to have a complete meal for only about 300 calories.

Just keep in mind that if you fry your eggs in butter or oil, you can add nearly about 50 calories for each teaspoon used.

Eggs Are Very Filling

Eggs are incredibly nutrient-dense and filling, mainly because they’re highly rich in protein content.

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

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

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

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

 

Eggs May Boost Your Metabolism

Eggs contain all the crucial amino acids and in the right ratios.

This means your body can easily use the protein in eggs for metabolism and maintenance.

Eating a high-protein diet has been shown to boost metabolism by up to 80–100 calories a day, through a process called the thermic effect of the food.

The thermic effect of food is the energy needed by the body to metabolize foods and is higher for protein than for fat or carbs.

This means that high-protein foods, such as eggs, aid you burn more calories.

Eggs Are A Great Way to Start Your Day

Eating eggs for breakfast seems to be especially helpful for weight loss.

Many studies have compared the effects of eating eggs in the morning versus eating other breakfasts foods with the same calorie content.

Several studies of overweight women revealed, eating eggs instead of bagels enhance their feeling of fullness and caused them to consume fewer calories over the next 36 hours.

Egg breakfasts have also indicated to cause up to 65% greater weight loss, over 8 weeks.

A similar study in men came to the same result, showing that an egg breakfast particularly reduced calorie intake for the next 24 hours, compared to a bagel breakfast. The egg eaters also felt more full.

moreover, the egg breakfast caused more stable blood glucose and insulin response, while also suppressing ghrelin (the hunger hormone).

The egg breakfast caused significantly greater satisfaction, less hunger and a lower desire to eat than the other two breakfasts.

Moreover, eating eggs for breakfast caused the men to automatically eat about 270–470 calories less at lunch and dinner buffets, compared to eating the other breakfasts.

This impressive reduction in calorie intake was effortless. The only thing they did was to eat eggs at breakfast.

Eggs Are Cheap and Easy to Prepare

Adding eggs to your diet is very easy

They are cheap, widely available and can be prepared within minutes.

Eggs are very delicious almost every way you make them, but are most often boiled, scrambled, made into an omelet or baked.

A breakfast omelet made with a couple of eggs with some vegetables makes for an excellent and quick weight loss friendly breakfast.