If you're new to Intermittent Fasting, you're probably wondering what the best foods are to break your fast, especially if you have a weight loss goal in mind. Eggs are some of the most common breakfast (or "break-fast") foods that most of us are familiar with, so this might be what you naturally lean toward. But should you break a fast with eggs?
Today, I'm breaking down the details of breaking a fast with eggs and if this is a good option for your weight loss goals!
Are Eggs Good For Weight Loss?
When it comes to weight loss, an extremely important factor to consider is satiety. Satiety is the sensation of feeling satisfied after a meal. Feeling satiated can decrease sugar cravings and the urge to snack on foods that don't support your weight loss goals. It turns out, eggs rank incredibly high on the satiety index.(1) This means that you are likely to feel extremely satisfied after a meal that contains eggs and therefore may be less likely to indulge in sugary snacks and treats that ruin weight loss.(2)
In fact, studies have found that consuming eggs for breakfast help to stabilize blood glucose and insulin (fat storing hormone) while reducing ghrelin (hunger hormone).(3) With the reduced hunger, increased satiety and reduced insulin (fat storing hormone) response, eggs are an excellent food to help you achieve your weight loss goal.
Should You Break a Fast With Eggs?
With Intermittent Fasting, one of the main goals is to reduce the insulin (fat storing hormone) response by eating less frequently throughout the day. This reduced insulin response allows your body to turn on fat burning (aka lipolysis), which is the main goal with weight loss.
If weight loss is your goal with Intermittent Fasting, then one of the best foods you could break your fast with is eggs.
As we already know from the studies above, eggs help to stabilize the insulin response, which further aids in your goals with Intermittent Fasting and weight loss.
Pssst - wondering what type of fasting is best for your goals? Click below for my free Intermittent Fasting Schedule quiz to find out!
How To Break a Fast With Eggs
Depending on your exercise level and how carbohydrate sensitive you are, you have a few options on how you can break your fast with eggs.
Option 1: If You're Carbohydrate Sensitive
If you find that you gain weight easily when you consume starchy carbohydrates, you are likely more sensitive to carbohydrates. With this in mind, it's extremely important to not pair your eggs with toast or bread. Instead, you can opt for pairing it with high quality sources of non-starchy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, asparagus and tomatoes. You can also experiment with the Detox Egg Scramble or Warming Cabbage Scramble from the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle protocols and recipes.
Option 2: If You're Highly Active
The more active you are, the more high quality energy sources and protein you may need. If you are highly active, but still looking to achieve a weight loss goal, it's important to optimize protein and fat. Each egg contains around 6-7g of protein and 4-5g of fat. In order to ensure you have enough protein for your activity level, you may want to shoot for 3 eggs at break-fast and pair it with an additional source of protein and fat. Some great options include grass-fed dairy products (cottage cheese, greek yogurt, aged cheeses, etc.) and nuts/seeds (ex: almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc.).
Get the step-by-step deets on how to use Intermittent Fasting to achieve your weight loss goals with the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle!
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Your Nutritionist,
Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition