Do eggs have carbs?

Do Eggs Have Carbs?

Whether they are boiled, poached, fried, or scrambled, eggs are a highly nutritious and delicious food.

If you’re following a strict no carb diet, you might be wondering: Do eggs have carbs?

In this article, I will cover some key information about eggs, including whether eggs have carbs.

Let’s get into it.

Do Eggs Have Carbs?

Do Eggs Have Carbs?

Yes, in short, eggs contain a very small amount of carbs. They can be an extremely versatile and healthy protein source, containing less than 1 gram of carbs and around 6 grams of protein.

This means that eggs make an ideal food for someone following a low carb diet, as many people describe them as being virtually carb free.

That being said, the majority of the nutrients of the egg are found inside the yolk of the egg, as opposed to the egg white.

Eggs are a fairly low-calorie food. A hard-boiled egg, for example, provides around 77 calories and 5 grams of fat.

In addition to this, hard-boiled eggs also offer a variety of different important and beneficial nutrients, including vitamin D, zinc, calcium as well as B vitamins.

That being said, the way in which you prepare your eggs will obviously affect the nutritional value of the eggs.

When cooked with oil and butter, for instance, the fat and calorie content is going to rise more than if you were to boil or poach an egg in plain water. While this might be suitable for a high fat diet, this isn’t good for other diets.

Bearing this in mind, if you are following a strict diet, make sure the way that you prepare your eggs is in line with the diet in question.

It’s not accurate to make a blanket statement that eggs are always healthy, as the way you prepare them can impact this significantly.

If you’re strictly tracking your calories, for example, then you will need to be much more careful when it comes to preparing your eggs and be wary of hidden calories.

Are Eggs Keto?

Yes, eggs are considered keto-friendly as they are so low in carbohydrates. A ketogenic diet is based on a low carb, high fat diet, so the fact eggs contain less than 1 gram of carbs bodes well for individuals following a ketogenic diet.

The majority of animal proteins, including eggs, are suitable for the ketogenic diet.

Even if you were following a strict ketogenic diet, that only allows for 20g of carbohydrates per day, one large egg makes no significant contribution toward that goal.

This, along with the fact that eggs increase fullness, is why eggs are often praised for being a great keto-friendly snack.

However, while eggs on their own are keto-friendly, it’s important to note that you can serve eggs in such a way that isn’t ketogenic, especially if you served them with toast or other high carb foods.

Therefore, it’s important that you are keeping this in mind when it comes to eating eggs.

Many popular ways of cooking eggs that are suitable for a ketogenic diet include:

Boiling

Do Eggs Have Carbs?

As the name suggests, boiled eggs are cooked in boiling water for around 6 to 10 minutes.

This is one of the simplest methods to cook your eggs, and the longer the eggs are kept in the water, the harder the egg yolk will become.

Poaching

Do Eggs Have Carbs?

While boiled eggs are cooked in boiling water, poached eggs are cooked in slightly colder water.

Poached eggs typically require around 2 and a half to 3 minutes of cooking time.

Scrambling

Do Eggs Have Carbs?

Scrambled eggs are first beaten in a bowl before they are then added to a hot pan and stirred until they are cooked.

To up your fat content, you can always cook your scrambled eggs with a spoonful of butter for eggs that have a creamier taste and texture.

Frying

Do Eggs Have Carbs?

Fried eggs are cooked by being cracked into a hot pan with cooking fat.

As both olive oil and butter, for instance, are keto-friendly, frying is a keto-friendly way of preparing your eggs.

Omelet

Do Eggs Have Carbs?

Another way to cook your eggs is to make an omelet. To increase the fat content and to stick in line with your keto diet, you can also try adding grated cheese to the eggs as they cook before flipping it over.

Benefits Of Incorporating Eggs Into Your Diet

There are a variety of benefits associated with adding eggs to your diet.

These include but are not limited to:

High In Protein

Eggs are an excellent source of protein. There is a common misconception that the protein of eggs is only found in the egg white. On the contrary, almost half of an egg’s protein is found in the egg yolk.

Low In Carbs

If you’re looking for a low carb food, then eggs are a great option to incorporate into your diet. Eggs are incredibly low in carbohydrates, as on average, a single egg contains less than half 1g of carbs.

This means that eggs are a great food to eat on a low carb diet.

This includes very strict diets, including the ketogenic diet, as they hardly contribute to a person’s daily carb intake and are therefore ideal for either snacking or adding to main meals.

Packed Full Of Vitamins And Minerals

Another benefit of eggs is that they contain vital vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin B2. vitamin B12, vitamin B5, selenium, and phosphorus.

Low In Calories

A hugely important benefit of eggs is that they can be very low in calories. This makes eggs great for weight loss, as they also provide you with a sense of feeling full without being high in calories.

That being said, the calorie content of an egg can differ significantly depending on how you cook and prepare them.

If you’re watching your calories, you will need to make sure that you take this into consideration and are choosing a low calorie cooking method such as boiling or poaching.

This comes down to the fact that frying and scrambling eggs with additional ingredients such as butter and oil will alter the calorie content significantly.

In Summary

So, there you have it! Eggs do contain carbs, but less than 1 gram of carbs per egg.

As a result, they make a great choice for those individuals on a low carb or ketogenic diet.

Hopefully this article has been informative and helpful in providing you with more information on the nutritional value of eggs.

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