Eating eggs for breakfast can accelerate your fat-loss goals, especially if your morning meal is usually based on bread or other carbohydrate-rich foods, such as cereal. Subjects who ate two eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight than those who ate a bagel, according to research published in the International Journal Of Obesity.
It’s thought that the combination of protein and quality fats found in eggs (each large egg contains around 6g and 4.5g respectively, as well as many essential vitamins and minerals) helps maintain stable blood sugar levels, unlike a carb-rich breakfast, which can result in an energy crash that increases the temptation to snack on more carbohydrate foods before lunch.
A separate study, by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information, also found that people who ate eggs for their first meal of the day consumed fewer calories not only during lunch and dinner, but up to 36 hours later.
If you’re looking for some breakfast inspiration, the recipes on these pages from chef Karol Gladki should provide, as the French say, more than un oeuf…
Boiled Eggs With Wholemeal Soldiers
Ingredients (serves one)
- 2 large free-range organic eggs
- 2 slices of wholemeal bread
Method
- Fill a pan with water and bring it to boil, then add the eggs and simmer on a low heat for seven minutes. “The temperature is just as important as the time,” says Gladki. “If the water is boiling rather than simmering, it will overcook the egg.”
- Toast the two slices of bread and cut into soldiers.
- Lift the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and dunk them in a bowl of cold water for a few seconds. “Eggs will keep cooking after you remove them from the pan, so this is an easy way of stopping that process,” says Gladki.
- Cut the tops off the eggs and serve with the soldiers.
Scrambled Eggs With Smoked Salmon
Ingredients (serves one)
- 2 large free-range organic eggs
- 50g smoked salmon, cut into strips
- 2tbsp milk
- 1tsp butter
To make
- Add the butter to a large frying pan on a low to medium heat. “If the pan is too hot you risk burning the butter, which releases lots of unwanted carcinogens,” says Gladki.
- Crack the eggs into a mixing jug and whisk with the milk.
- Add the mixture to the pan and keep stirring till half cooked, then add the smoked salmon.
- Cook the mixture until it reaches your preferred texture. “If water starts coming out of the egg you are overcooking it,” says Gladki.
See related
- How To Cook The Perfect Omelette
- An Easy Mexican Eggs Recipe For A Lazy Weekend Brunch
- A Cracking Healthy Breakfast Recipe: Eggs Florentine
Fried Egg With Lean Bacon
Ingredients (serves one)
- 1 large free-range organic egg
- 2 slices of lean bacon
- 1tbsp coconut oil
Method
- Heat the coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat. “Coconut oil is great for frying because it has a high smoke point,” says Gladki. “If the pan is too hot, the bottom of your egg will be burnt and rubbery.”
- Crack the egg into the pan and cook to your preference.
- Meanwhile grill the bacon under a medium heat, turning occasionally, and serve with the egg.
Poached Eggs With Asparagus
Ingredients (serves one)
- 2 large free-range organic eggs
- 4-6 asparagus spears
- 4tbsp distilled vinegar
Method
- Fill a pan with water and bring it to the boil, then stir in the distilled vinegar. “It’s crucial to use the vinegar because it helps the white to hold to the yolk,” says Gladki.
- Crack the eggs into the pan and simmer for three minutes. “The consistency of the egg will be better if you take it straight from the fridge rather than letting it come up to room temperature,” says Gladki.
- Meanwhile, cook the asparagus in boiling water for three to five minutes.
- Lift the egg out quickly with a slotted spoon, place on top of the blanched asparagus and serve.
