Eggs are a delicious keto-friendly food you can prepare and enjoy in many different ways. You could try scrambled, fried, or baked in a tasty dish like a keto-friendly quiche. Eggs have been vilified in recent decades for their saturated fat and cholesterol content, but impressive science and research exonerates eggs and highlights them as a healthy, nutritious food. Eggs are a great choice for the ketogenic diet.
Despite the misinformation and vilification of eggs, over half a century of research has now clearly demonstrated that egg intake isn’t associated with increased health risk. Consuming eggs doesn’t significantly impact the concentration of blood cholesterol. Research has also shown how people that eat eggs also consume lower added and total sugars, likely in part due to the satiety effect of eggs.
Eggs contain essential fatty acids, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and more while offering a relatively low economic cost. Many people believe eggs are one of the lowest-cost animal sources for important proteins, iron, vitamin A and B12, riboflavin, and choline. Eggs are also rich in selenium and vitamin D. The specific nutrient content of eggs varies depending on certain factors, such as the type of egg, the ratio of egg white to the yolk, and hen nutrition.
Eggs are a high-quality source of protein and a rich source of choline. In a freshly laid, whole, raw egg, the nutrients are typically 76.1% water, 12.6% protein, 9.5% fat, 0.7% carbohydrates, and 1.1% ash [1]. The average egg contains around 5 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein — an excellent option for the ketogenic diet [2].
Emerging evidence suggests egg consumption is linked to satiety, better diet quality, and weight management. Antioxidants present in the egg yolk might also help prevent age-related macular degeneration [3].
Assuming you don’t have an egg allergy, eating eggs could be a nutritious part of your ketogenic diet!
Eggs can easily be incorporated into your diet in numerous tasty, easy ways. You could just snack on some hard-boiled eggs, top your burger or steak with an egg, or add some eggs to your salad. You could also try some of our popular keto recipes that include nutritious eggs:
Do you prefer scrambled, fried, sunny-side up, or hard-boiled? What’s your favorite keto-friendly egg recipe?
Réhault-Godbert, S., Guyot, N., & Nys, Y. (2019). The golden egg: nutritional value, bioactivities, and emerging benefits for human health. Nutrients, 11(3), 684.
American Egg Board. Nutrition.
Ruxton, C. H. S., Derbyshire, E., & Gibson, S. (2010). The nutritional properties and health benefits of eggs. Nutrition & Food Science, 40(3). 263-279.