slideshow widget

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Myth Buster: Eggs Do Help You Lose Weight After All

So, I started a weight loss program in 1998. Eggs were not on the recommended food list. I ate fake eggs, but they were expensive and no fun. Today it appears eggs are now recommended. They are now the staple of my diet. So, what has changed?

When did I start eating eggs? Why? Well, it started when I was listening to a radio program on the radio. This would have been sometime in 2015. A pediatrician was being interviewed. He said researchers were studying why children pooped out during the course of the day.

He said a theory was that they were eating foods high in carbohydrates for breakfast. They were eating lots of foods like cereal. By the third hour and before lunch, their carbohydrate levels tanked. This made it hard to pay attention. This affected grades for the third hour.

I'm simplifying this, but this is the gist of it.

I'm sure they developed various theories attempting to explain this. Should lunch be earlier? Or did it have to do with what kids were eating for breakfast?

As part of one study, they had two groups. The study group ate eggs and bacon for breakfast. The control group ate what they normally ate, which was cereal. It turned out that those who ate eggs and bacon did better in school. They did not tank at the third hour. Their grades were better.

Now, this was just one study. But other studies showed the same thing. Kids who ate hearty breakfasts performed better in school.

Then there were other studies done regarding eggs and bacon for breakfast. You had the study and control groups. It turned out that those who ate eggs and bacon for breakfast lost more weight than those in the control group.

Actually, it was simpler than that. Initial studies showed that those who ate eggs and bacon for breakfast were less likely to binge during the course of the day. They were less likely to have those weak moments where they craved cookies and cake. They were less likely to give into these low points in the day.

They conclusion theorized this was due to the increase in protein.

Another similar theory is that a good hearty meal increases the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a happy hormone. It makes you feel good. Dopamine makes you feel satisfied. So, you are less likely to binge the rest of the day.

But eggs will cause cholesterol levels to rise? Studies proved this was also a myth. Eggs did not cause a rise in choleserol levels. In fact, it was learned that eggs contain low density lipoproteins, which is good cholesterol.

Other studies showed that they did not cause a rise in cholesterol. Other studies showed that cholesterol does not cause heart disease. In fact, even the government now recognizes this.

So, weight loss gurus now recommend eggs for breakfast.

It was initially thought this had to be for breakfast. But, this is not true either. It just has to be the first meal of the day, no matter when that meal is. I discussed this in my post, "Myth Buster: You Must Eat Eggs For Breakfast."

Further reading:

No comments: