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Eggs are one of the best foods to keep in your diet, but many of us have been cooking them in a way that actually makes them pretty bad for you. On their own, eggs are a tiny but powerful source of good fats, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron and choline.
The high amounts of protein and amino acids make eggs an excellent choice for clean eating, maintaining weight and even losing weight. And, our favorite benefit from eggs is that eating them for breakfast can help you feel nourished and full for hours, so you feel more energized throughout the day and limit unnecessary snacking.
There are a ton of ways to prepare eggs for breakfast, though most would agree that scrambled eggs are the easiest and quickest choice. From the time you heat your pan, scrambled eggs only take about five minutes to cook.
We all have our methods of cooking and flavoring scrambled eggs, but one of the most common ingredients is also one of the unhealthiest: cheese.
So if you’ve been adding cheese to your scrambled eggs, you’re going to want to stop. Trust us, we spoke to the experts on this one.
Even though dairy items like cheese seem to be a healthy and sensible addition to a dish like scrambled eggs, it is really one of the foods you want to stay away from in the mornings.
Heather Hanks, M.S., a Nutritionist from Instapot Life, told SheFinds, “[Dairy] is highly inflammatory for most people, whether they realize it or not. People who suffer from acne, bloating, gas, fatigue, and other unwanted symptoms may be suffering from an inability to digest dairy. In fact, most adults cannot digest dairy, but they have been drinking milk since they were a kid - so they don't realize that it is no longer well tolerated.”
This inflammation can not only lead to discomfort, but can also hinder weight loss, according to Trista Best, Registered Dietitian at Balance One Supplements.
Best told SheFinds, "It is quite common to add American cheese to scrambled eggs, but this isn't recommended if you're wanting to lose weight. American cheese, like most forms of cheese, is made from dairy and therefore the primary concern is the inflammatory reaction it can cause in the body.”
She explained that this inflammatory response can actually, “make it difficult to lose weight when consuming American cheese on a regular basis.” So if you want to lose weight, cut the cheese out of your eggs.
It should also be mentioned that putting cheese in your scrambled eggs also causes us to consume extra calories. We all know how much better cheese can make eggs taste, but that good flavor comes with a significantly higher calorie count.
"Cheese is a major culprit when it comes to extra calories,” Aviva Samuels, nutrition expert from Soul N Vine told SheFinds. “Two scrambled eggs with cheese ranges from about 280-320 calories, depending on the type of cheese you add. You can shave off at least 100 calories by choosing scrambled eggs sans cheese. Or if you must have cheese, choose Parmesan or Feta, which not only have fewer calories than other cheeses, but also have strong flavors that allow you to use less.”
We’re not saying you should cut out cheese completely - that would be nearly impossible for most people! But according to the experts, we shouldn’t be eating cheese with our morning eggs.
Eating cheese later in the day ends up being the healthier choice, because if eating it in the morning can cause us to inadvertently eat extra calories throughout the day - on top of the additional calories cheese brings to scrambled eggs.
Charlotte Spence of Mattress Nerd tells us, “Most of us love a nice cheesy omelet. However, adding that cheese first thing in the morning triggers increased dopamine production in the brain. This is because cheese naturally contains casein, which spikes dopamine levels slightly. When this happens in the morning, we are much more likely to binge-eating later on in the day.”
How To Cook Healthy Scrambled Eggs
So if we’re agreeing to hold out on adding cheese to our food for later in the day, one question still remains: how should we be cooking our scrambled eggs?
Samuels has a few suggestions. She said, “Rich and delicious, there’s about 65-75 calories in 1 tablespoon of homemade Hollandaise sauce, but who uses just one tablespoon? Instead try other tasty additions with way fewer calories such as mushrooms. Due to their high nutrient count, mushrooms help to regulate glucose levels in the blood, keep you energized for an extra long time, and actually help to burn body fat.”
You can also try adding some seasoning and spices for a low calorie way to amplify the flavor of your scrambled eggs. Plus, there are many spices that can give you additional anti-inflammatory benefits and boost your metabolism. Check them out here.
