Sometimes, I just need a boost before lunch. It can be because I didn’t get enough sleep or that I’ve been skipping my workouts, but come mid-morning I’m ready for a nap. To combat that sluggish feeling, I incorporate healthy snacks into my diet. This aids in balancing my blood sugar, increasing my protein intake and feeding my body the energy it needs to power through the day. Today I chose to combat the mid-morning slump with two hard-boiled eggs. Here’s why!
3 BENEFITS OF HARD-BOILED EGGS
High Protein:
I need to make sure to consume enough protein. As a pescetarian, I get most of my protein from fish and I try not to eat too much of that either. Otherwise, I’m sustained on nuts, beans & legumes, fruits & veggies and eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are naturally high in protein. Eating enough protein can help with weight loss, increased muscle mass, lowering blood pressure and optimizing bone health. Protein helps repair all tissues in our bodies and provides structure for cellular walls. Also, since they are a high protein food (with about 6 grams of protein in one large egg), they are very filling and tend to curb appetite. This is because protein is the most fulfilling macro-nutrient.
Good Fats:
Eggs often get a bad rap for causing high cholesterol. But that’s just not the case. Although eggs may be high in cholesterol, they do not adversely affect blood cholesterol. In fact, eggs raise HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). Hard-boiled eggs provide good fats called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. As the Mayo Clinic explains, replacing saturated and trans fats as much as possible with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats stabilizes your blood cholesterol levels and lowers your overall risk of heart disease. These heart-healthy fats also regulate insulin in your blood, which keeps your blood sugar within a healthy range. Here is a list of some other “good fat” foods you can add to your diet.
Delicious AND Nutritious:
Eggs can be classified as “superfoods.” They are loaded with nutrients, some of which are rarely seen in the modern diet. Think about it, a whole egg contains all the nutrients required to turn a single cell into a baby chicken.
A single large boiled egg contains the following:
- Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA.
- Folate: 5% of the RDA.
- Vitamin B5: 7% of the RDA.
- Vitamin B12: 9% of the RDA.
- Vitamin B2: 15% of the RDA.
- Phosphorus: 9% of the RDA.
- Selenium: 22% of the RDA.
Eggs also contain decent amounts of Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium and Zinc. They are a great example of a whole food, containing a little bit of almost every nutrient we need.
What’s your go-to snack when you need that extra boost before lunch? Please share with me in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas!
