For those looking for ways to lose weight and in order to complement the following articles: How many calories are in a pound and how many calories to lose weight, we present here information about how many calories in an egg.
Chickens are the world’s primary source of eggs. But do you know that they have lesser nutritional value compared to the eggs produced by other birds such as ducks, turkey, and quail? Such fact is in terms of mineral content and the percentage of cholesterol it contains. But overall, the total nutritional value we get from eggs is the main reason why it is essential to our diet.
A typical egg is composed of a yolk and albumen. Inside its shell, you will see an outer white portion called the albumen which is made of 99% water and a rich source of protein. In its innermost part where you can see a yellowish portion is its yolk which is also composed of protein, minerals, and high amounts of cholesterol.
Eggs are good source of essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Phosphorus, and Riboflavin. More than that, it is a very rich source of Protein and Selenium. Though eggs tend to be a food which is high in Saturated fat and Cholesterol, it is however predominantly found on the yolk rather than on the albumen.
Since eggs has been part of many dishes around the world and can be an ingredient from Hors d’œuvre to dessert. It is very important for anyone to know how many calories an egg has.
A small whole egg contains 54 calories while a medium egg contains 63 calories. The amount of calories is increased by 8 to 10 calories as the size gets bigger. This means, a large egg has 72 calories, an extra large egg has 80 calories and one jumbo-sized egg could have as much as 90 calories.
The amount of calories could significantly change when eggs are being cooked. A hard boiled egg and a poached egg could contain around 76 calories while a fried egg (sunny side up) contains 92 calories. And as for scrambled eggs with milk, the amount of calories could go as much as 100 calories.
For people who are watching their calories, it is essential to consider consuming the white portion only because the albumen contains very low amount of calories compared to the yolk, has higher amount of protein, and has no fat and cholesterol. Based on a large egg, the egg white only contains around 17 calories which are more than three times lesser to the 59 calories of an egg yolk.
If you are on a strict diet, eggs can be a great friend because they are heavy on the tummy but low in calories. To maximize the benefit you’ll get from eggs, try to consume the white part only or have a 2:1 ratio; 2 parts of egg whites for every part of the yolk. Have an eggciting meal!