Last Updated on by San San
Can diabetics eat boiled eggs?
A diabetes diagnosis means that one has to take a keen interest in their nutrition. You might have to start to reconsider the food that you consume daily since your health will depend on every meal you take. Eggs usually form part of most breakfast meals – who doesn’t have eggs for breakfast these days, right? They take various forms such as fried sunnyside up eggs, scrambled eggs, on burgers, poached eggs, boiled, or some even have them raw! This brings us to one of the most frequently asked questions, “can diabetics eat boiled eggs?
Eggs are considered a good source of protein for diabetics. So definitely yes you can continue taking your eggs. However, with diabetes, you have to make small adjustments to your meals like avoiding certain egg preparations since they are not all good for you. You will have to consider instances like how they are cooked and when the calories are highest in each preparation. Therefore, I will give you all the information you need to know about eating eggs with diabetes.
Eggs are very versatile and it’s almost impossible to exclude them from your diet. Eggs are a low-carb meal and have a low glycemic index score, therefore making them ideal for people with diabetes.
The glycemic index measures the effect that foods have on diabetics. Foods with a low glycemic index score don’t cause a spike in blood sugars whereas high glycemic index foods cause blood sugar spikes.
Do eggs raise blood sugar?
Eggs are considered a superfood for diabetics because of their low carbohydrate count. One egg contains about half a gram of carbs so they do not have a huge impact on your blood sugar levels.
Also, eggs contain proteins, healthy fats, and nutrients. They are considered whole foods since they contain a lot of nutrients and are low in calories.
Here is the nutrition profile of one big egg:
Calories 72
Fat 4.75grams
Saturated fat 1.56 grams
Carbohydrate 0.36grams
Fibre 0grams
Cholesterol 186g
Sodium 71 milligrams
Sugar 0.16 grams
Proteins 6.28grams
So do eggs raise blood sugar?
Verdict: no! eggs don’t cause a spike in blood sugar levels.
Eggs are rich in protein and fat. These two nutrients are associated with low glucose absorption by the body.
Multiple studies have shown that having a low-carb, high-fat meal prevents blood sugar spikes and stabilizes blood sugar for longer periods. For instance, eating pizza will have energized for nearly 12 hours without experiencing spikes. This is because pizza is fat-laden.
Eggs and cholesterol
Unfortunately, eggs and cholesterol go hand in hand. Diabetes causes an imbalance of the LDL(bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol in the body. This fact leads to the huge possibility that diabetes increases the chances of getting heart diseases. As you may have already heard, eating eggs raises the concern of cholesterol increase in the body, therefore putting the patient at higher chances of getting heart disease.
Diabetics are advised to keep their egg intake to less than 300mg of cholesterol daily. One large egg contains about 200mg of cholesterol. One egg accounts for 60 per cent of your daily cholesterol needs. However, studies have shown that cholesterol in whole food has little effect on the body. However, cholesterol found in processed foods and those with high saturated fat content is dangerous. Foods such as cookies, candy, bacon, and other processed foods raise cholesterol levels quickly.
A 2018 study showed that eating eggs could help manage prediabetes and reduce the risk of getting diabetes. Prediabetes is a condition that one gets before developing diabetes. Its symptoms are the salient symptoms of diabetes ie, the accumulation of blood sugars in the bloodstream. Doctors have said that one egg daily will help prevent the risk of diabetes.
Managing your cholesterol levels is part of the diabetic journey. Neglecting this can lead to a higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease. Therefore, when your cholesterol levels are high is important to watch your egg intake. Unfortunately, one egg is enough to cover your 300mg daily cholesterol intake. Much of this cholesterol is in the yolk. Therefore, there are shortcuts to cut cholesterol intake in an egg such as eating just the egg whites or eating products with little or no yolk content.
How to include eggs in your diabetic diet
According to research, your egg consumption for the week should not exceed three. However, if you only take egg whites, you can eat more!
Since eggs are rarely taken alone, you should be careful what you accompany your eggs or what you cook your eggs using. For instance, a healthy egg can be made unhealthy by being fried in butter o cooking fat with unhealthy oils. An egg cooked in the microwave (poached) takes approximately a minute to cook and does need extra oil or other ingredients that could increase its cholesterol level or calorie count.
Don’t serve your boiled egg with high-fat, high-sodium foods such as bacon or sausages. A boiled egg is the best way to fill your stomach without affecting your blood sugar. Protein helps slow down digestion as well as glucose absorption. Also, eggs can be paired with high-carb foods to help slow down the absorption of sugars in the blood.
Including lean protein in every meal and having them as snacks is a smart way of managing diabetes and your blood sugar levels in general if you’re not a diabetic. It is important to remember that proper diabetes management can reduce your reliance on drugs and avoid the side effects of these drugs completely.
As you pay attention to your carbs and sugar intake, also consider the cholesterol levels and saturated fat in these food.
If you have high cholesterol levels, you might want to consider replacing your egg with egg whites or a plant protein substitute such as tofu. You can serve your hard-boiled egg with vegetables such as onion, tomato, bell pepper, asparagus, spinach, or cabbages. For breakfast, you can opt to serve our boiled egg with whole-wheat toast.
When it comes to the question, can diabetics eat boiled eggs? Here are the key takeaways;
- Eggs don’t affect blood sugar levels. They have a low glycemic index and are a good source of protein. They are recommended for type 2 diabetics. This also depends entirely on how the eggs are prepared, too.
- Eggs, either boiled or fried contain a lot of cholesterol, with one having about 200 mg cholesterol. Cholesterol is bad for diabetics. Therefore, keep your egg intake low, about 3-5 per week and one egg per serving. You can go around this by only taking egg whites because most of the cholesterol is found in egg yolk.
- Remember to pair your eggs with healthy foods and cook them healthy with healthy ingredients!