Read This Before Trying The Egg Diet
If you're a big fan of eggs, then the egg diet may have caught your attention. According to Medical News Today, there are several versions of the egg diet ranging from the extreme in which participants can only consume eggs and water, to more liberal versions that include lean proteins, low carb vegetables, and fruits in addition to eggs. According to Men's Health, all versions of the diet include eating three meals a day and not having any — please don't say — snacks. Obviously, this diet won't be a good fit for those of us who love to graze!
The diet does work short-term for weight loss, according to Ilyse Schapiro R.D., because it involves eating fewer calories. It's even good for maintaining muscle mass, while losing weight, according to Rachel Paul, PhD, RD from CollegeNutritionist.com, since the diet is high in protein, low-calorie, and low-carb (via Eat This, Not That!).
But, is the egg diet healthy?
One version of the egg diet is an egg fast that lasts from three to five days. According to Healthline, the diet has a lot of rules including eating at least six whole eggs a day and a tablespoon of butter or healthy fat for every egg consumed. Dieters may lose from five to 11 pounds, but not without a long list of potential side effects, including sleep issues, irritability (meaning your roommates might be walking on eggshells for more reason than one) headaches, nausea, poor mental function, and (we knew it!) bad breath.
Eating eggs every day does have some good effects, like promoting health in everything from your eyes to your bones, but there has been some debate about whether egg yolks have excessive cholesterol and the verdict isn't quite out yet. Also, according to Schapiro, the egg diet in its strictest sense is too restrictive to be considered well-balanced, so it wouldn't be beneficial to follow the diet for the long term (via Men's Health). Some more of the shortcomings of the diet include not supplying enough calories and not promoting portion control nor balanced meal planning (via Eat This, Not That!). In the end, many who try the diet return to their old eating habits and might even put back on any weight they lost. Maybe man cannot survive on egg alone, for the long term, anyway.