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Cutting is difficult. When you’re always focusing on the calories that you’re consuming and trying to maintain a deficit it can feel like your food choices are totally limited and that you’re stuck eating the same foods day in and day out.
We get a lot of questions about what you can and can’t eat when cutting and a commonly asked question is whether or not you can eat eggs during a cut.
Overall, eggs are a healthy food, packed with nutrients. However, a lot of these nutrients come from the yolk, which is where most of the calories come from too… So does this mean that you shouldn’t eat eggs while cutting?
Table of Contents
Can You Eat Eggs When Cutting?
You can eat eggs when cutting. Eggs are nutrient-dense and relatively low in calories which makes them a suitable choice when cutting. However, you still need to count them in your daily calorie intake and have an overall calorie deficit if you want to see results from cutting.
Can You Eat Whole Eggs When Cutting?
You can eat whole eggs when cutting.
While egg yolks contain the most calories, overall eggs aren’t high in calories so they’re a suitable option when cutting. If you’re looking to cut calories further though you could just have the egg whites as they contain a very small amount of calories.
To expand on this a little bit more, there’s often a discussion around egg yolks vs. egg whites. When it comes down to calories, most of the calories within an egg come from the yolk with egg whites very low in calories.
For example, in a 67 calorie egg, around 52 calories come from the yolk and just 15 calories comes from the egg whites. Egg whites also contain 0 fat, which makes them ideal for cutting.
Therefore, if you’re really looking to cut down on calories then you could just have the egg whites as these are the lowest calorie part of an egg.
However, as a whole eggs are comparatively low in calories. As I said, a whole egg is only 67 calories, so it’s not like whole eggs are a calorie-dense food.
As I’ll go on to explain, there are also a lot of nutrients within the egg yolks, so you shouldn’t necessarily only have egg whites as you’ll be missing out on key nutrients.
What are Eggs?
Eggs come from female animals. The most common, and the type discussed here, are chicken eggs but you can get eggs from a range of different animals such as ducks.
Eggs are made up of two parts – the yolk and the white.
Eggs are often considered a superfood. This is because they’re very healthy. They contain key antioxidants which have proven health benefits for protecting against eye disease, amongst other things.
Eggs are also packed with iron, as well as other key nutrients like B12 and B5, making them a nutrient-dense food.
Most of these nutrients come from the egg yolks. Although egg whites contain nutrients, it’s the yolk that is the most nutrient-dense part.
Given these nutrients, eggs are a great food to incorporate into your diet. As most of the nutrients come from egg yolks, you should eat whole eggs to get the maximum amount of nutrients.
Egg Calories
The nutritional value of one medium-sized (58g) egg is:
| Calories (kcal) | 68 |
| Fat (g) | 4.6 |
| Protein (g) | 6.4 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 1 |
(Source 1)
Overall then eggs are comparatively low in calories, with one medium sized egg coming in at 68 calories. Larger eggs contain more calories, with those weighing around 68g roughly 78 calories.
When eating eggs however it’s unlikely that you’d just have one. So obviously this calorie count is going to increase the more eggs you’re eating.
The key benefit to eating eggs when cutting is not just the low-calorie count but also the quantity of carbs. Carbs are often the main weakness in many cutting diets and utilizing low carb foods is a great way to balance your daily macros and allow for some “cheat” meals even on a cut.
See also – How many extra calories can you eat on a cheat day
How to Eat Eggs When Cutting
As I’ve discussed, eggs aren’t that high in calories. However, if you’re eating them frequently or eating a lot of eggs each day then they will quickly become a noticeable amount of calories and will make maintaining a calorie deficit much harder.
That’s why I’d recommend watching your serving size if you are going to eat eggs while cutting.
Different sized eggs come with different calorie counts, so it’s a good idea to stick to small and medium sizes rather than having the large or extra-large eggs which obviously contain more calories.
It’s also best to only have a couple of eggs at a time. By only having a couple you won’t be adding a huge amount of calories into your diet, which could make it hard to stay within an overall deficit.
When cutting, every calorie counts.
So if you’re looking to reduce calories further and be stricter with your cut then you should focus on egg whites. Egg whites contain a very low amount of calories which makes them a great option when cutting.
By focusing on egg whites you can consume more whilst maintaining a low-calorie intake. This should help you to feel fuller for longer, which is crucial when cutting.
For this, it’s worth looking into liquid egg white. These cartons make it easy to have egg whites without having to separate the whites from the yolk yourself. This is usually time-consuming, messy, and wasteful so liquid egg whites are definitely something to consider when cutting.
However, as most of the nutrients within eggs are from the yolk, by only having the egg whites you do miss out on these key nutrients.
What to Eat Eggs With When Cutting
Although eggs can be eaten on their own, you might be looking for other foods to have with eggs while cutting. Obviously, you’ll need to focus on other low-calorie foods so that you can maintain your calorie deficit.
** Most people have their eggs with bread, even when cutting.
Low-calorie options to include with eggs are vegetables. Spinach, peppers, and tomatoes (although there are plenty of others you could include here) go well with eggs and can be incorporated in recipes like egg white omelets.
Adding vegetables to eggs won’t add a huge amount of calories, but will help you to feel fuller for longer which makes them an ideal choice when cutting.
Related – How to reduce hunger when cutting
A lot of people also have sauces with eggs. Unfortunately, sauces can add a surprising amount of calories so it’s usually best to avoid them when cutting.
Luckily though there are low-calorie sauces available these days, which can help to add flavor to your eggs without adding a huge amount of calories. The brand SkinnyFood makes a low-calorie tomato sauce, as well as other types like sriracha and BBQ.
Final Thoughts
Eggs are a great food to eat when cutting. They’re low in calories and packed full of nutrients making them ideal for ensuring your body gets those key vitamins while consuming a calorie deficit.
If you’re looking to cut back on calories as much as possible, then egg whites on their own are the better option as they’re very low in calories.
As a result, you can consume more of them without adding a huge amount of calories. However, the main downside is that egg whites don’t pack the same amount of nutrients as egg yolks.
It’s also a good idea to have eggs with other low-calorie foods that are going to help you feel fuller for longer, specifically vegetables, or with low-calorie sauces to add flavor to your meals.
