Fasting is a practice carried out by many around the world, some practice fasting for religious reasons, others fast to treat health issues, such as insulin resistance and diabetes, others want to simply lose some unwanted weight.
One of the most popular forms of fasting is ketogenic fasting. This is when keto dieters only consume liquids over a certain amount of hours to put their body into a state of ketosis, where fat is burned for energy instead of the traditional carbs. However, different types of fasting omit certain food groups to encourage weight loss via ketosis.
These types of fasts happen as some people may reach a weight loss plateau where solely practicing a keto diet no longer helps them to lose weight. The most notable of these fasts is the egg fasting diet, which is popular as it is keto-friendly.
The egg fast diet requires participants to eat nothing but dairy-based products, mostly eggs, butter, and cheese, for a time period of between 3 to 5 days. The purpose of this is to push the body back into a ketogenic state by severely limiting the carbohydrate intake - even more so than they already are on a regular restrictive ketogenic diet.
By eating mainly fat products and sustaining an extremely low-carb diet over this short period of time, the body is forced to burn fat for energy, aiding weight loss. But, how healthy and successful is the keto egg fast?
This blog post explains all you need to know about eating eggs on a ketogenic diet in general, as well as the health benefits and risks associated with this exclusive egg diet.
Health Benefits Of Eggs
Eggs have various health benefits, which is why they are a staple food in most modern diets. While on an egg fasting diet, however, it is sometimes not possible to reap the full benefits of eggs due to the fast's short time span.
Despite this, consuming eggs on a regular basis have been found to have the following positive health effects:
Raise HDL:
HDL is a good type of cholesterol that naturally builds within the body based on the consumed diet. It is responsible for helping the body to absorb and get rid of bad cholesterol, which can cause heart disease.
Improves Eye Health:
Vitamin A is essential for maintaining eye health, and the yolk in eggs is full of it alongside other healthy nutrients for eye health, such as lutein and zinc.
Reduces Appetite:
Eggs are high in protein, which is great for satisfying hunger. As a result of eating eggs, whether hard boiled eggs, poached eggs or deviled eggs you are likely to be less hungry throughout the day.
Provides Choline:
Choline is a nutrient that your memory, mood, and central nervous system need in order to regulate normally. It can be found in abundance in the yolk of an egg!
Are Eggs Keto-Friendly?
Eggs are naturally keto-friendly as they are low carb but high in fat. The nutritional content breakdown of eggs perfectly matches with the keto diet's macronutrient content break-up.
In fact, eggs are so nutritiously dense that they are included as acceptable and healthy in most diets. One of the best things about eggs is their versatility, from the different ways to cook them to their affordability and ethical treatments.
Eggs are considered to be a superfood in most modern diets due to their low carbohydrate and calorie content but higher fat and protein content, making them perfect to eat as part of an energizing meal.
How Many Eggs Per Day Can Someone Eat On Ketogenic Diet?
Officially, there is no limit to eating eggs whilst on the ketogenic diet. However, calorie count and macronutrient ratio must be considered if the diet is being followed for the purpose of weight loss since there needs to be a calorie deficit in order to lose weight, limiting the number of eggs that can be consumed.
Additionally, eggs contain cholesterol that, whilst beneficial in smaller doses, when consumed at large egg amounts may negatively affect people with medical conditions.There is such thing as too many eggs!
What Is The Egg Fast Diet?
The egg fast diet is a temporary fast during a restrictive ketogenic diet that can last anywhere between 3 to 5 days. The egg fast diet focuses on eating foods that have a high-fat content, whilst being moderate in protein, and extremely low in carbohydrate content. These types of foods include eggs, full-fat cheese, butter, and oils.
The egg fast diet is typically used by followers of the keto diet who are looking to kickstart their ketogenic diet or get back into a state of ketosis. The egg fast diet is one way to help your body to re-enter a state of ketosis more quickly due to its high concentration of fat.
How Does The Egg Fast Diet Work?
The egg fast diet works by inducing the body's metabolic rate, placing it into a state of ketosis. A state of ketosis is scientifically defined as when a body starts to rely on ketones (stored fat) instead of consumed carbs. Filling up on high fat and low carb foods, such as eggs, will force your body to burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates, aiding weight loss.
It can sometimes take longer for the body to enter a state of ketosis, and therefore, performing the egg fast diet for 3 to 5 days may not be enough time and a week (or longer) may be required instead.
The extent of weight loss experienced whilst on the eggs on keto diet also depends on several factors that must be taken into account, such as height, starting weight, age, gender, as well as total food and calorie intake.
Things You Can Eat In An Egg Fast Diet
Though it may sound obvious, the egg fast diet means that you cannot eat a lot of foods whilst in the fasting process. However, this is also where the diet surprises a lot of people! There are some foods that you would automatically think to pair with eggs, such as bread, vegetables, or fruits, to produce a whole, balanced meal, but this is not allowed.
To make the most out of the egg fast diet, you must only eat the following keto foods - avoiding everything else over the duration of the diet:
Eggs
It is recommended that you eat a minimum of 6 eggs a day. You can eat eggs in any way you please, including hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs, eating egg whites and egg yolks separately, as well as making scrambled eggs. We recommend changing up how you cook eggs over the fast to add some sense of variety to your meals and not getting tired of hard boiled eggs and poached eggs every day.
Full Fat Cheese
Keto dieters can pair full-fat cheese with their eggs as part of the diet, to increase their grams of protein intake. The type of cheese you use is up to you, ranging from cream cheese to cottage cheese! You may even want to mix some cheese into the egg yolk and cook over a frying pan to make a delicious cheesy omelet!
Healthy Oils
Healthy oils ensure that you are getting in some healthy fats to this restrictive keto egg diet. These can be used in the cooking process or as a dressing. Avocado oil, olive oil and coconut oil are amongst the best keto foods for this egg fast.
Grass-Fed Butter
You can eat grass-fed butter alongside your egg for some extra flavoring. Consuming butter will increase your healthy fat intake, helping you to get your body into a state of ketosis more quickly.
Zero-Sugar, No-Carb Drinks
Staying hydrated on an egg fast diet is incredibly important, as your body will need some extra help digesting the extra fat and protein. As a result, you will want to avoid wasting calories and sugar on beverages which will only prevent your body from entering a state of ketosis.
Consuming sugary carb drinks will ultimately stop you from losing weight and enjoying the benefits of the egg fast diet.
Benefits Of The Egg Fast Diet
The following benefits have been associated with the egg fast diet! These include:
Reduces Appetite and Decreases Cravings
The protein found in eggs can actually help to reduce your appetite and consequently decrease your cravings! This is because the extra protein will help to level out your blood sugar levels, keeping your levels steady and your body feeling fulfilled throughout the day.
Helps Lose Weight
An egg fast diet will encourage your body to go into a state of ketosis, which will help you to lose some stubborn weight!
Promotes Belly Fat Loss and Liver Fat Loss
Not only will your body lose its stored fat due to ketosis, but the foods allowed in the egg fast diet are also natural metabolic enhancers. For example, casein is a protein found in cheese that can increase your body's metabolic rate, enabling it to burn fat even quicker.
Reduces Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is naturally reduced when weight loss occurs, but the egg fast diet increases this resistance. Recent research suggests a link between ketones and reduced insulin resistance, with ketones (rather than simply eating a low carb diet) being the main factor that stabilizes blood sugar levels and aids an acceleration in decreased insulin resistance.
Overcomes Fat Loss Plateau
When on the keto diet, your body may get used to the healthy fats that it is consuming, and you may eventually reach a fat loss plateau. This can be attributed to many factors, including a lack of exercise, but the keto egg diet will help to push your body into an intense state of ketosis. In this state, your body will be burning fat directly!
Remember that for some body types this process may take longer than the 3 to 5 day period of an egg fast, so feel free to add in an extra day or two.
Increases Ketone Levels
The increase of this high-fat diet, based on consuming many eggs and other healthy fats, whilst subsequently isolating your body from carbs will increase your ketone rate. This will help your body get out of any weight loss plateaus as it means you can only gain energy from burning fat!
Increased ketone levels can also reduce insulin resistance, which is great for type 2 diabetes.
Rules Of The Egg Fast Diet
The rules of the egg fast diet are listed below! In order to reap the benefits of the diet, you must follow these rules:
- Eat a minimum of six eggs a day.
- Eat one tablespoon of healthy fat per egg (such as butter, mayonnaise, olive oil)
- Eat up to one ounce of full-fat cheese per egg (try not to exceed more than three ounces of cheese a day)
- Eat one whole egg within 30 minutes of waking up
- Eat an egg-based meal every 3-5 hours (even if you are not hungry)
- Eggs should be local, pasteurized eggs, if possible
- Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime
- Condiments (in moderation), and salt and pepper may be consumed
- Low to zero calories drinks like tea, coffee may be consumed (try to avoid diet soda)
- Drink lots and lots of water! (try to drink 8 glasses at least)
Risks Associated With The Egg Fast Diet
Like all restrictive diets, there are some risks associated with the egg fast diet:
Keto Flu
The keto flu may be avoidable on the fast if you eat a keto diet beforehand.
Hunger
You may get bored of eating only eggs and feel hungry!
Irritability
Hunger and lack of sugar can cause low moods.
Low Energy
Omitting carbs can lead to low energy as your body gets used to burning fat instead.
Sleep Issues
This disruption of your normal eating habits may cause you insomnia or oversleep.
Nausea
Eating as many eggs as required in this fast may cause some to feel sick, especially if you suffer from an illness. If you have type 1 or 2 diabetes or are vulnerable to eating disorders, it is highly recommended that you do not try this fast without medical supervision.
Poor Mental Function
Carbs, fruits, and vegetables are needed for optimized mental function. Without them, you may experience a lack of focus and brain fog until your body reaches ketosis.
Weakness
This diet prevents you from eating essential vitamins and nutrients that are key to muscle growth and brain development. This can cause fatigue and muscle weakness, especially if you are not used to eating a keto diet prior to the fast.
Try taking a multivitamin supplement to help with weakness. Vitamin D, Vitamin A, could be some examples.
Headaches
Headaches are a common symptom that will typically go away after a few days of fasting. Try to drink lots of water to help soothe the pain.
Bad Breath
Keto diets, in general, have been associated with bad breath as, as the body metabolizes fat, it breaks it down into chemicals (including acetone) which are released through your breath.
Constipation
This diet lacks fiber which is essential for healthy digestion, resulting in an increased risk of constipation. Drinking lots of water while on the keto diet will help combat constipation.
Conclusion
In summary, egg fasts are an extreme diet to weight loss. Luckily, other fantastic alternatives to this fast that are keto-friendly and calorie-controlled include eating delicious ready-made meal pouches from Proper Good.
Proper Good provides keto-friendly meals that are ready in just 90 seconds! Every meal is made from clean ingredients, and requires no preparation whilst still offering incredible nutrition!
