I was in college during the low-fat diet craze of the 1990’s and clearly remember eggs getting a bad rap. Friends would load up at breakfast on fat-free or low-fat pancakes, bagels, waffles, toast, cereals, and skim milk, but they would never eat eggs. The fat-free fad somehow became a free pass to overeat processed, factory-manufactured, high-sugar, fat-free foods. The quantity of fat-free foods consumed was obscene. But consume a fresh, nature-made egg? Never!
If you’ve limited eggs in the past for any reason besides taste, consider bringing them back. One egg provides 80 calories and 6 grams of high quality protein in the egg white itself. If you are undergoing cancer treatment, eggs can be a good source of the protein needed now to repair and rebuild healthy cells.
Egg dishes can be a great way to load up on protein and include more cancer-fighting colorful vegetables at the same time. The newly revisedDietary Guidelines for Americans 2010encourages us to fill half our plates with fruits and vegetables at every meal.
Here’s one of my own creations to help you load up on protein, veggies, and extra calories if you are trying to gain or maintain weight. Feel free to vary the vegetables to your taste preference, just be sure to include two cups of sautéed vegetables in the recipe and add one serving of fruit to fill half your plate!
Note: This makes two servings. Each serving contains approximately 400 calories and 20 grams of protein.
If you are trying to lose weight and/or are finished with cancer treatment, replace oil with non-stick cooking spray, replace 2 eggs with 2 egg whites, choose reduced fat cheese and 1% or skim milk. The protein will remain the same, but these changes will cut calories and fat.
1 Tbsp. canola oil
4 eggs
¼ cup (1 ounce) shredded cheese
¼ cup whole milk
1 tomato, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
½ avocado
1 zucchini, diced
1 peach, ½ grapefruit, 1 cup berries, or 1 cup cubed melon
Spray pan with non-stick olive oil based cooking spray or heat canola oil. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and zucchini until tender. Use a whisk to mix eggs and milk. Pour eggs into pan over veggies over medium-low heat. Once eggs are cooked, place cheese and tomatoes on half of the eggs. Fold eggs in half to make an omelet. Once cheese is melted, remove from pan, cut in half, and top each serving with diced avocado, salt, and pepper. Cut in half and serve with your choice of fresh fruit.
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