Do you like eggs? Do you really like eggs? Then the boiled-egg diet might appeal to you — especially if you’re looking to lose weight. The truth is that this fad diet will not lead to long-term changes that improve your health. Still curious? Read on to learn how this plan works, its pros and cons, and how to follow it safely.
What Is the Boiled-Egg Diet?
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The boiled-egg diet focuses on eggs, particularly hard-boiled eggs. You eat a minimum of two to three eggs per day, and you don’t even have to incorporate them into every meal. Why would someone want to eat this way?
Charles Saatchi, the ex-husband of chef Nigella Lawson and the founder of the ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, has also done the boiled-egg diet.
How Does the Boiled-Egg Diet Work?
There are several versions of the boiled-egg diet. We’ll dive into the options below, but the typical version is similar to low-carb Atkins, writes Arielle Chandler in The Boiled Egg Diet. A day’s meals generally look like this:
Breakfast At least two eggs and one piece of fruit (low-carb vegetable or protein optional)
Lunch Eggs or lean protein and low-carb vegetables
Dinner Eggs or lean protein and low-carb vegetables
Is the Boiled-Egg Diet Good for You?
Overall, this diet contains healthy food, but it’s not a balanced, healthy diet. The boiled-egg diet is extremely restrictive, incredibly low-calorie, and faddish. “I don’t think you should be on a diet that requires an obsession with one food,” says Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, the New York City–based author of Finally Full, Finally Slim.
“Eggs make a great breakfast,” says Dr. Young. “A hard-boiled egg is a nutritious snack, but I think that consuming a variety of foods is a healthier way to eat.”
The good thing about eggs is that they’re high in protein. One large boiled egg offers 78 calories, 6.3 grams (g) of protein, 5.3 g of fat, 0.6 g of carbohydrates, and 0 g fiber.
“Eggs are a complete protein and contain nutrients like vitamin D and choline,” says Amy Shapiro, RD, the founder and director of Real Nutrition in New York City. A complete protein is one that contains all the essential amino acids in adequate amounts.
Choline is a nutrient that helps produce neurotransmitters that regulate memory and mood, among other functions.
Side Effects of Eating Mostly Boiled Eggs
This diet is really low-calorie and restricts many high-fiber foods like whole grains and beans. Because of that, you may miss the mark on fiber if you’re not careful. Health experts recommend that men ages 50 and younger get at least 38 g of fiber and women get at least 25 g of fiber.
Go too low and you may be at risk of constipation. The risk of constipation is especially high if you eat only eggs, as eggs have 0 grams of fiber.
Beyond its critical role in digestion, fiber may also help decrease the inflammation associated with chronic disease.
Is It Safe to Follow the Boiled-Egg Diet?
If you have a history of disordered eating, restrictive diets of any kind (including the boiled-egg diet) aren’t for you. Those living with chronic health conditions, especially any that require taking medication, would be wise to check with their healthcare team before making any dramatic changes to their diet — and the boiled-egg diet would count as dramatic.
On the other hand, people who don’t have a history of eating disorders or a current health condition are unlikely to face health issues if they do the boiled-egg diet in the short term. “I consider this a red-carpet diet. It’s only something to try when you want to see results quickly and you’re okay with feeling restricted for a short period of time,” says Shapiro. She notes that this diet takes its cues from the 1960s, a time when “it was considered ladylike and demure to restrict yourself,” she says. But that’s not a healthy headspace to be in.
Plus, there is continuing confusion about whether eggs are good for you, as they contain dietary cholesterol. Each boiled egg has 186 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol.
One study concluded that each additional 300 mg of dietary cholesterol consumed per day was associated with a 17 and 18 percent increased risk, respectively, of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause.
The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise that dietary cholesterol consumption should be “as low as possible without compromising the nutritional adequacy in the diet.” The guidelines note that cholesterol naturally appears in small amounts in some animal foods.
Eggs are also flagged for their saturated fat content. Each large egg contains 1.6 g of saturated fat.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend capping daily intake of saturated fat at less than 10 percent of calories per day for optimal heart health. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s the equivalent of 22 g of saturated fat or less per day.
So are eggs good or bad for you? Taking into account the research as a whole, Shapiro notes that it’s saturated fat in food that raises cholesterol, not necessarily dietary cholesterol. What’s more, “it’s the simple carbohydrates and sugars in foods that increase cholesterol and triglycerides. I wouldn’t worry about eating hard-boiled eggs daily,” she says.
However, while eggs are not especially high in saturated fat, if that’s the majority of what you’re eating, the saturated fat could add up. A diet high in saturated fat can lead to high LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, levels, raising your risk of heart disease, notes the AHA.
Individuals with high LDL cholesterol levels should consider reducing sources of both saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. To be safe, if you have any risk factors for heart disease, ask your healthcare team how many eggs are right for you to eat.
What to Eat and Avoid on the Boiled-Egg Diet
According to Chandler’s book, the following foods are recommended on the boiled-egg diet. As for what to avoid, this eating plan is strict: You’re not to stray from this list:
- Eggs
- Skinless poultry
- Fish
- Lean beef
- Lamb and pork
- Low-carb vegetables, including leafy greens like kale, collard greens, spinach, and mustard greens; zucchini; and bell peppers
- Low-carb fruits, such as tomatoes, oranges, lemons, limes, watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, peaches, and grapefruit
- Calorie-free drinks like plain water and sparkling water
- Butter
- Coconut oil
- Mayonnaise
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A 7-Day Sample Menu for the Boiled-Egg Diet
Sample meal plans on the boiled-egg diet might include:
Day 1
Breakfast Two eggs, spinach, orange
Lunch Grilled salmon on salad
Snack None
Dinner Grilled pork chop with broccoli
Dessert None
Day 2
Breakfast Two eggs, tomatoes, cantaloupe
Lunch Grilled chicken on salad
Snack None
Dinner Ahi tuna with kale
Dessert None
Day 3
Breakfast Two eggs, orange
Lunch Sliced steak on salad
Snack None
Dinner Baked salmon with mushrooms
Dessert None
Day 4
Breakfast Two eggs, asparagus, strawberries
Lunch Egg salad on lettuce
Snack None
Dinner Beef roast with cauliflower
Dessert None
Day 5
Breakfast Two eggs, slice of ham, strawberries
Lunch Baked cod with asparagus
Snack None
Dinner Grilled chicken skewers with bell peppers and onions
Dessert None
Day 6
Breakfast Two eggs, cantaloupe
Lunch Egg salad on lettuce
Snack None
Dinner Mahi-mahi with green beans
Dessert None
Day 7
Breakfast Two eggs, watermelon
Lunch Grilled salmon on salad
Snack None
Dinner Pork chop with bok choy
Dessert None
Other Versions of the Egg Diet
You don’t have to stick to the traditional boiled-egg diet. If you’d like to try a twist on the original, some alternative versions include an egg-and-grapefruit option (a half a grapefruit is added to each meal) and the wine-and-egg diet.
A Final Word on the Boiled-Egg Diet
The boiled-egg diet is a fad diet that requires eating mostly eggs, some fruit, nonstarchy vegetables, lean protein, and some fat, and it promises to help you lose weight. While cutting calories may initially lead to weight loss, it’s unlikely that you’ll stick to this way of eating, experts say. In addition, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have a history of an eating disorder, you should skip a faddish, restrictive diet.
Most people will benefit from a lifestyle change that focuses on more of a whole-food, plant-based diet like the Mediterranean diet — which has an array of research-backed benefits.
“If you want to do [the boiled-egg diet] as a quick fix, you might lose a lot of water weight initially, but you can’t live that way forever,” says Young. “These types of diets can lead to overeating and a lot of frustration later.”
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