“Eat this, don’t eat that, this will make you fat, that’ll damage your genes and make your great-grandchildren anemic.”
It’s getting hard nowadays to know if the food you once happily enjoyed as a kid is considered healthy, or at least not too unhealthy.
This is especially the case if you’re on a somewhat restrictive diet like the paleo diet.
But what about eggs, or more specifically, what about scrambled eggs?
With all the high cholesterol claims and genetically mutated hens that pop out eggs like vending machines, it doesn’t hurt to know a bit more about the food you eat.
In this article, we’ll find out can you eat scrambled eggs on paleo?
We’ll go in-depth about eggs, how healthy they are, why it matters where they come from, and what happens to them when you scramble them.
So before you start making scrambled eggs for breakfast, maybe read this article first.
Can You Eat Scrambled Eggs On Paleo?
You, indeed, can eat scrambled eggs on paleo.
I know, so much build-up just to get that anti-climactic answer.
However, there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes than just you beating eggs to death on a frying pan.
In fact, there are a few factors when it comes to preparing scrambled eggs on the paleo diet.
So stay with us a bit longer; some useful information is coming your way.
The Ancestral Diet
Paleo diet implies you’re eating things our ancestors hunted or found in the wild more than ten thousand years ago.
Just like you can stumble upon eggs of some pigeon, they would have a similar thing happen to them just minus the iPhone.
Unlike us, though, they didn’t mind cracking that thing open and eating the contents raw.
For us, that’s as paleo as you can get.
A bunch of protein, straight from the wild into your hungry mouth so you can go hunt a saber-tooth and become the pride of your tribe.
So, there’s no doubt you can eat eggs on paleo, but what about scrambled eggs, the chicken ones in particular?
They didn’t have a pan and a whisk back then; we don’t think so, at least.
What Came First?
Raw eggs are not something we recommend you eat.
Sure, we joked how it’s the most paleo thing to do, but so is dying at 35 from a bear attack.
Scrambling them or whatever other method is to your liking is far more desirable.
We’ll make a quick comparison between raw eggs, scrambled eggs, and boiled eggs to illustrate why.
First, the almighty nutrition chart:
- Raw Egg (100g)
- Scrambled eggs (100g)
- Hard-boiled eggs (100g)
As you can see, there are some noticeable differences between these.
The first thing to note is the difference in protein.
The paleo diet heavily relies on protein, which is especially important for athletes and people who are into sports.
When an egg is scrambled, it loses around 15-20% of its protein amount.
It’s still one of the best protein sources out there, yet, boiled eggs might be a better option.
The chart shows that raw eggs have more protein, but there’s a catch.
When protein in eggs is heat-treated, it’s far more digestible, up to 40% more.
The reason being is that eggs, when raw, have proteins that bind to one another, which prevents your body from using all of them.
When you cook or scramble or do whatever you do to the egg, those connections are severed, and your body gets access to all the nutrients.
The second thing to note, which does favor the raw egg, is the loss of vitamins and minerals.
The more time an egg spends under heat, the more minerals and vitamins it loses, so be wary of this next the next time you prepare them.
We’ll cover this a bit more in-depth a little later.
One of the things that the chart doesn’t show is the possibility of salmonella in raw eggs.
Salmonella is a germ that can mess up your stomach, among other things, if you eat it.
It can last from four to seven days, and the symptoms are usually diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and stomach pain.
It can be found in raw eggs and dishes that contain raw eggs, so it’s definitely something to be wary of.
Salmonella can occur in some paleo diet foods you don’t even suspect.
A company selling haze-free granola has recalled their product recently because of the possibility they contain this germ.
The Cholesterol Myth
It would be irresponsible of us to talk about health-related things with absolute certainty since we are not doctors.
However, the number of hours we spend reading reliable sources gives us the right to come to some of our own conclusions.
Cholesterol has been considered one of the main culprits of heart disease for decades.
Eggs, scrambled, boiled, and everything in between, are pretty rich in cholesterol, as we can clearly see in the chart.
The recommended daily intake (whoever recommended it) suggests that basically, two eggs a day (around 100g) will be your limit.
Given all the recent findings, we would have to disagree somewhat.
Many health professionals claim that research that paints cholesterol as the main culprit for heart disease is funded by “big companies.”
Foods that raise your cholesterol are often full of other, much more dangerous nutrients that got ignored for some reason.
It’s like you’re a decent (not perfect) kid who found himself spending time with some bad people.
Diets like the paleo diet or even the Mediterranean diet can positively impact your cardiovascular health and yet not lower your cholesterol one bit.
That’s one of the reasons you should always stay informed; just because ‘everyone’ says it’s true doesn’t necessarily make it true.
With that said, always consult a professional if you’re having any health problems whatsoever.
Scrambling Them The Paleo Way
Alright, enough with the five-dollar words and lengthy explanations; let’s talk about some concrete stuff.
One Of The Ways To Make Your Scrambled Eggs Not Paleo Is To Use The Wrong Oil
If you’re making food on vegetable oil and consider yourself paleo, we hate to tell you; you might be doing it wrong.
They are highly processed and don’t have the necessary fatty acid ratio.
What you do want to use is tallow, coconut oil, or lard ( or whatever paleo alternative you’ve found).
Our preference is lard, just because it gives the scrambled eggs that extra punch.
If you prefer them to be leaner, coconut oil is completely fine.
The Second Thing Is The Egg Themselves
If you have the money, buy the pastured ones.
If you don’t have money, what are you doing on the paleo diet? We’re joking.
But seriously, if you are on paleo, you shouldn’t be buying any sodas and sweets, so you should have more cash to spend on the good stuff.
The natural, cage-free, and raised on the ‘open’ farm on the planet Mars can all mean the same thing, they’re locked in a building where they can roam free.
Don’t skimp on this stuff; buy high-quality food, and don’t look back.
When Scrambling The Eggs, Please Don’t Leave Them Too Long On The Pan
We prefer them to be on the ‘raw’ side, meaning cooked just enough to be safe for consumption.
Leaving them on the pan for too long will destroy a lot of the vitamins and minerals and just make the egg taste like dry sheets.
Excellent addition to scrambled eggs would be mushrooms.
They have a fair amount of protein and improve the overall taste. Don’t worry; they’re paleo.
Put a few on the pan (put some coconut oil or lard first), let them sizzle a bit.
Don’t put the eggs in before the mushrooms release all their water, or the eggs will have a watery taste to them.
Finally, add spices that are to your liking, and you’re good to go.
If you’re making this baby on lard, you’ll be satiated for hours.
Can You Eat Scrambled Eggs On Paleo – Conclusion
Yes, you can eat scrambled eggs on paleo.
Our ancestors might’ve eaten them raw, but we don’t have to and shouldn’t.
When making them, make sure you pick out the high-quality ones.
Don’t make them on vegetable oils as that defeats the purpose of paleo.
Adding things like mushrooms is more than welcome.
All in all, you have our blessing to go and enjoy some scrambled eggs.