Dairy and eggs
Eggs on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 13 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), whole, cooked, for around 150 calories. Two large eggs, about 100 g (3.5 oz), give roughly 13 g of protein for 150 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from eggs alone you would need about 231 g (8.1 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How eggs sits on a GLP-1
Eggs are soft, cheap and quick, and two of them is about 13 g of protein, which is less than most people assume. On a GLP-1 they split people down the middle. For some they are the one breakfast that still works; for others the smell of a boiled or fried egg becomes impossible in the first weeks, and the fat in the yolk sits for a long time in a slow stomach. Scrambled slowly with a splash of milk they are the softest version and the least smelly.
When your appetite is small
Do not count two eggs as a protein stop. They are half of one. Add the other half with something that needs no extra room: a slice of smoked salmon, a small handful of grated cheese folded through, or cottage cheese on the side. Two eggs plus 30 g (1 oz) of cheddar is about 20 g and still fits on a bread plate.
Three ways to prepare it
Scrambled low and slow
Low heat, a knob of butter, keep them moving and take them off while still glossy. Soft scrambled eggs go down on days when a fried egg does not.
Boiled the night before
Six minutes for a jammy centre, then into the fridge. Two peeled eggs in a container is a cold protein stop with no plate and no cooking smell in the morning.
A small omelette with a filling that carries protein
Two eggs, a spoon of ricotta and some chopped ham in a small pan. Around 22 g, and the whole thing fits on a side plate.
What to eat it with
Something that lifts the protein without adding bulk: smoked salmon, ham, cheese, cottage cheese, or baked beans. Eggs with two slices of buttered toast is a breakfast that fills you up on about 13 g of protein, which is the wrong way round.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs | about 13 g | 150 kcal | this page |
| Egg whites | about 11 g | 50 kcal | See the page |
| Cottage cheese | about 11 g | 100 kcal | See the page |
| Smoked salmon | about 22 g | 180 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, whole, cooked, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Eggs are eggs, but sizes differ. An Australian large egg from a 600 g carton is about 50 g (1.8 oz) in the shell, a US large is closer to 57 g (2 oz), and a UK large is 63 to 73 g (2.2 to 2.6 oz), so UK eggs carry about a gram more protein each.
Questions people ask
How many eggs do I need for 30 g of protein?
Between four and five large eggs, which is about 230 g (8.1 oz) and roughly 350 calories. That is more than most people can face in one sitting, which is why we pair two eggs with cheese, smoked salmon or cottage cheese instead.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.