Does The Cooking Method of an Egg Change Its Nutrition?

There are so many ways to enjoy eggs - fried, poached, boiled, scrambled, and deviled to name a few. There’s no denying that eggs are a nutritional powerhouse offering a myriad of health benefits, but does the cooking method affect any of these benefits?

• In short, yes. Different cooking methods can slightly alter the nutritional values of eggs.

• Heat causes the egg’s composition to change. The longer and hotter you cook your eggs, the more nutrients you may lose.

• Scrambling eggs causes a decrease in B vitamins and selenium, but keeps more healthy fats, vitamin D, and vitamin K than if they’re boiled. Scrambling is usually lower heat than frying or boiling and for less time.

• Boiling eggs can decrease amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for eye health. Soft boiling instead of hard boiling can help retain more of these nutrients since they're found in egg yolks.

• Frying eggs can cause the cholesterol in them to become oxidized and produce compounds known as oxysterols because of the high heat. People with heart conditions should probably use a different method for cooking eggs.

• However, cooking an egg does have its benefits. It increases the availability of protein for your body to 91% compared to only 51% availability in a raw egg.

• Cooking also increases digestibility and also removes the risk of salmonella poisoning, so it’s definitely necessary.

• And all of this being said, because eggs start out so high in nutrients, even a reduction leaves them standing strong as a good source of a variety of nutrients.