What Happens to Blood Sugar When You Eat Eggs Regularly

Eggs are a valuable part of a balanced diet, since they pack a lot of nutrients—and little sugar or carbohydrates—and can be used in many different ways. They won’t cause a spike in your blood sugar and can be used as part of a diabetic meal plan.

What’s In an Egg?

In one large grade A egg, you find:

• Protein: 6.2 grams (g)
• Fat: 5 g (mostly in the yolk; the egg white has almost no fat)
• Carbohydrates: 0.5 g

Eggs have a low carbohydrate content, with protein and fats making up most of their macronutrients. Because of this balance, they don’t cause a spike in your blood sugar after eating them, which could lead to an energy crash later.

The egg yolk alone contains every vitamin except for vitamin C, and eating two eggs per day can fulfill 10% to 30% of your daily vitamin requirements. In addition to essential vitamins and minerals, eggs contain omega-3 fatty acids.

How Do Eggs Affect Blood Sugar Levels?

Everything you eat or drink is eventually converted into glucose and used as your body’s main source of energy. But more glucose doesn’t necessarily mean more energy, and not all foods are created equal.

Foods that are lower in simple carbs and sugars can be eaten without producing a sharp increase in blood glucose after a meal. Eggs fall into this category and can provide your body with a steady level of energy for a longer period of time.

In comparison, carb-heavy or sugary foods like pasta and candy cause a sharp blood glucose spike that quickly fades, taking your energy with it.

Research is conflicting as to how many eggs you should include in your diet, but most studies conclude that eggs are a good nutritional choice for most people. They have been found to improve fasting glucose levels with limited or no impact on cardiovascular risk from the fats and lipids they contain.

What Is the Glycemic Index?

The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how the carbohydrate-containing foods you eat can affect your blood sugar levels. The lower the glycemic index of a food, the less that food will cause your blood sugar levels to rise.

Low-glycemic-index foods have a GI of 55 or less. They are usually low in carbohydrates or contain complex carbohydrates, with higher fat and protein content. Examples include things like:

• Almonds
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Eggs
• Lentils
• Oatmeal (unsweetened, steel-cut or rolled oats, not instant)
• Olives
• Rye
• Zucchini

Medium GI foods contain a balanced GI, and have a GI that falls between 56 and 69. They include foods like:

• Bananas
• Brown rice
• Couscous
• Grapes
• Pineapple
• Potatoes
• Whole wheat

High GI foods contain the highest amounts of carbohydrates and simple sugars, and little protein or fat. These foods tend to cause sharp spikes in blood sugar levels and have a GI of 70 or more. This includes foods like:

• Bagels
• Corn flakes
• Pasta (made with white flour)
• Sodas
• White bread
• White rice

How Do You Manage Diabetes With Diet?

It’s a good practice for anyone to be mindful of the nutritional impact of the foods you eat, but this is especially true for people with diabetes.

For people with diabetes, carbohydrates and sugars can’t be properly balanced by insulin, causing sugars to build up in the blood instead of entering the cells to provide energy. This starves your cells of the fuel they need while putting you at risk for several problems caused by too much sugar in your blood.

Generally, people with diabetes are advised to follow a low-sugar, low-carbohydrate diet, prioritizing low-GI foods and limiting high-GI foods.

The American Diabetes Association suggests that the ideal diabetes diet focuses on:

If you have diabetes—and especially if you have other medical conditions alongside diabetes—it’s best to consult a healthcare provider or diabetes educator about the best nutrition plan for your individual needs.