Are Omelets Healthy for You?

It’s a question for the ages and one that’s been debated for at least the past few decades of the cyclical “Are eggs good or bad for you?” discourse: Are omelets healthy?

Yes. Next question.

Okay, you’re still reading, so we’ll assume you want some facts to back up our answer. Luckily, even though our first impulse was to just talk about how delicious omelets are, we did some research into their health benefits too.

Let’s Talk About Health

Like most things in life, health is impacted by myriad factors that vary from person to person. A group of people can all eat the same thing and have different health effects: think of that one friend (we all have that one friend) who can seemingly eat everything in sight like a black hole engulfing a solar system, all without gaining a pound or even getting a tummy ache.

That being said, good general advice for eating healthfully that you’ll often see from nutritionists includes eating a balanced diet with varied types of food from all food groups. So basically, omelets. They’re talking about eating omelets.

A Balanced Meal

Suppose your omelet has veggies and cheese, plus the protein-rich eggs, and you serve it with a side of fresh fruit and either potatoes or a grain (toast, oatmeal, waffles—a certain, unnamed international house of something or other is rumored to even put pancake batter into their omelets). In that case, that’s a fully balanced meal with something from every food group! That could make for a great breakfast option!

Let’s break it down a little more:

Protein

Protein can be helpful for weight loss because it keeps you full longer than carbohydrates and helps you gain muscle mass, which increases metabolism. You’ll still have to work out to build muscle, and feeding your body protein gives it the ability to build that muscle, unlike carbohydrates, which the body uses as an immediate fuel source to knock out those deadlifts.

If chugging a high-protein shake after lifting is your jam, we say go for it! But if you often find yourself tempted by a delicious omelet made with fresh ingredients, that’s another option to try without sacrificing gains!

Secret Protein

Protein isn’t just from meat, it’s also found in lots of other foods you wouldn’t expect; beans, mushrooms, quinoa, chia seeds, flax seeds, and plant-based meat and meat substitutes like tofu and tempeh are especially good, non-animal-based sources of protein. 

Tip: If you’re not on that plant-based non-meat train, add some black beans to your homemade sausage, salsa and cheese omelet for even more protein and a bit of a Tex-Mex kick.

Vitamins and Minerals

The best source of vitamins and minerals in your diet this side of a multivitamin is good old-fashioned vegetables—and research indicates the vitamins and minerals in vegetables can be used easier and more efficiently by the human body than isolated vitamins and minerals like the ones in multivitamins.

The secret to getting a good balance of vitamins and minerals is to let your eyes be your guide: choose a good mix of different-colored vegetables with different textures.

Healthy Fats

Anyone who grew up in the ‘90s is still working through unlearning everything we were told about all fat being bad for you. A modern understanding of nutrition involves a more nuanced view of fats, with an emphasis on using more healthful, unsaturated fats derived from vegetables (such as olive oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil) and using less healthful fats (such as butter or processed vegetable oils) in very limited quantities.

We’re obviously not going to give up our butter—because it’s delicious—but we can see the wisdom in using it a little more sparingly in favor of more healthful fats. (If we must.)

Tip: When you’re making a Mediterranean omelet at home, make it taste more authentically Mediterranean by cooking it in olive oil to help set off the flavors of feta cheese, olives, spinach and tomatoes!

Dairy

Not all dairy is created equal. Cheeses like cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, and feta are all good sources of protein and calcium. They also have vitamin D, a vitamin that helps your body process calcium, which is why it’s added to so many dairy products!

Even processed cheeses can be fortified with added vitamins and minerals, meaning the trick is to read—or at least skim, who are we kidding?—the nutrition labels on the food you buy and think about each ingredient in the context of what other ingredients you’ll likely serve it with to create a fully balanced meal including all the macro- and micronutrients you need to stay healthy.

Moderation In All Things

The main point we’re trying to make is that there are versions of every type of food that are either more or less healthy than other versions of that same type of food. Trying to label different types of food as either “good” or “bad” lacks the level of nuance that eating a varied and healthful diet requires, plus eating a varied diet is generally going to get you more nutrients than eating a bland, “optimized” diet, not to mention being more interesting and flavorful.

Sometimes you want to eat something because it tastes good, not for its nutritional value, and it can be an unreasonable standard to set for yourself to expect every meal to be perfectly balanced—unless it’s an omelet, then you can get pretty dang close!

Get Your Health Fix at Kate’s Kitchen

Now that we’ve established that eating an omelet for breakfast is one of the healthiest ways to start your day, come on down to Kate’s and see for yourself how good eating healthy can taste! 

Try one of our delicious three-egg omelets, served with toast and potatoes (another healthful veggie full of vitamins and minerals). We recommend the Very Veggie omelet with bell peppers, mushrooms, fresh asparagus, onions, and jack cheese, with a side of hollandaise and a cup of fruit!

Take a look at our breakfast menu!

Give us a call if you want to place a to-go order!

Kate’s Kitchen… (816) 436-7200

Ronnie’s Restaurant… (913) 831-8600