Eggs vs Paneer: Which is better for weight loss?

Whether you are trying to lose weight or are aiming to build muscles, increasing protein intake is vital. Protein is the building block of cells and raising its intake while engaging in more strenous physical activity can help to replace fat with lean muscles, thus making you look fitter. When it comes to adding more protein to the diet, eggs and paneer are two food items that find a place in most people's diet plans. Both are easy to cook, are versatile, and are loaded with beneficial nutrients that can support the health in numerous ways. While for vegetarians, paneer is the only source of protein, non-vegetarians always have two options to choose from. In this article, we will tell you which one of these is a healthier and better choice for weight loss- Eggs or Paneer.

Eggs are comparatively cheaper, but these are high-quality source of protein. Eggs contain all the essential vitamins and minerals that are required by the body in a day. A whole egg contains 6 grams of protein and several other nutrients required by the body to carry out its normal functioning. You can have scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, egg curry or poached eggs, there are so many ways to include them in your diet. But due to high fat content, many people discard the yolk, unaware of the fact that the yellow portion contains the most amount of nutrients.

Read more: Weight loss: Importance of mustard seeds in diet and ways to include it

1 boiled or poached egg weighing 44 g contains:

Protein:5.5 g

Total fat: 4.2 g

Calcium: 24.6 mg

Iron: 0.8 mg

Magnesium:5.3 mg

Phosphorus: 86.7 mg

Potassium: 60.3 mg

Zinc: 0.6 mg

Cholesterol: 162 mg

Selenium: 13.4 micrograms (mcg)

40 grams of low-fat cottage cheese or paneer provides

Protein: 7.54gm

Fat: 5.88gm

Carbs: 4.96gm

Folates: 37.32microgram

Calcium: 190.4mg

Phosphorus: 132mg

Potassium: 50 mg

Paneer or cottage cheese is a popular dairy product in India. Extremely rich in calcium, paneer can be added to your salad, used for making a sandwich or could be turned into paneer curry. Prepared from milk by separating the curds from the whey, paneer is rich in nutrients like vitamin B12, selenium, vitamin D and riboflavin. 40 grams of paneer contains 7.54 grams of protein and about 5 grams of fat.

Read more: Why you should not eat spinach in excess and people who should avoid it

Eggs and protein, both have similar nutrient composition. These are complete sources of protein, as they contain all the nine nutrients required to make protein; hence, these are considered as high-quality proteins. Besides, dairy products and eggs are rich in vitamin B-12 and vitamin D, two nutrients that are scarcely found in any plant-based food products.

They both are healthy and can be included in the diet on alternate days. For vegetarians trying to lose weight, eating paneer can be as beneficial as eating eggs. They need not worry about their protein and nutrient intake. One can further add soy products, lentils and nuts to the diet and get the maximum amount of nutrients.