Poached eggs are healthy enough on their own, but you have to eat them with something, right? What can you eat with poached eggs that is both healthy and tastes good? Compared to eggs cooked differently, poached eggs are a little bit more complicated to pair, but not impossible. Read on to find out 8 healthy meal ideas with poached eggs, and what makes them good for you.
1) Poached eggs with stewed spinach and canned cannellini beans
Poached eggs over stewed spinach with canned cannellini beans is one of my favorite recipes. You just stew your fresh or frozen spinach leaves with a glass of water and a can of drained cannellini beans. If that’s not enough flavor for you, start with a base of light stir-fried onion. Season to taste (salt, ground pepper, raw extravirgin olive oil) and top with two poached chicken or duck eggs or other varieties of egg you may like.
Why eat poached eggs with stewed spinach and cannellini beans? What makes this healthy is that it’s clean eating – the eggs, spinach and beans are minimally processed foods that are as close as cooked food gets to its natural state.
All three foods are nutritionally dense and contribute significantly to daily micro and macronutrient status – the meal as a whole is high in quality protein, dietary fiber, vitamins A and K, B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese and zinc.
Also, cooking the spinach eliminates oxalic acid which is an antinutrient that reduces vitamin and mineral absorption and causes kidney stones. Cooking your spinach is advised if you have kidney disease. Beans are also a source of antinutrients naturally, primarily phytic acid and phytates, but canning and cooking serves to break down the antinutrients and counteract their side effects.
2) Poached eggs with whole grain bread with nuts and seeds crust and smoked salmon
Whole grain bread with a crunchy nuts and seeds crust with smoked salmon slices, topped with soft poached eggs and seasoned lightly with salt and ground pepper.
That’s tasty! And healthy! Whole grain bread is rich in complex carbohydrates which release energy slowly to keep you satiated for longer, and prevent spikes in blood sugar.
The nuts and seeds on the crust, but also poached eggs and salmon also get digested slowly and lower the glycemic impact of the entire meal for better blood sugar control.
The eggs themselves are satiating and help curb hunger without being too heavy thanks to the way they are cooked. See more benefits of eating poached eggs.
While the whole grain bread accounts for the carbohydrate part of the meal, the poached eggs and smoked salmon boost protein intake for added benefits for muscles, the brain, immune and nervous system.
The nuts and seeds on the bread crust, the egg yolk and the salmon all provide healthy Omega-3 fatty acids with recognized anti-inflammatory effects and cardioprotective properties. Omega-3 and other healthy unsaturated fatty acids in nuts, seeds, egg yolk and salmon further support cognitive functions, with benefits for learning and memory.
Both egg yolks and salmon are source of vitamin D, and contain fats such as cholesterol that help the body synthesize its own vitamin D following sunlight exposure. This means the meal is great for immune system support, and holds benefits for fertility and mental health. You can add some arugula for crunch, flavor and benefits for immunity and inflammation, cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley to compliment the flavor profile.
3) Poached eggs with mashed avocado and tomatoes on whole grain bread
The simple and modern recipe calls for very little in terms of ingredients, but provides so much in terms of flavor, nutrition and benefits for health. Eating poached eggs with mashed avocado on whole grain bread is good for blood pressure, blood sugar control, and energy metabolism.
The unsaturated fats in poached eggs, including Omega-3 fatty acids, and good amounts of potassium in avocado have a cardioprotective effect, reducing inflammation for blood vessel health and relaxing blood vessels for benefits for high blood pressure.
The complex carbohydrates in whole grain bread, high content of protein and fat in egg white as well as egg yolk, and fat and dietary fiber in avocado balance the macronutrient profile of the meal and provide long-lasting satiation.
The mix of complex carbs, fat and protein curbs hunger, prevents spikes in blood sugar levels and helps achieve better blood sugar control, helping prevent cravings and binge eating.
The egg yolk with the avocado are naturally high in B vitamins, especially vitamins B12, B9 and B6, and combat anemia and contribute to energy metabolism for elevated energy levels and a boost in vitality.
Pair everything with acidic red cherry tomatoes to compliment the existing flavors and add the freshness factor, and a vinaigrette made with balsamic vinegar, extravirgin olive oil, sweet or spicy chili flakes and some raw honey.
4) Hard poached eggs with roasted orange sweet potato and arugula salad
You can soft poach or hard poach eggs, depending on how long you cook the eggs for. Hard poached eggs pair wonderfully with roasted orange sweet potato with rosemary and fresh arugula seasoned with a bit of salt, lemon juice and extravirgin olive oil. Add a slice or two of a soft Italian bread washed with tomato sauce with thyme and brined black olives for the most delicious meal.
If you choose to eat poached eggs with these particular foods, there are a number of benefits you will enjoy as a result of the nutrition of the meal.
First, the egg yolk provides good amounts of retinol, or preformed vitamin A, while the orange sweet potato and arugula are foods high in provitamin A.
And the fat in the egg yolk helps the body both absorb preformed vitamin A and provitamin A, and convert and use the provitamin A to fulfill vitamin A functions in the body.
See more benefits of eating egg yolk.
How much vitamin A from poached eggs, orange sweet potatoes and arugula? 100 grams of orange sweet potatoes get you 120% of your daily vitamin A. 100 grams of poached eggs gets you almost 20% of your daily vitamin A requirements. 100 grams of arugula further provides 15% of daily vitamin A values.
5) Hard poached eggs with paprika roasted chickpeas and cucumber
What you can eat with poached eggs that is both healthy and light is roasted chickpeas and cucumber. This makes for an excellent, albeit more atypical salad, bursting with nutrition.
The poached eggs and chickpeas account for the protein part of the diet, with the egg yolk further providing fat. The cucumber together with the chickpeas also provide carbohydrates for macronutrient balance.
Balancing the macronutrients helps you achieve long-lasting satiation and better blood sugar control, helping curb hunger and prevent cravings and associated binge eating.
Eating poached eggs with roasted chickpeas and cucumber is a good meal option for a weight loss diet.
This particular recipe is light as in the poached eggs are not heavy on the stomach due to how they are cooked, while the chickpeas are a plant food and also feel light on the stomach as a result.
The cucumber is light in all respects: full of water so it does not weigh you down, low in calories and refreshing at the same time.
However, avoid eating cucumber if you have GERD. Cucumber and GERD do not always mix well in the sense that some people can eat cucumber just fine even if they have acid reflux, while for others cucumber triggers their symptoms (e.g. excessive burping, stomach air and bloating, painful abdominal cramps, gas, regurgitation of stomach juices).
You can add stalk celery instead of the cucumber, and some leaf celery, baby spinach leaves or arugula, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, even cherry tomatoes.
6) Poached eggs with Gorgonzola or cheddar cheese, roasted broccoli
A healthy meal can consist of poached eggs topped with crumbled hard cheeses such as Gorgonzola or shavings of the more traditional cheddar cheese resting nicely on a bed of roasted broccoli. In addition to intense flavor and a boost in nutrition, you get a lot of important benefits for health.
For instance, the poached eggs combat tiredness and boost energy levels via a high content of B vitamins. The protein from the eggs and cheese is complete in all essential amino acids for muscle function support and benefits for the nervous system.
Vitamin B12 and cholesterol from the egg yolk exert a protective effect against demyelination which causes degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Both Gorgonzola and cheddar have prebiotic and probiotic properties, both nourishing existing good gut flora, and contributing to gut flora variety for bowel health.
Roasted broccoli rounds up the meal with carbohydrates and organic sulfur compounds with recognized anticancer properties. Broccoli is also an anti-inflammatory food and contain good amounts of potassium to counteract the natural sodium in the cheese.
7) Poached eggs with canned sardines, arugula and chopped walnuts
Not a meal many may like, but a highly nutritious one nonetheless, with flavors that go well together if you are open to trying new things. You can eat your poached eggs with canned sardines, boneless, on a bed of arugula seasoned with a little fresh extravirgin olive oil and lemon juice and topped with chopped walnuts.
Sardines, the yolk in poached eggs and also walnuts have a high content of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, including Omega-3 fatty acids, cholesterol and vitamin B12. Both the variety and high amounts of the specified fats and vitamin B12 contribute to brain cell makeup, and actively support cognitive functions such as learning and memory.
The meal itself is good for brain fog and helps you think clearer, boosting productivity and supporting intellectual effort. If you eat poached eggs with sardines and walnuts, you also enjoy neuroprotective benefits from the cholesterol, Omega-3 and vitamin B12 which help build the protective myelin sheath surrounding the tail of nerve cells, and exert free radical-scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects.
The meal is satiating and filling, mentally satisfying thanks to the fats that nourish the brain, energizing and good for blood sugar control at the same time. You can add cherry tomatoes for added flavor, zucchini for more texture or anything you may feel could better bind the flavor profile of the meal.
8) Poached eggs with whole grain red rice, quinoa, grilled zucchini and canned tuna
What can you eat with poached eggs that is both healthy and good for you is a mix of whole grain red rice and quinoa with grilled zucchini and canned tuna. This is quite a varied meal that balances macronutrients and micronutrients for a range of wonderful benefits for health.
You will enjoy high energy levels and feel energized for hours thanks to the mix of complex carbohydrates from the whole grain red rice and quinoa and fat and protein from the poached eggs and tuna.
The slow release of energy from the food contributes to a low glycemic impact and benefits for blood sugar control.
Tuna is a food that is naturally high in vitamin D. The high content of vitamin D in tuna is a source of benefits for fertility, immunity and mental health. Both the vitamin D and minerals in tuna contribute to good bone density and strong, healthy bones and teeth.
Quinoa is high in magnesium, and tuna provides good amounts too – together they provide benefits for low mood and high blood pressure.
The high content of complex carbs and dietary fiber in red rice and quinoa paired with the vitamin B3 content of eggs are a source of benefits for high cholesterol.
The iodine and selenium in tuna and selenium in poached eggs yolk contribute with benefits for thyroid health and subsequently also energy metabolism and fertility. Half a chopped avocado can settle in well with the zucchini and round up the tasty factor as well as boost the nutritional value of the meal.