Adding an Egg to Your Salad: What You Need to Know

Which is better for your salad: a hard-boiled egg or a tablespoon of oil, and why does it matter? Dr. Maya Rosman addressed these questions on a 103FM radio show.

"Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it is absorbed better in the body when combined with fat," explained the nutritionist. "If we eat orange vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash, which contain vitamin A (beta carotene), it's important to add a teaspoon of oil or a spoon of tahini to the salad to improve the absorption of vitamin A.

She was also asked whether adding a teaspoon of oil or a spoon of tahini to the salad is crucial, or can one skip it to save calories?

In her response, Dr. Rosman mentioned a study that deeply explored if oil must be added to a salad if it already includes an egg, since the yolk of the egg contains fat that assists in the absorption of vitamin A. The study included 16 participants who were given a meal with salad and either a teaspoon of canola oil or a hard-boiled egg.

Blood tests conducted on participants several hours after the meal to check vitamin A and beta carotene levels showed that the amount of vitamin A absorbed was higher after the meal that included a hard-boiled egg compared to the meal with only oil and no egg.

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