Give Your Eggs A Fiber Boost With One Ingredient. Here's How

Everyone's talking about protein these days, but there's something else that most people definitely aren't getting enough of: fiber. This super nutrient is beneficial to your heart and digestive health, can assist in controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, and also help you feel full long after you've finished a meal. But despite the USDA's recommendation of getting 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams for men, most American adults only get around 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day, according to Harvard Health. In fact, the National Institutes of Health estimate that a little as 5% of the population meets its daily fiber recommendation. The good news is, if you're beefing up your protein intake by eating eggs, it's easy to tack on a little fiber just by mixing in a bit of ground flaxseed.

Flaxseeds are the tiny seeds from (you guessed it) the flax plant. Long revered for their concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and lignans, they're also a great source of fiber — around 3 grams per tablespoon depending on the source. That's about the same amount (and in some cases more) as a slice of whole wheat bread! We here at Chowhound love a breakfast recipe that packs fiber into every bite, but you don't need any special skills to mix flaxseed into your eggs.

If you're ready to add flax seed to your eggs, start off with just a teaspoon or so to see how you like the combination. Just dump the ground seeds right into the eggs when you're whisking them, then cook everything as normal. If you prefer fried or sunny-side-up eggs, simply sprinkle the flaxseed meal right on top just before the eggs come out of the pan.

While the eggs won't be wildly altered, the seeds will add a subtle, nutty flavor and a slightly grainy texture, so it's definitely going to be a noticeable difference. The flavor blends with the natural richness of the eggs, however, and the texture comes from a natural thickening effect, so the eggs will seem a bit heartier and meatier (this quality actually also makes flaxseed a great egg substitute in baking or binding a meatloaf). The graininess is a bit like cornmeal, which isn't necessarily unpleasant unless you prefer a very silky egg.

Make sure to always use ground flaxseed for this hack. Flaxseed meal doesn't need to sit in the eggs to be absorbed, while whole flaxseeds won't mix well so you'll definitely notice a different texture (think crunchy). Not only that, whole seeds are harder to digest so you may miss out on some of their nutritional benefits. Experiment with a little more or less of the ground seeds to find what tastes good to your palate, and eventually you'll find the perfect balance.