Hey there! Hope your day is going great!
I want to sit down and talk to you about eggs. The first chickens came to America in 1493 on Columbus's second trip. An interesting fact about the hen, she will turn her eggs over about 50 times a day so the yolk won't stick to the sides of the shell, and as she grows older she lays larger eggs. Let's move on to the nutrient side of the egg.
Eggs are a naturally dense food, high proportion of nutrients to calories. One large egg has about 70 calories with 13 essential nutrients, which many of these nutrients are in the yolk. Yes, in the yolk, therefore important not to throw it away!
Let's key in on two of the macronutrients found in the egg.
1. Protein-(13%DV) Important for building and repairing body tissue and aides in immune function, also helps in maintaining a healthy weight. In fact research shows that eating eggs for breakfast helps over weight adults feel full longer, have more energy and lose more weight.
If you eat 1 to 2 eggs following a workout it will encourage your muscle tissue to repair and grow.
I am sure you have watched a movie or t.v. show sometime in your life where there is a scene where the character throws some eggs in blender and drinks it! Nothing else in it, now to be honest I could not do that. I do however, eat my share of eggs as I love them! And I love the whole egg too. So it is a relief to see that the yolk is a very important piece to the egg.
2. Unsaturated Fats-Heart Healthy-this has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels, especially when eaten in place of saturated fat. There have been myths about the egg being bad for your cholesterol. Let's crack that open right now. There was a study done in 2007 with 9500 people reported in the Medical Science Monitor, that ate one or more eggs a day and DID NOT increase the risk of heart disease or stroke. It actually showed decrease in blood pressure. Stephen Kritchevsky, Ph.D states, "Many countries with high consumption are notable for low rates of heart disease."
So eating an egg or two is plenty, anymore may be to much fat however. It's the balance in your portion size. If you poach, hard boil, or scramble your eggs your going to see the best results and perserve the nutrients. Avoid frying in butter or oil.
So let's recap why the whole egg is good for you.
1. Weight management- high protein in eggs helps you feel full longer and stay energized thus keeping that healthy weight in check!
2. Muscle strength and muscle loss prevention- research has shown that high quality protein found in eggs may help active adults build muscle strength and help prevent muscle loss in middle aged and aging adults.
3. Healthy pregnancy- egg yolks are excellent source of choline which contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects.
4. Blindness- Lutein and zeaxanthin , two antioxidants that contribute to eye health and prevent common causes of age related blindness.
5. Memory- Choline-essential for your functioning cells, including metabolism, brain and nerve function, memory and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body.
These are just a few of the benefits of eating the egg. So next time someone tells you the fat in the egg is bad, remind them that there is plenty of nutrients in the yolk to waste it!
How often do you eat eggs?
Brenda L Gross, PFTNS
