The egg is a tasty and nutritional food that can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner and is used in making many other meals. For the longest time, eggs had a bad rep as an unhealthy and nutritional untouchable food due to the controversy about cholesterol, high calories and bad fats. It wasn’t until recently that we all got the facts right. Just like most foods, eggs can be healthy for you when eaten in moderation. Eggs don’t completely live up to their reputation.
The myths:
- Eggs are a nasty fat and cholesterol filled food that makes them an enemy to anyone on a diet.
- Eggs raise blood cholesterol levels.
- Eggs clog arteries especially since they raise dietary cholesterol levels.
- Cholesterol is fat.
The truth:
- You shouldn’t throw out the yolk and eat only the egg whites. By doing this you are throwing out the most nutrient packed, antioxidant rich, vitamin packed and mineral loaded portions of the egg.
- Egg yolks contain B-vitamins, trace minerals, folate, vitamin A, lutein and many other powerful nutrients.
- The proteins in the egg whites aren’t as powerful without the egg yolks to balance out the amino acids and make protein more bio-available.
- The egg is a nutritional powerhouse.
The benefits:
- Eggs are great for the eyes and can help to protect against macular degeneration as the result of carotenoid content.
- Eggs can help to lower your risk of developing cataracts.
- Egg consumption may be able to help prevent the occurrence of blood clots, stroke and heart attack.
- Eggs are a great source of choline, which can help regulate the functions of the brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems.
- Eggs are one of the only foods that naturally contain vitamin D.