Eggs - Friend or foe

image from wisegeek.com

Its simple really, eat eggs! My partner suggested a post on eggs the other day, ‘yes, yes’ I said casually, haha. In retrospect however, it was a brilliant idea (thank you sweety). You see, as time goes by, nutritional science improves and things we once believed to be true, well, they change. It’s not necessarily that the original premise was wrong; it is that our overall knowledge and awareness are better. We have more information, more insight, and we are therefore able to make better recommendations. Thank heavens for nutritional research.

So, back to eggs. Many moons ago when we were all on the anti-cholesterol and no saturated fat bandwagon, it was suggested that we limit our consumption of eggs, or more accurately, egg yolks. The yolks contain cholesterol. Given a lot of people like eggs, we were all obsessed with the number of eggs we could safely consume each week without affecting our health. Today however, both the nutritional and medical communities view eggs in a new light. Lets take a look at what we now know about eggs.

1. Eggs are a great source of protein.

Looking at the packet (is that the right term? Hmm) of eggs I have in my kitchen, 2 eggs, which is around 118g gives me 14.4 grams protein. Now that is assuming that you eat the whole egg. If you’ve read my earlier post on protein you’ll know I recommend a minimum of at least 1gram protein per kilo (or per 2.2lbs) of bodyweight. So if you weigh 60kg for example, 2 whole eggs provide roughly 25% of your minimum daily requirement for protein. Easy!

It helps to know that most of the protein is in the egg white. The whites also contain no fat and very very little carbohydrate, so if you’re still not convinced about eating the yolk, just take them out and you’ll still get the protein benefit. If you’re doing this however, I would have 3 or 4 egg whites instead of just 2.

2. Yep, the yolks contain fats, but the kind of fat present depends on the eggs that you buy

image from molliemakes.com

Pasture raised hens, ie the ones not kept in tiny cages where they poop all over each other, are higher in omega 3 fatty acids than the poor caged kind. Its simple really, the caged kind are not treated well and they’re certainly not fed well. And yes, I am against caged hens. So, that being said, buy the free-range kind and get the benefits of omega 3. What is omega 3 good for? We know it helps to reduce the LDL, or bad cholesterol. Not to mention it is good for mood, the nervous system, as an anti-inflammatory etc. Eggs also contain monounsaturated fats, the kind you find in nuts and avocado, you know the fat that forms the foundation of the Mediterranean diet, which is great for heart health.

3. Eggs are a good source of many vitamins including B6, B9 and B12

While a little lower in B6, eggs are a good source of B9 (folate) and B12. These 3 B vitamins are necessary for general health and wellbeing, as well as being important for heart health. They have been shown to reduce homocystine. Homocystine is a general indicator of overall heart health. While 2 eggs alone wont be enough to affect this, including them in a balanced diet is useful!

Vegetarians often have issues with getting adequate dietary B12 as it is generally found in animal proteins. Eggs therefore not only provide a good source of vegetarian protein, but B12 as well.

4. Choline

Choline is found in the yolk of the egg. It is important for brain and nervous system health, not to mention it plays a role in fat metabolism. That is not weight loss people, it’s simply the way the body processes and utilises fats. Just wanted to be clear. 1 egg yolk gives you roughly half your daily requirement of choline.

5. Fat soluble vitamins – A, D and E

Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins that require fat for their absorption and use in the body, as such, miraculously, they’re generally found in fatty foods! Egg yolks are one of the few food sources of vitamin D. Eat up!

image from 3minuteegg.wordpress.com

 My opinion

Eat the eggs. While there certainly is fat and choleseterol in eggs, they are a balanced package that provide us with everything our bodies need to handle it. Isn't nature a marvelous thing? You don't get that in man made 'food'.

So, the age-old question, how many eggs do I eat daily?

Well, that depends really. There is no need to go overboard but it really is quite individual. I would say generally, 2 egg yolks daily are enough, although you can certainly eat more egg whites. If you’re trying to lose weight keep in mind that whole eggs are calorie dense because of the fat in the yolk. You’ll need to factor that in. Of course, balance in anything is the key.