Eggcellent eggs!
Eggs are one of the few foods that should be classified as a superfood. Eggs are healthy, good for you and eggxtremely versatile! Sorry I will stop the puns!
Since the domestication of the chicken, we have been enjoying and nourishing ourselves with eggs.
A single large, boiled egg contains:
- Folate
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B12
- Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
- Phosphorous
- Selenium
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
They also contain good amounts of vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B6, calcium and zinc!
The average egg has 78 calories, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat!
In fact, eggs are pretty much the perfect food (as long as you don’t have an egg allergy) as they contain a little bit of almost every nutrient you need! I’m going to look at 5 benefits of eggs that you may not have realised.
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Eggs contain choline.
Choline is a little talked about nutrient, in fact most people don’t even know it exists, and yet it is an incredibly important substance and is often grouped with the B vitamins!
An egg contains 125.5 milligrams of choline – which is approximately a quarter of what you need. Choline is good for heart health but also essential to the brain. Choline helps to regulate mood and memory.
Choline is used to build cell membranes and plays a role in producing signalling molecules in the brain, an adequate supply of choline is essential for normal brain function.
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Eggs are good for eyesight.
One of the consequences of aging is that eyesight tends to deteriorate, but there are some useful nutrients, obtained from a balanced diet, which may help support eye health.
The yolk of an egg contains large amounts of carotenes, namely:
- Lutein
- Zeaxanthin
They are powerful antioxidants that accumulate in the retina of the eye. They are important for preventing macular degeneration and cataracts, two very common eye disorders.
Eggs are also high in vitamin A, and it is worth noting that vitamin A deficiency is the most common cause of blindness in the world!
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They are very nutritious.
Whole eggs are nutritionally rich, supplying almost every nutrient you need. They are useful sources of some of the hard-to-get nutrients such as vitamin D and B12 as well as the mineral iodine.
Eggs are regarded as a “complete” source of protein as they contain all nine essential amino acids, which we must obtain from our diet!
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Can raise “good cholesterol”.
Eggs contain cholesterol, it is true, however although they raise cholesterol it is the good cholesterol that wins out! HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein, often known as “good cholesterol”.
People who have higher levels of HDL usually have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and other health problems.
Just to put you straight on the whole cholesterol thing, the liver produces cholesterol every day, when you eat more of it, the liver simply produces less. Eggs don’t raise cholesterol in the blood of most people, saturated fats from processed foods do!
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Can help in weight loss.
Eggs are incredibly filling. They are a high protein food, and protein is more filling than either fat or carbohydrates.
They score high on the satiety index – a scale which measures the ability of foods to cause feelings of fullness.
In one study of 50 overweight and obese adults, eating eggs and toast instead of cereal and milk with orange juice decreased feelings of hunger following the meal!
It is important to point out that there is no nutritional difference between white and brown eggs. The taste and quality are the same.
If you can, select eggs from organically raised or free-range chickens – why? -the amount of vitamin D is higher in the eggs of these chickens because they have more access to sunlight!
Enjoy!
If you would like some further information or to speak to a member of our team please call us on: Hitchin 01462 420077 or Luton 01582 579687, alternatively e-mail us at: hitchin@healesclinics.com or [email address=”luton@healesclinics.com”