Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Eggs; The Perfect Protein For a Healthy Diet



Now that I work 40-50 hours each week I don't really spend much time in the kitchen. I do still manage to prepare tasty, healthy meals, but they're always pretty random! I really love mixing egg whites (sometimes I also add an egg yolk), baked beans, lots of veggies, and light provolone cheese.

Not the prettiest picture, but my taste buds disagree!


Have you ever had gas from eating real egg white? Or am I the only one? I buy egg whites in the container because the sulfur level is lower for some reason. The ingredients say "real egg whites" but I know they must do something to these because my GI system certainly doesn't react the same!



For Nick I have been making a lot of baked potatoes with sliced hard-boiled egg on top. Random, right? I always give him some type of vegetable too. On this particular evening he had his potato and egg with baked beans, yellow squash from our garden, and some cooked spinach.




When I was in school for dietetics, from 2001-2005, we were taught that eggs should only be consumed 1-2 times per week. Even though my college days weren't that long ago, research has come a long way since then and we now know that the once feared cholesterol in eggs actually poses less of a threat on our body's cholesterol than once thought. Research has been mixed, but as of now it's pretty clear that it is the saturated fat in foods that causes an increase in our cholesterol, not cholesterol in foods. So what does that mean for egg lovers? Eat up!



More Reason Why Eggs Are the Perfect Protein For a Healthy Diet!

- While eggs are high in cholesterol (~213 mg per egg), they are low in saturated fat (~1-3 grams) and free of trans fat. Saturated and trans fats are the fats that will increase your cholesterol.

- Eggs contain a high-quality protein source, which means the protein is more effectively absorbed and used by the body. Have you seen some cereals lately that claim to have "As much protein as an egg!?" Well that may be true, but it's not high-quality protein.

- Eggs are inexpensive, compared to most other high-quality proteins (such as meat, fish, and poultry).

- For some individuals who are more sensitive to cholesterol in foods (such as my dad's family!) eggs may increase their LDL (bad) cholesterol, but at the same time they also increase their HDL (good) cholesterol, which evens out the good:bad ratio.

- Eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids essential to the health of your eyes. They can help reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

- Eggs contain choline, which is essential for normal growth and development. Choline may also help improve memory!

- Eggs contain folate, B12, riboflavin, and vitamins A,D, and K. All of these are important components in a well-balanced diet.


QUESTION:
How do you eat your eggs?

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'll be back with another post on Friday! By the way, if you can, stop by Melinda's blog to enter her one year blog anniversary giveaway. You may receive something special from overseas!

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

38 comments :

  1. I think an egg on a baked potato would be great! I love both components, so why not!? I think we most often eat eggs sunny side up with a slice of wheat toast. Boring, but delicious!

    Have a great day, Gina! Hope we can get together soon! I know you are INSANELY busy, though!

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  2. I love eggs too, with and without yolk. I use it as the easiest protein resource. also I love having it with cheese, i think that's the perfect combo: egg & cheese! :D
    I didn't know that we need to use it within 1-2 weeks... thanks for the info, now more reason to eat eggs! :D
    and really? does the egg white cause gas? I didn't notice that.. maybe I didn't have enough to cause that.
    have a nice week Gina!

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  3. I love eggs- never tried them with a baked potato though -thanks for the idea!

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  4. i love my egg hard boiled or sunny side up! :)

    whenever i eat hard boiled egg in the morning, I could survive until lunch without the call of gastric acid at work in my stomach :)

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  5. Eggs...I go through stages with eggs. I think I have a tendency to go a little overboard with them putting them into everything from salads, frittatas, and scrambled egg dishes. And then I reach my boiling point and I can't even look at another egg. If only I'd practice what I preach...moderation!

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  6. I love scrambled egg sandwiches...and boiled egg sandwiches...and FRIED egg sandwiches, lol.

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  7. I love eggs...my kids not so much. I have tried to do them so many ways for them. I love eggs in a nest. I think it is a great all in one breakfast.

    I love your new layout!

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  8. Eggs are fantastic sources of nutrition, especially when you think about their actual purpose in life, it makes 100% that they are packed full of good nutrition. The real problem with the cholesterol comes with the addition of saturated fat, so if you like 'em fried, oil is the way to go. Add those heart healthy fats and get rid of saturated fats, and eggs make a great addition (like everything, of course, in moderation) to the diet.

    Thanks for linking to my giveaway. Have a great day.

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  9. I love eggs! I just had some eggwhites mixed with veggies on an english muffin. Perfection! I'm not a big fan of yolks though...especially in hardboiled eggs.

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  10. Rick loves eggs! Mostly, he love them on sandwiches with other unhealthy ingredients. Lately he's been making healthier versions of his fav at home. I however rarely eat eggs these days.

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  11. eggs really are the PERFECT food! I have them everyday! seriously, at least 3 or 4 a day, its the perfect protein and you can really pair them with anything! i have had them 'savory style' or sweet as well! love this post!!

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  12. I love this post because i love eggs! I've never thought to have them with baked beans, or baked potato though! Last night I hard boiled eggs, and put them in ww wraps with lettuce and hummus. I also make scrambles with tons of veggies and omelets. I used to only eat 3 egg whites for a few years, but lately I've been doing one full egg and one egg white. I've heard the yolk contains a lot of the benefits.

    Great post!

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  13. Eggs + hummus = fave combo. I usually don't have a problem digesting eggs. I used to always eat them before concerts for lasting energy!

    Hope the job is going well!

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  14. Wow, you are BUS-AY, Gina! I can completely understand that you don't have as much time to cook as usual. When I have times like that, I tend to go for simple things thrown together, like you do. It drives Peter nuts because he tends to like complicated recipes with blended ingredients, but I'll take an egg on potato any day!

    Thanks for the great info on eggs. I remember learning about the 1-2 eggs a week guideline when I was growing up, and it wasn't until I started studying nutrition that I learned otherwise. We actually learned the biochemical pathways that influence serum cholesterol levels in MNT last year and it's clear that sat fat is the evil one! Still, the egg myth persists. I love eating my eggs hard-boiled or fried in olive oil on toast. Mmm :)

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  15. hello! re: crudely healthy, i could not erase my wp blog because of the comments there but i want to go back to blogger but i don't want another blogsite and so i just decided to change jassy's world (my blog for 6 years now) to healthi-fied jogger (i think it should be healthi-fied jassy...but i'm not yet sure) so i won't have so many blogs to maintain and i also love the template i'm using now :)

    thanks!

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  16. I usually scramble my eggs with sauteed spinach. And sometimes add salsa on top. Yum! In restaurants, I love poached eggs, but I've never attempted that myself...

    I just noticed your new blog layout! I love the colors!

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  17. I add them to my chocolate protein and microwave them into a muffin
    and make egg wraps

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  18. I love eggs! What a great idea to put them on baked potatoes. Most of the time we eat them in a scramble with sweet or regular potatoes, onions, greens and whatever other veggies we have in the house.

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  19. I love eggs. I don't eat meat, so they make a great source of protein and vitamin B12 in my diet. Scrambled and fried are my favorites!

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  20. Yay eggs!! we are on an egg kick, eh? :) I like them atop of anything really and slightly runny or else I just micro some egg whites mmm

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  21. Can I come to Pittsburgh and work in the Market District too?! I saw the opening, so cool!!!! I don't know if Chris would want to move though :(

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  22. I love eggs! They really take 5 minutes to make and have so many health benefits! I like them with mushrooms, spinach, and goat cheese mmm.

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  23. Interesting how education and research changed throughout the years. I went to school for my BS/MS in dietetics from 2004-2009 and we were taught an egg a day :)

    Great post!

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  24. Eggs are fantastic for a quick lunch or dinner. I have one or two almost daily. I never knew about them being a better quality source of protein than things like cereal, I like having another excuse to eat them! I like to make them in the microwave and top with cottage cheese or regular cheese. Scrambled eggs are incredibly delicious in a wrap with hummus!

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  25. I totally agree!!

    I love eggs! I almost always eat the whole thing- yolk and all.

    Amen to eggs as a great protein source.

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  26. I love eggs! Yum! My favorite way is usually as an omelette. I love putting lots of different veggies, and especially feta!

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  27. I love egg whites and I always buy the carton because I don't like wasting the yolk. I'm not even sure how my stomach would react because I've probably never even had a just egg white haha. I get bloated from whole eggs but i THINK thats the yolk, could be wrong though. I just love the overall ease of egg whites in a carton too. I like the idea to mix them with beans and eggs. Yum.

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  28. I like scrambled eggs best. Then sunny side up, but when I eat them like that I only eat teh white--weird I know. Eggs are awesome and so are chickens =)

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  29. i'm tweeting you a question right now.

    AND why did you answer all of my egg prayers. seriously i'm loving hard boiled eggs in my salads and i want to know that i can have it more then once a week. therefore you are a godsend. i've also been overdosing on egg white omelets haha but i'm fine with that.

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  30. I adore sunny side up eggs!

    With a lot of fried veggies

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  31. Sunny Side up! Gooey yolk over pasta is my favorite!

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  32. lol my sis and I were just having a discussion about this...My fave way to eat eggs is in a cheesy veggie frittata...

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  33. I remember my nutrition classes saying that eggs were always a food that were good some days and bad the next. Your post reminded me of it! I love making a healthier version of an egg mcmuffin at home with egg whites and turkey bacon. Yum!

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  35. Eggs make me so happy. I eat them any way you cook them, but my favorite is fried with a runny yolk. Last week I put one over quinoa and it was incredible. Thank you for the info on cholesterol. I just started logging my eats on Live Strong and a few eggs put me over my "recommended" levels. I know they're just recommendations, but it still made me wonder. Looks like someone spammed you above me. :(

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  36. I'm a recent convert to cage free eggs. I love them scrambled with spinach, mushrooms and feta cheese.

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  37. Gina!!!!!!!!!! I love the new layout, dont know if I told you that before : )

    I HEART EGGS!

    They are cheap, packed with protein, nutritious, and so many ways to eat them! EGGS are the best EVER!!

    I love just an egg scramble , I just love eggs any way realy : )

    Hope you have a great weekend! xoxo

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  38. I love eggs! I'm so glad you posted this because it's so important for people to understand the health benefits!

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