Eggs make a come back!

Has your family physician suggested you pay more attention to what you eat and be particularly suspicious of foods rich in cholesterol? Have you abandoned the idea of ever having eggs again? In reality, eggs are a wholesome food which most healthy people can eat in all good conscience.

Nutrition experts recommend we make better food choices to help stave off many diseases. For example, it is highly recommended we avoid eating foods that are rich in saturated and trans fats to help prevent cardiovascular diseases. Experts also recommend avoiding foods that are rich in cholesterol for those of us who have a problem with high blood cholesterol. These are the reasons why a great number of people have completely banished eggs from their diets.

However, Harvard University’s famous nutritionist Dr. Walter Willet declares that most high blood cholesterol levels are actually caused by production problems in our system, rather than by the dietary cholesterol we ingest.

Eggs are an excellent food, rich in proteins and nutrients such as vitamins D and B12 and folic acid. In fact, according to a study conducted among 38,000 men and 80,000 women, eating one egg per day does not increase a healthy individual’s risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases. However, the results of a study that evaluated the dietary habits of close to 120,000 American nurses indicate that individuals at grips with diabetes should not eat more than two to three eggs per week.

The problem is not with the egg itself, but rather with the foods they are usually served with. As you know, eggs are typically cooked in butter, which is loaded with saturated fats. Eggs also often come with a side order of sausages, bacon or other deli meats, which are also high in saturated fats. Furthermore, forgoing eggs for breakfast can actually be counter-productive, particularly if they are replaced by patisseries, muffins or bagels with cream cheese, as these treats are also loaded with unhealthy saturated and trans fats. Conclusion: we should not eliminate eggs from our diet entirely.

Did you know that eggs are considered a complete food? This is because they contain all 9 essential amino acids: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan and Valine. When accompanied by healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, eggs are an excellent meal rich in proteins and a variety of nutrients essential to good health. Furthermore, you can find eggs that are enriched with omega-3s in most grocery stores. Omega-3s are fatty acids that are, more often than not, lacking from the North American diet. This is regrettable as they provide countless benefits to our health, especially heart health.

To get additional information on nutritional facts, great recipes and much more, visit: www.eggs.ca.

So go ahead and Get Cracking®!