
The humble egg has impressive health credentials.Eating more eggs is a fantastic way to give yourself a health boost.
Eating whole eggs is vital:
the goodness of eggs is found in the yolk (containing over 90 percent
of an egg’s calcium and iron) and the white (containing almost half the
egg’s protein). If you’re not eating eggs regularly, here are ten
reasons why you should.
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Eggs help to improve performance
Eggs have a high satiety index, meaning they make you feel full for
longer. One large egg supplies 6g of high-quality protein and a large
variety of essential nutrients, with the exception of vitamin C. This is
why teaming up a fruit or orange juice with an egg and whole-wheat/low
GI bread provides the perfect breakfast to perform well in a challenging
environment.
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Eggs can help to iron out problems
Many people with mild iron deficiency experience vague symptoms of
tiredness, headaches and irritability. Iron is the carrier of oxygen in
the blood and plays an important role in immunity, energy metabolism and
many other functions in the body. The iron in egg yolk is in the form
of heme iron, the most readily absorbable and usable form of iron in
food and more absorbable than the form of iron in most supplements.
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Eggs improve nutrient adequacy of the diet
The nutrient density of eggs makes them a valuable contributor to a
nutritious diet. A study among egg vs. non-egg consumers revealed that
the diets of the non-egg consumers were more likely to fall short of
vitamins A, E, and B12. Eggs contributed 10-20% of folate and 20-30% of
vitamins A, E, and B12 among egg consumers. This study demonstrates the
important role one food can play in ensuring nutrient adequacy.
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Eggs do not increase blood cholesterol
In the 1990s, eggs received a lot of bad publicity due to their
cholesterol content of 210mg per egg yolk. Numerous studies have clearly
demonstrated the lack of a relationship between egg intake and coronary
heart disease.
To put things into perspective, it is important to realise that foods
high in fat, especially saturated and trans fatty acids have a far
greater impact on heart health than cholesterol in food. Eggs should be
recognised as an inexpensive, versatile and easily digestible source of
protein.
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Eggs can help to promote weight loss
Eggs with toast have a 50% higher satiety index than regular
breakfast cereals. Several studies have reported that starting the day
with an egg breakfast increases satiety in overweight people and may
help with weight loss.
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Eggs help to promote brain health
Choline is a nutrient that facilitates brain development in the
foetus and newborn as well as memory function even into old age. Eggs
are an excellent dietary source of choline, and one egg per day will
provide 28% of a pregnant woman’s choline requirement.
Choline is of extreme importance during pregnancy and lactation when
the reserves can be depleted. At the same time, it is the critical
period for foetal brain development and lifelong memory enhancement. In
experiments with rats, memory function in the aged rat was in part
determined by what the mother ate. Mothers, the message is clear – make a
lifelong investment and eat your eggs!
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Eggs help to prevent cataracts and to protect eye -sight
A good dietary intake of eggs, spinach, and broccoli is associated
with a significant decrease in cataracts (up to a 20% decrease) and
age-related lens and retinal degeneration, the leading cause of
blindness in the elderly (up to a 40% decrease).
Eggs are a good source of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin,
which play an important role in keeping the eyes healthy. It accumulates
in the eye where these nutrients protect against some types of harmful,
high-energy wavelengths of light. Getting enough lutein and zeaxanthin
is therefore very important from childhood onwards throughout the life
cycle.
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Eggs provide the best quality protein
Protein is one of the most important elements of our diet. Our bodies
use protein to build new and repair old tissue. Eggs are champions at
providing high-quality protein. Amino acids are the building blocks of
protein. Nine of these amino acids cannot be manufactured by the body
and must be derived from the diet. A complete protein food contains
enough of these nine essential amino acids to promote growth and
maintain body tissue.
Egg, milk and meat (including poultry and fish) proteins are all
complete proteins, but egg protein is of the highest quality, with a
rating of 100. Compared to eggs, milk is rated at 93 and fish and beef
at 75. One egg has approximately the same protein content as 30g cooked
meat, fish or poultry. And apart from being the most versatile and best
source of protein in our diet, it is also the least expensive.
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Eggs can help to protect our bones
Eggs are one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D, our
sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption and for
maintaining optimum bone health. Eggs, therefore, play a supporting role
in the prevention of osteoporosis together with dairy products, our
main source of calcium.
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Eggs promote healthy hair and nails
The hair and nails reflect many biochemical imbalances and shortages
in the body. Eggs can help to promote healthy hair and nails because of
their high content of sulphur-containing amino acids and the wide array
of vitamins and minerals.
Many people report faster-growing hair after adding eggs to their
diet, especially if they were previously deficient in foods containing
zinc, sulphur, vitamin B12 and vitamin A.
Nobody can afford not to have an egg a day!
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