Eggs As Part of a Healthy Diet

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Posted by Lynda on January 11th, 2013 (Diet, Good Foods, Nutrition, Weight Loss)

Eggs are one of nature’s nutrition power houses. Packed with vitamins and minerals, they are an essential part of a healthy diet – and here’s why.

Eggs are packed with numerous vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health. They’re low in fat, high in protein and satisfying – a couple of eggs for breakfast will keep hunger at bay until lunch time.

Add to this the fact they are oh-so versatile and you have the perfect ingredient for a vegetarian supper.

Eggs did have a period of bad press in the late 1980s when they were labelled as a high cholesterol food, and therefore branded as ‘bad’ for you. But this is in fact not true . Eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, which is different from blood cholesterol – and does not have an adverse effect on blood cholesterol as recent studies have proven.

A word about cooking eggs – frying them destroys many of their health-boosting nutrients so poach, boil, scramble or make an omelette in a non-stick pan over a low gentle heat instead of frying eggs in oil at a high temperature.

Eat Eggs as Part of a Healthy Diet

Weight Loss
Several scientific studies have shown that eggs can help you lose weight as part of a healthy, balanced diet because they are low in calories and high in protein which keeps hunger at bay. A study in 2011 carried out by Surrey University in Britain over a 12 week period found that those who ate two eggs for breakfast lost weight and did not have any changes in blood cholesterol levels.

1 egg contains 70-85 calories depending on its size, and 6.5g of protein.

Vitamin D
Egg yolks, are a rich source of vitamin D – and one of the few dietary sources of this vitamin. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and consequently, healthy bones and teeth. It is also plays a key role in the immune system, in muscle movement and in the nervous system because without it our brain would not be able to send messages to other parts of the body.

Other dietary sources of Vitamin D are oily fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, herring, pilchards), beef liver and mushrooms. Sunshine is the other vital source.

Choline
Eggs contain choline, a key nutrient that works a bit like a B Vitamin and was only discovered as recently as the 1930s. Choline is a nutrient that helps the liver regulate lipids (fat) in the body and control cholesterol levels. It has also been shown to be essential for healthy brain function, including memory and recall.

Iron, Zinc, Phosphorus & Selenium
It might sound like the periodic table, but yes, there’s more. Eggs contain iron which is essential for healthy cells and transporting oxygen in the blood; zinc which boosts our immune system; phosphorous which keep our teeth and bones strong – and selenium, a powerful mineral and anti-oxidant that protects against cancer-causing free radicals, boosts male fertility, mood and liver function.

So add a couple of eggs to your diet and make the most of nature’s nutrition power house.

By Lynda Hamilton

Lynda Hamilton is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist BSc, BHSc (N&D) at Hamilton Dietetics. If you would like to speak to a dietitian in Sydney, get in touch with Lynda.

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