Anyone For Eggs?
by Katie Kavanagh | 9th Jul 2019
Anyone For Eggs?
Eggs, a versatile ingredient, are a concentrated source of minerals and nutrients, making them a great addition to a healthy balanced diet. Cheap, versatile and simple, eggs can be a favourable inclusion to both sweet and savoury dishes. Here at GourmetFuel, we’re all about eggs, so here’s why you should get Egg-cited about this Eggs-traordinary ingredient!
Eggs and Protein
An average egg contains around 6-8 grams of protein and. Rocky Balboa led the trend decades ago of drinking raw eggs, but Rocky may have been eating his eggs wrong and wasting his time. Recent research has suggested that the protein in eggs is actually more bioavailable and digested more efficiently when the egg is heated. Even though this is still very new, fresh data that hasn’t been 100% confirmed yet, I know I would prefer to take my chances and enjoy a nice poached egg instead of downing a glass full of gloopy egg.
Eating eggs delivers a rich source of Vitamins & Minerals such as:
- Vitamin A: Plays a part in healthy cellular health, vision and skin.
- Vitamin B2: Needed for energy production.
- Vitamin B12: Involved in nerve function and cell replication.
- Vitamin D: Crucial for the immune system, and development of bones.
- Vitamin E: An antioxidant, protects against free radicals.
- Iron: Crucial for healthy blood and oxygen transport.
- Zinc: Important for immune healthy and healthy skin and hair.
- Phosphorus: Pivotal role in Energy metabolism and bones.
- Selenium: An antioxidant, contributes to healthy skin.
Eggs and Cholesterol
High Cholesterol in our blood increases our chances of developing heart related problems. For years, eating eggs had a bad reputation when it comes to cholesterol, but are eggs really the villain? It seems that the old perception of eggs is outdated, and new research has been published clearing up any confusion.
The studies show that Saturated fat in the diet, and not cholesterol levels in food, is the biggest influence on blood cholesterol levels. Although eggs do contain cholesterol and some saturated fat, the majority of the fat is either mono or polyunsaturated.
So even though eggs do contain cholesterol, when it comes to managing high cholesterol, it is more important to cut down on saturated fat in the diet in general, rather than target eggs.
It is important to note that not all cholesterol in the blood is ‘bad’. There are two types of cholesterol; LDL (the bad type) and HDL (the good type). Eating foods high in Saturated fats such as butter, cheese and fatty cuts of meat, and being overweight, can increase the bad cholesterol in your blood.