Eggs are a great source of protein, fat-soluble vitamins that come from animal foods, and fat to keep you satisfied and full. Eggs have many nutrients that nourish the body and from the right source can be an all-around health-promoting food. Below are 10 things you’ll want to know about the health benefits of eggs and how to find a source for health-promoting eggs!
1. The whole egg is good. The white contains protein and the yolk contains vitamins and the fat you need to use those vitamins and break down protein.
2. Cook the white but not the yolk. Egg whites need heat to unravel the proteins and make them digestible but the delicate fat of the yolk is damaged when you heat it. The best way to eat eggs is soft boiled or fried with undercooked yolks.
3. Eggs contain choline which is needed for liver health, cancer prevention, energy production, brain function and development in the womb, and an active metabolism. Choline is a water-soluble nutrient that is neither vitamin or mineral but acts very much like folate. Choline is used to create DNA for nerve signaling, detoxification and is very important for pregnant mamas and growing babies. Choline supports the nervous, digestive, endocrine, and reproductive systems.
4. Cholesterol in eggs is good. Your body needs cholesterol to regulate inflammation and if your diet does not supply enough cholesterol your body will make it on it’s own in order to keep you healthy. Eggs have been shown to help balance the ratio of high-density lipoproteins to low-density lipoproteins. Read this article to learn about the many different uses of cholesterol in the body.
5 . Eggs contain vitamins A and D. These vitamins are crucial for pregnancy and babies in the womb and through childhood. They help regulate mood, balance hormones, support eye health, promote healthy hair, skin, and nails, and support the immune system.
6. Chickens are not meant to be vegetarian. Chickens are technically omnivores, needing both plant and animal life in their diet. They are meant to eat grass and wild herbs as well as bugs, ticks, mosquitoes, crickets, and even snakes or other dead animals that they find. If you raise chickens on a strict vegetarian diet they will lack the nutrients that they need to be healthy and produce healthy eggs.
7. Chickens are not meant to be raised on a %100 grain diet and especially not soy. There have been studies done showing that chickens fed soy will have concentrated amounts of isoflavones (plant estrogen) in the egg yolks. These plant estrogens have a direct negative affect on our hormone health. These studies were performed to see if more soy could be forced into the diets of the unsuspecting public.
8. Salmonella is 98% less likely to occur in cage-free, pasture-raised chickens. The reason that this infection is a concern in the first place is factory-farmed chickens live in tiny little cages surrounded by poop. Salmonella infections come from the dirty shell of a chicken egg. This is less likely to happen when you get eggs from your own backyard or from a responsible local farmer.
9. Eggs are a perfect way to support a local farm. Chickens can be kept in most climates so there is no need to ship your eggs in from a different state.
