ARE EGGS CONSIDERED A HEALTHY FOOD?

Even though eggs have sometimes gotten a bad rap, they are among the healthiest, most nutritious foods on the earth. Following are a couple facts you may not know about eggs.

• One egg has 6 grams of protein with all 9 of the essential amino acids. The amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and the body cannot make them by itself.  Note that the egg white holds around half that protein while only holding a small amount of fat and cholesterol.
• Eggs are nutrient dense foods, meaning they contain more vitamins, minerals and amino acids, per calorie than most other foods. When you eat an egg, you get high quality protein, phosphorus, selenium, choline, vitamin B12 and multiple antioxidants.

So, enjoy your eggs. Of course, we know to eat all things in moderation. It's probably not a good idea to eat six fried eggs every morning like my grandpa did. He did die pretty healthy in his nineties, though.

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EGGS FOR THE BRAIN

 Huh? I'm old enough to remember when they told us to stay away from eggs. Now, they tell us eggs, especially the yolks are good for the brain! Egg yolks are rich in natural sources of choline. Choline is an essential building block of acetylcholine. What that big word means is that it is a neurotransmitter that brain cells use to communicate with each other. The researchers at Arizona State University, where we got this information, did a study that suggests eating just two eggs a day can help one think more clearly, concentrate longer and multitask more easily. So, go ahead and enjoy eggs.

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EGGS FOR MOODY BLUES

A BMC Psychiatry journal study found that eating two eggs daily cuts the risk of blue moods by up to half, especially in the elderly. The reason: the vitamin B-12 and choline boost the production of dopamine. Dopamine is known to steady moods. 

WHOLE EGG OR EGG WHITE OMELET?

Remember a few years ago when we were all going to have heart attacks and die if we ate the whole egg? Restaurants started adding egg white omelets to their menus and everyone felt like they were eating healthy when they left out the yolk. As with most well-hyped food fads we later found that the egg yolk is actually good for us. Imagine that, God didn't give us egg yolks to kill us but to nuture us! Well add that yolk back into your omelet unless your doctor tells you otherwise (always follow doctors orders and not internet articles if you have doubts or questions).  Here's why you should eat the whole egg; almost half the protein is in the yolk, yolks are rich in vitamins and are one of the best sources of choline. Choline is a nutrient that's important for brain health and may lower the risk of heart disease and cancer.

EGGS

In spite of the bad rap eggs got a few years ago, eggs are good for you.  You can be perfectly healthy eating an egg a day.  And consider this, eggs are one of the best sources of protein.  They are packed of other nutrients as well including vitamin A, choline, and folate.  So go ahead and enjoy some eggs.  As with any other food, do not overindulge.  No matter how good for you a food is, you can overindulge with any food.

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