A healthy diet and adequate exercise are the basis of a long and healthy life, but with so much conflicting information out there, it’s not always easy to know which foods are best for you. The good news is, there’s one source of nutrients you never have to question. Here are just a few reasons why eggs are the ultimate health and fitness food.
Quality Protein
Over the years, eggs have gotten a bad rap for cholesterol, but the myth that they’re bad for your heart or your overall health has at this point been thoroughly debunked. While eggs are high in cholesterol, they don’t tend to significantly raise blood cholesterol in the average person, especially when eaten in moderation. If anything, they tend to increase HDL, or good cholesterol. Only if you have a condition like hypercholesterolemia should you limit your egg consumption over concerns about cholesterol content.
As for the vast majority of the consumer public, eggs serve as a valuable source of protein. We need protein in the diet because it is used to build and repair tissues in the body, including bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and so on. It is also involved in the production of blood, enzymes, hormones, and more. That said, not all sources of protein are equally beneficial.
Our bodies benefit most from high-quality protein sources that contain essential amino acids, or the ones that our bodies can’t produce on their own. Because of the ratios of these essential amino acids found in eggs, they are among the best sources of protein for the human body.
Health Benefits
Aside from quality protein, eggs are chock full of beneficial nutrients. You might think that carrots are good for your eyes, but the yolks of eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that have been shown to reduce the risks of harmful conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration that can compromise your vision.
You’ll also find choline in eggs, and this particular nutrient is essential to maintaining a healthy nervous system and building cell membranes. It’s not easy to get the choline we need from food sources, but choline deficiency has been linked to serious consequences, including fatty liver (the buildup of fat and cholesterol in the liver), heart disease, osteoporosis, and even Alzheimer’s disease, among other undesirable conditions.
Eggs also contain significant levels of vitamin A, vitamins B2, B5, and B12, and selenium, along with smaller amounts of vitamin E, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and more. Eggs are a virtual powerhouse of needed vitamins and nutrients in a delicious and versatile package.
Satiety
One of the best reasons to add eggs to your diet is that they’re incredibly filling. This slow-burning source of protein helps you to feel full and satisfied longer, reducing hunger and cravings throughout the day. For anyone trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, eggs are an excellent addition to the daily diet, especially for breakfast.
Cereal, toast, bagels, and other high-carb breakfast foods can fill you up temporarily, but burn off quickly, leaving you feeling hungry again before long. They’re even more detrimental when packed with sugar, like so many breakfast cereals. Opting for eggs instead can help you feel fuller longer, and in studies, this practice has been shown to reduce caloric intake for up to 36 hours.
Affordable Source of Nutrients
Eating healthy can seem cost-prohibitive when you start adding organic, free-range, hormone-free, cruelty-free, and other products to your shopping cart. With eggs, you can get a high-quality source of protein that also ranks high in satiety, at very little expense. You can typically expect to pay just a couple bucks for a dozen eggs, and a bit more if you upgrade to organic and humane options.
Best of all, eggs are extremely versatile, so you can add them to your diet in a variety of ways, whether you like them hard or soft boiled, deviled, fried, scrambled, baked in a frittata, or smothered in hollandaise sauce, for example. Eggs can complement larger meals or act as the main dish.
There are also plenty of ways to simplify prep, such as with tools like the Egg Stripper. Just pop up to five hard boiled eggs in the Egg Stripper and with 10 seconds of shaking you’ll have perfectly peeled eggs with no muss or fuss.