adding a free-range Best Buy to mix
Here are a few of recipes.
Are Eggs Good for You?
Yes. When it comes to helping meet your daily nutritional requirements, eggs are pretty tough to beat.
Eggs provide a valuable source of quality protein – while also containing 13 essential vitamins and minerals, alongside necessary omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
60% of the high-quality protein in eggs can be found in the egg white, while the yolk contains the rest, along with vital healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – all compounding for a valuable contribution to your daily nutritional needs.
Below, we’ve provided some of the proven key health benefits of eating eggs:
1. Eggs Are Nutrient Rich
An average serving of 2 eggs contains:
- 82% of your daily vitamin D requirements
- 50% of your daily folate requirements
- 25% of your daily riboflavin (Vitamin B2) requirements
- 40% of your daily selenium requirements
Eggs also contain useful amounts of vitamins A, E, B5, B12, as well as iron, iodine and phosphorus – all vital nutrients in supporting your healthy, balanced diet.
2. Eggs Provide Excellent Quality Protein
Eggs are widely considered to be a valuable source of quality protein. Proteins are the building blocks of life, essential for the strength and repair of muscle and tissue – with one single egg containing about 6.3 grams of protein.
The powerful advantage of the protein in eggs links to the fact that eggs contain all nine essential amino acids – in sufficient amounts – to support effective muscle growth, recovery and maintenance.
While some other foods contain proportionately more protein than eggs – the high-quality and bio-availability of protein in eggs is truly second to none.
3. Eggs Improve Levels of “Good” Cholesterol
Eggs help increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels – or “good” cholesterol as it’s commonly known – and this is one reason why eggs have been found to have little to no effect on heart disease risk.
It’s low-density lipoprotein (LDL) – or “bad” cholesterol – that can put heart health at risk. Meals high in saturated fats and trans-fats such as deep-fried takeaway foods are the key culprits when it comes to increased risk levels of LDL cholesterol.
4. Eggs Provide A Great Source Of Vitamin D
Egg yolks are one of a handful of foods that naturally contain vitamin D. And with close to a quarter of all Australian adults suffering from a mild or moderate vitamin D deficiency, the case for eggs is even more potent.
A serving of two eggs provides 82% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin D – making them an all-important source of this essential vitamin.
Sometimes called the ‘sunshine vitamin’, vitamin D plays an important role in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus – making it essential for the maintenance of healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin D also aids in promoting healthy muscle function and immune system maintenance.
5. Eggs Are Filling And Help With Weight Management
Relatively low in calories and a rich source of quality protein, eggs are one of the best food options to assist with weight management. The high satiety levels of eggs leads to greater feelings of satisfaction, less hunger and a lower desire to eat later in the day, meaning you’ll be less inclined to reach for that mid-afternoon snack.
Studies have found that eating eggs can make you feel full for longer by:
- Increasing levels of a hormone that helps you feel satisfied after eating
- Keeping energy levels higher
- Boosting metabolic activity
- Delaying the rate at which food leaves the stomach
Eggs are packed full of high-quality protein, making them ideal as part of many different dietary patterns that can assist people in managing their weight. Consuming eggs can also help reduce variations in glucose levels, which can have great lasting benefits in regulating eating patterns.
6. Eggs Are Among the Best Dietary Sources of Choline
Choline is an important nutrient that is made in the liver, however, as most people don’t produce enough choline to meet daily requirements, it also needs to be consumed through the food you eat.
Similar to the function of B vitamins, choline is essential for normal cell functioning, playing an influential role in brain and spinal cord development during pregnancy, cognitive development in infants and also helping to reduce cognitive decline in the elderly. Until recently, the role of choline as part of a balanced diet had been largely overlooked.
Eggs are a rich source of choline providing more than double the amount of choline per 100g than any other commonly eaten food. This makes eggs a highly effective and simple means of meeting your daily nutritional intake.
7. Eggs Are A Good Source of Omega-3s
Omega-3s are special types of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and are a family of “essential fats” that play an important role in the way your cell membranes work; from heart and brain health through to protecting your eyes. And as your body produces a limited amount of Omega-3s on its own, it’s beneficial to actively consume them through various food sources.
Eggs are mother nature’s incredible and edible source of Omega-3 fatty acids, providing on average, 180mg per serve (2 eggs). Of this amount, 114mg is the long-chain type of omega-3 fatty acid – which represents between 71-127% of the desired intake for adults.
Oily fish is one of the best-known sources of omega-3s, however, for people who avoid or can’t eat fish, eggs are a particularly useful source of these healthy types of fats.
8. Eggs Contain Antioxidants That Are Beneficial for The Eyes
Eggs contain a range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin E and selenium which all act as important antioxidants in supporting eye health, retina function and helping counteract degenerative vision as you age.
Eggs are rich in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which play a protective role in reducing the risk of certain eye diseases, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Studies show that these antioxidants are also better absorbed by the body from eggs than from alternate plant sources.
9. Eggs Help Boost Nutrient Intake for Healthy Aging
Eggs are an accessible, economical and easily digestible source of excellent quality protein and essential vitamins and minerals – making them an ideal dietary inclusion for older Australians.
Easy to prepare, eggs are a simple means to increase nutrient intakes for older people, in turn helping to reduce the risk of a wide range of deficiencies and conditions.
They also contain a significant amount of leucine, an amino acid that is important for ongoing muscle support, as well as other key nutrients including vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids, plus a little known nutrient, choline, which is important for brain function.
10. Eggs Can Support Mental Health
A balanced diet can go a long way towards supporting stress reduction and better mental health practices – both reducing the impact of symptoms and optimising greater performance.
And when it comes to the headstrong benefits of eggs – the combination of vitamin B2, B12, choline, iron and tryptophan are all associated with helping reduce the risk of anxiety, symptoms of depression and naturally aiding sleep.
Best Buy Eggs Fact
Fetal Development – While all the components in the egg are good for nutrition during pregnancy, Choline, Folate, and Zinc play significant roles in healthy fetal development. Folic Acid is found in prenatal vitamins. These three nutrients play an important role during the Neural Tube Formation in early fetal development.
Bone Health – Eggs are high in Vitamin D. Vitamin D is needed for bone health because it plays a big part in calcium absorption.
For Muscles – Eggs are a significant source of protein, coming in at 6 grams of protein per egg. In addition, eggs are a complete protein, meaning they contain all nine of the amino acids. The high quality, affordable protein from eggs helps our bodies build muscles.
For Brain – Choline to the rescue again. Choline is a vitamin-like substance that is usually grouped with the B vitamins. Not only does it contribute important nutrients during fetal development, but it also keeps our brains healthy as adults. Choline plays a significant role in memory. So as we age, eating eggs can be a good thing!
For General Good Health – The disease fighting nutrient, Lutein, along with Zeaxanthin and other carotinoids, are important in eye health. These same nutrients are also essential in fighting disease.
5 Reason Best Buy Eggs
1. They’re one of the cheapest protein sources around.
Yes, even if you buy organic eggs. A conventional egg costs less than 6 rupees (organic closer to 10 or 15 cents) and delivers six grams of high-quality protein—which means it has all the amino acids you have to get from food, in the same way that meat does. Protein is also thought to be the most “satiating” (satisfying) of all nutrients. And remember that about half the protein is in the yolk, not just the whites.
2. They curb mid-morning cravings.
An egg breakfast delays hunger longer than grain-based meals like pancakes and bagels, suggest multiple studies. In one, men who ate eggs in the morning were more satisfied, had lower circulating levels of hunger hormones, and ate less for lunch (and, in fact, the whole day!) than those who had a bagel breakfast.
3. They protect your eyes from harmful light.
Eggs are rich something called lutein, a yellow pigment that’s concentrated in the retina of the eye. Lutein helps protect eyes from macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss. It also guards against damage of everyday “blue light” that’s emitted from smartphones, tablets, and computers. Though research on blue light is still slim, some worry that it may contribute to cancer risk, obesity, and eye disease. The egg’s lutein is found in the yolk– another reason to eat the whole thing, not just the white.
4. They’re not the artery-clogging villains you might think they are.
For decades, eggs were accused of crimes they didn’t commit—namely, raising your cholesterol and upping the risk for heart disease. It’s now understood that cholesterol from foods like eggs and shellfish is not the danger it was thought to be. In fact, the newest version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans removed the recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol to 300mg a day.
5. They help you hold onto muscle mass.
We start losing muscle mass around age 30, by as much as five percent a decade! Muscle loss can make you feel weak, slash your stamina, and eventually up your risk of debilitating falls when you’re older. Exercise, particularly strength training, will help you preserve some of that muscle, but getting enough protein is key too. Eggs contain high-quality protein that repairs muscles after exercise and helps rebuilds them.