Eggs have always been perceived as a hearty morning staple. Whether it was Rocky gulping down a raw yolk smoothie before a fight or Cool Hand Luke eating 50 of them in an hour, eggs are seen as a perfect high protein way to start your day. Then somewhere along the way, eggs became seen as a danger to health and one's attempts to lower cholesterol.
Here's a few facts about eggs to debunk all the health myths. Containing just 70 calories, consuming one egg a day fulfills your daily cholesterol requirements, so monitor your intake carefully. One egg can also provide 10 percent of your daily Vitamin D intake, and each egg contains six grams of protein, which is 12 percent of your daily regiment. The yolk makes up 90 percent of all the vitamins and minerals in eggs, and is also an essential source of choline, which aids cardiovascular health and brain function.
It's important to understand where your eggs come from and their nutritional value, which will help you evaluate which choices can provide the healthiest breakfast possible. Another key factor in determining the best egg for you is knowing the farming process and living conditions of the chickens hatching the eggs. Here's a list of healthier egg alternatives:
A lot goes into ensuring that hens laying organic eggs are truly producing the freshest commodity available. First off, to be determined organic by the USDA means that the hens must have frequent outdoor access, cannot ingest any unnatural antibiotics or vaccines and the grains provided for the hens must be void of pesticides of any kind. Genetically altered crops intended for the birds are not allowed, and hormones or other drugs must never be injected into the hen. This provides an all-natural egg that delivers you essential protein and nutrients.
These types of eggs are laid by hens living in open barns who are never subjected to steel confinements. While it's not a total lap of luxury, it's a change of pace compared to the normal 90 percent of chickens forced to lay eggs behind wire cages packed with other birds. While the core nutritional value of cage-free eggs is the same as those produced by wire-caged hens, research reveals that you're 25 times more likely to contract salmonella from wire-caged eggs than cage-free ones.
Omega-3-enriched eggs come from hens that were fed extensive amounts of omega-3-rich flaxseeds. This essential fatty acid is not produced by the body, and adding Omega-3 to your diet can reduce your blood pressure and inflammation throughout the body. Omega-3 has also been noted to help with arthritis and lower symptoms of depression. The hens fed with flaxseed are normally given outdoor access as well.
Eggs are an excellent source of beneficial vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron and vitamins A, D and E. It's suggested that only consuming up to three eggs per day will not increase your risk of heart disease, nor your ability to achieve lower cholesterol levels. The science that goes into how eggs are produced affects its overall nutrition, so it's important to be aware of not only what's inside your eggs, but where they came from.
