There are very few other ways that can provide you cheaper, simpler, and more versatile protein alternative to eggs. They can not only increase your daily protein intake (1 egg contains 7g of proteins and just 85 calories) but also improve your overall health.
Eggs are storehouses of antioxidants, iron, and amino acids. You should not only eat the whites, even the yolks have choline, a nutrient that fights fat. So you must eat the whole egg.
Make sure to look at the labels when shopping for eggs. Make sure you are always getting organic eggs.
They are USDA-certified and don’t contain hormones, vaccines, and antibiotics.
You can choose any color because it depends on the kind of chicken.
According to Molly Morgan (RD and a Sports Specialist Dietitian who is board certified) from New York, different egg colors have the same nutritional value.
Eggs can offer you the following health benefits:
1. Stronger Immunity
Do you want to avoid infections, diseases, and viruses? Make sure to take 1-2 eggs daily in your diet. A single large egg supplies almost a quarter of your Recommended Daily Dosage of selenium. This nutrient helps boost your immunity and helps in the regulation of thyroid hormones.
Children should specifically be given eggs. Lack of selenium in kids and adolescents can cause Kashin-Beach disease and Keshan disease, affecting their bones, heart, and joints.
2. Enhanced Cholesterol Profile
We all know the following 3 pointers about cholesterol:
- High levels of cholesterol are bad for our health.
- There are healthy and unhealthy forms of cholesterol.
- Eggs have lots of cholesterol.
Most doctors will be concerned about the HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL (bad cholesterol) ratio. A single large egg has 212 mg of cholesterol. However, this doesn’t indicate that eggs will always increase your blood’s bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. Our body is regularly producing its cholesterol. Many studies show that eggs can help in boosting our cholesterol profile.
These studies show that eggs help in increasing our HDL cholesterol (a good one) and increase the LDL particles’ size.
3. Reduce Chances of Heart Disease
LDL cholesterol got a ‘bad’ reputation because of a reason. The LDL particles can transport fat molecules into our artery walls and promote atherosclerosis.
On the other hand, HDL particles will remove fat molecules from our artery walls.
LDL particles can have different sizes and the larger ones are considered better. Research shows that if you have smaller LDL particles, you are at a higher risk of developing heart disease compared to those who have larger LDL particles.
The good thing about eggs is that even if they may increase LDL cholesterol in certain people, these particles can become larger. This can help in minimizing the risk of cardiovascular problems.
4. More Energy
A single egg has around 15% of our daily allowance of vitamin B2 (riboflavin). Riboflavin is among the 8 vitamin Bs that help in converting our food into fuel (required for energy production).
5. Healthier Skin & Hair
The B-Complex vitamins are essential for the health of our hair, skin, liver, and eyes. Eggs contain vitamins B2, B5, and B12. These vitamin Bs are also required for the healthy functioning of our nervous system.
6. Brain Protection
Eggs are called brain food for good reason. This is because they contain choline. This is a constituent of our cell membranes and is essential for synthesizing a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. According to researchers, a deficiency of choline can potentially cause neurological disorders and a decrease in cognitive function.
Shockingly, 9 out of 10 Americans don’t take the daily recommended dosage of choline (US Dietary Survey).
7. Protect your Life
Most of us don’t know that eggs produce a bulk of the amino acids our body needs to sustain life. Our body requires 20 essential amino acids and 11 of them are made in our body. But all the rest 9 can be found in eggs. If you suffer from a deficiency of these 9 amino acids, it can cause health problems like muscle wastage, weakness, change in skin and hair texture, and reduced immune response.
8. Fighting Anxiety & Stress
When your body suffers from a deficiency of the 9 amino acids found in eggs, you can suffer from mental issues.
According to a study (Published – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – 2004), supplementation of lysine in the population’s diet helped reduce stress and anxiety levels by a huge margin. The reason is considered to be the modulation of serotonin in the nervous system.
9. Eye Protection
As already indicated, eggs can also protect our eyes because of their zeaxanthin and lutein (antioxidants) content. You will find them only in the yolk. These antioxidants help in minimizing the chances of cataracts and macular degeneration. These are the top causes of blindness and vision impairment in the old.
According to a study (Published – in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition), subjects who took 1.3 egg yolks a day for 4.5 weeks improved their zeaxanthin levels in the blood by 114% to 142%. They improved their lutein levels by 28% to 50%.
10. Stronger Bones & Teeth
There are very few natural sources of vitamin D for our body, and eggs are one of them. Vitamin D is essential for our teeth and bones’ strength and proper development and maintenance. The vitamin helps our body absorb calcium. Calcium is also required for a healthy colon, heart, and metabolism.
11. Appetite Control
Eggs set the standard for quality protein sources and other sources are compared against them. The egg protein has been given a perfect score of 100. Several studies have shown the impact of high-protein diets on our appetite. On the scale known as the Satiety Index, eggs have a very high score. This index measures the volume of foods required to feel full.
12. Burn Fat
The satiating power of eggs also helps us burn fat. According to a study conducted over 8 weeks, subjects were given a breakfast of bagels or eggs (both having the same number of calories).
After 8 weeks those who ate eggs lost 65 percent of their weight and 16 percent of fat. Their BMI fell by 61 percent and there was a 34 percent reduction in their waist circumference.