I <3 eggs
(at least I didn’t say “heart”, right?).

If there is a food I could eat everyday and never tire of, it’s eggs…..and maybe avocados …and sushi…

As I was saying, eggs are one of my go-to foods for breakfast, a snack, or sometimes a breakfast-for-dinner option. They’re so versatile…you can eat them alone (my favorite is over-medium) or make omelettes, sandwiches, hard-boil and eat over salads, etc.

AND they’re packed with vitamins and minerals, especially when you eat the yolk! Take a look at this chart and see the comparison between the nutritional content of egg whites and yolks:

Now, I know this may sound contrary to what the health industry has declared, rather insisting that egg yolks raise LDL or “bad” cholesterol to unhealthy levels, but those statements are just not well-founded since cholesterol levels are dependent upon various physiological factors which vary from person to person. The Detoxinista wrote a great blog post on the topic citing some research articles and explaining the rationale as to why we should be eating eggs—the whole egg!

One important nutrition fact not commonly known when it comes to eggs, is that they are a high source of choline, a nutrient essential to fetal brain development and helps in the prevention of birth defects (also aids adult brain function). So eat up, pregnant women!

So,should we just start eating all kinds of whole eggs? Not so fast. Since egg quality will vary, it’s best to choose pastured organic eggs whenever possible (which, understandably, isn’t always the case). I especially try to do this when I will be eating the actual egg, rather than using for baking (although I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to bake with organic eggs, too!).

I really liked this blog post on the different terminology that you will find on egg labels at the grocery store, i.e. the differences between “Cage-Free” – “Free-Range” – “Omega3 enriched” etc.

I hope this clears up some myths about eggs and that you enjoy them a little more in your regular diet. I know I sure do! 🙂

Sources:

http://www.incredibleegg.org/health-and-nutrition/egg-nutrients

http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/

http://www.aeb.org/retailers/egg-nutrition-facts