Health Benefits of Eggs

Eggs, one of the "super foods," keep tempting our taste buds. Eggs are always a fascinating food, out of which several innovative recipes have came out and of course delicious and nutritious. Eating an egg may prevent you from visiting the doctor, even two is also acceptable. Some of you might be wondering, how is this possible. Yes, it is possible, since it is a power packed with all the essential nutrients. And, of course, it is detrimental to the people who are on the risk side like people with cardiovascular problem, and suffering from any other heart related issues. Always don’t confuse yourself with the points delivered by fake internet sites. Be sure you visit a health care professional, and clarify your doubts.

The eggs are often considered to provide ill health because of its cholesterol and fat content. Of course, the cholesterol content is high, but it is also rich in several other nutrients like protein, vitamins and minerals. Here are some simple reasons why you should have eggs in your routine diet plan. Let us move on to the health benefits of eggs.

Highly Nutritious

The eggs are considered to be the highly nutritious food, as it is packed with almost all the essential nutrients. This egg provides 77 calories, 5gm of healthy fats and 6gm of protein. In fact, the eggs contain all the trace amounts of nutrients at least to the trace amounts. However the nutritional quality of each egg may varies slightly, because of the type of feed the hen receives and the circumstances in which they are raised. These eggs are known to be a good source of omega 3 fatty acids. The omega 3 fatty acids are present in fatty fishes like salmon and tuna. And if you are unable to get these fatty fishes, stick on to egg for efficient supply of omega 3 fatty acid. Here is the nutritional profile of a single large boiled egg:

• Vitamin A:6% of the RDA
• Folate:5% of the RDA
• Vitamin B5: 7% of the RDA
• Vitamin B12:9% of the RDA
• Vitamin B2:15% of the RDA
• Phosphorus: 9% of the RDA
• Selenium:22% of the RDA

Eggs also contain some amounts of vitamin D, E and K, vitamin B6, calcium and zinc, all of which are essential for the human health.

Contain Cholesterol, Though Healthy

Eggs, of course contain a high contain of cholesterol about 212mg in a single egg. But this won’t affect your cholesterol levels. When the foods you eat contain a high amount of cholesterol, the liver starts producing less cholesterol. Actually the liver produces cholesterol every day but to maintain the balance of the body. Thus eating an egg does not affect the cholesterol level in the body. Rather, it helps in the raise of high density lipoprotein (HDL), good cholesterol which is very essential in preventing certain types of diseases like stroke, heart diseases and other health problems. A study claims that having two eggs per day for six weeks, increases the HDL by 10%. The response of consuming eggs may vary with individuals. In 70% of people, it won’t raise the blood cholesterol level, but to remaining 30%, who are known as hyper responders, eggs may slightly raise the LDL and blood cholesterol levels.

Contain Choline, An Essential Nutrient

Choline is an essential nutrient that many of us lack in their diet. When people start consuming eggs, they are known to receive the good amount of choline. Choline is responsible for building the cell membranes and to produce signaling molecules in the brain. Deficiency of choline, though it is rare in prevalence, is a serious condition that needs attention. Eggs are the best option for preventing us from choline deficiency. A single egg is known to contain almost 100mg of choline.

Beneficial For Eyes

Eyes our primary sense organs, are benefited by consuming eggs. The eggs contain the antioxidants namely Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which have major benefits on eye health. Though there are several nutrients to counteract the degenerative disease of eyes, these two are the powerful antioxidants that accumulate in the retina of the eyes. Studies have proved that consuming just 1.3 egg yolks for 4.5 weeks has increased the blood lutein levels up to 28-50% and zeaxanthin levels to 114-142%. Thus it is understood that egg yolks are rich in these powerful antioxidants. Moreover, the eggs are the best source of vitamin A, which is to be mentioned here. This vitamin A has always proved to be the beneficial vitamin for eye sight.

Quality Protein With All The Amino Acids

Eggs are the best source of protein, which is composed or packed with all the essential amino acids. Proteins are the building blocks of the human body. Getting a right amount of protein is very essential for the normal development of the human body. Since it is essential to formulate all sorts of structural and functional process. Eggs along with protein contain all the essential amino acids in right ratios. Eating the right protein may help you to lose your weight in case if you are on the weight loss journey. It also helps in the lowering of muscle mass, lowering of blood pressure and optimizing the bone health.

Help You To Lose Weight

Are you surprised with the above statement? Yes! Eating eggs will help you to lose weight. It is incredibly filling, and tends to provide fullness when you take it as mid time snack or along with meal. Eggs score high in the satiety scale. Researches claim that the intake of eggs for your breakfast limits your calorie intake all through the day. Hence, have an egg regularly and enjoy your weight loss.

Minerals

Eggs are packed with all the essential trace minerals like zinc, phosphorous, iodine and iron. These minerals though present in small amount, are very much essential for the functions of our body. Thus having an egg regularly in your diet, may save you from the micro mineral deficiency at least to some extent.

Linked With Reduced Rate Of Heart Disease

We all have a myth that consuming eggs would increase the risk of heart disease due to it high cholesterol content. But actually this is not true. The real fact is that, it is linked with the reduction of heart disease. The eggs are known to increase the HDL level in the blood. It also sometimes raises the LDL levels, but actually, the LDL is of two subtypes, small dense LDL and large LDL. There are studies which claim that, it is the small dense LDL molecules are the culprit of causing heart disease. Though, eggs raise the LDL levels mildly, it is the larger molecules gets raised and not the black sheep the small dense LDL. In simple words, eggs have shown to change the pattern of LDL particles from small dense LDL (bad) to large LDL, which is linked with reduced heart disease.

Hence to conclude, have a treat up to three eggs per day. Several studies have claimed that, the consumption of three eggs per day is perfectly safe. Above all, they are the gift from Mother Nature, packed with all the essential nutrients which are in the perfect ratio for perfect body.

Dietitian in Delhi

Shikha Mahajan is a trusted Dietician in Delhi / Nutritionist, Certified Metabolism Specialist, and an Intuitive Eating Counselor, with a private virtual practice.