Egg is a highly nutritious food. When we talk about egg some who eat appreciates it and who don’t eat just ignores it. There are many non-vegetarians who don’t like eggs and vegetarians religiously don’t eat eggs. So the point is apart from being so nutritional why it is neglected?
Whether to include egg in vegetarian food or non-vegetarian food is a controversy. Some say the commercially available eggs are fertilized eggs and they are not capable of giving birth to the chicks and hence should be included in vegetarian category as milk and some object this reasoning. Including egg into a vegetarian diet in spite of its nutritional value is a task.
Eggs have an excellent quality of protein. It is one of the protein rich foods of the meat and poultry category. Nutritional value of one egg would be equal to 1/3rd to ½ serving of the meal and poultry group (Protein group). One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids. Presence of all the 9 essential amino acids makes it best quality of protein rich food. There are many researches which have been done to identify its nutritional quality.
The American Heart Association says that one egg a day is acceptable, but to keep in mind the cholesterol in that egg along with the other foods that you eat in the day. They contain the right kind of fat. One egg contains just 5 grams of fat and only 1.5 grams of that is saturated fat. Those with heart disease, diabetes, or a high level of LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol should probably choose a small or medium egg vs. larger ones which have more cholesterol. An average medium size egg contains 177mg cholesterol. Egg yolk contains some amount of proteins and cholesterol. So it become very necessary to keep in mind that cholesterol is also a part of egg which cannot be neglected specially for a heart patient or who is suffering from dyslipidemia. With this major disadvantage there is also an advantage that egg whites have no cholesterol. So patients who are fond of eggs and are ready to include it in their diet can use only egg whites which is manually a very easy task. In fact, according to one study, regular consumption of eggs may help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks but not scientifically proven yet.
It is a low carbohydrate food so can e easily recommended to diabetic and obese people. 1 Egg has only 70 to 80 calories. So adjusting it within the calorie count of a particular diet it gives great results. Egg whites are also advised to very obese person and patient having very high lipid levels. You can also use combination of 2 egg whites and one yolk.
Benefits of Eggs
- Eggs are easy to prepare in a number of different ways. They even make recipes work by thickening things.
- They have a long refrigerator shelf life.
- They are relatively cheap.
- They are delicious!
Nutritional Benefits:
- Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D.
- Eggs promote healthy hair and nails because of their high sulphur content and wide array of vitamins and minerals. Many people find their hair growing faster after adding eggs to their diet, especially if they were previously deficient in foods containing sulphur or B12
- Eggs are good source of choline which helps regulate the brain, nervous system and cardiovascular system.
- Eggs are great for the eyes due to the carotenoid content, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin. Both nutrients are more readily available to our bodies from eggs.
RD Neha Kava
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