Do you love eggs? Well, my dear egg lover, you are doing your body a whole lot of good by consuming eggs! Eggs do draw a lot of flak because of their cholesterol content but the fact is that eggs actually offer a number of health benefits!
Did you know that eating an egg for breakfast can keep you full for a longer period of time? This will prevent you from your mid-morning snacking. Eggs have many essential nutrients that your body requires. Coupled with high satiety index, consuming eggs for breakfast could be the best thing that you could do for your body (1).
If you suffer from frequent headaches, irritability and fatigue, you may be suffering from iron deficiency. Visit your doctor and get your blood tested. If you have low iron levels, you will benefit from eating eggs. They contain a form of iron known as heme iron, which can easily be absorbed by the body and can help treat anaemia (2).
Eggs are rich in nutrients and eating them will provide your body with many of the most essential nutrients. In fact, a comparative study between egg and non-egg eaters shows that non-egg eaters often have a deficiency of Vitamins A, E and B12, which are found in abundance in eggs (3).
When it was revealed in the 1990s that egg yolk contains 210mg of cholesterol, it was automatically assumed that eating eggs were responsible for high cholesterol level in the body. On the contrary, eggs and egg yolks do not adversely affect heart health. Saturated and trans fats have a more adverse effect on your heart. Eggs have digestible protein that makes it a great source of protein (4).
As egg has a high satiety index, you can have an eggs in diet for breakfast to keep yourself full for a longer period of time. In overweight people, this could be one of the best ways to lose weight. A study conducted by the Louisiana State University found that people, who consumed two eggs, toast and jam for breakfast, stayed full for a longer period of time compared to people who ate bagels, yoghurt and cream cheese for breakfast. So, it definitely makes sense to eat an “eggy” breakfast to stay full and reduce your calorie intake. This will help you lose weight slowly, but surely. Make sure you eat whole grain and veggies or fruits with eggs to make a complete and healthy meal (5).
Eggs contain a nutrient called choline. This nutrient has been known to improve memory. It also plays an important role during pregnancy, as choline aids in the development of the foetus’ brain and newborn infants (6). One egg can provide a pregnant woman with 28% of her daily choline requirement. Scientific studies have shown that memory of aged rats is highly dependent on what the rats’ mothers consumed during pregnancy.
Remember how your mother used to force you to eat your spinach and broccoli? Well, there was a reason behind it. These foods are healthy and aid in healthy vision. Just like spinach and broccoli, eggs are good for eyes and reduce the chances of developing cataracts and age-related retina and lens degeneration. Eggs contain two antioxidants, such as lutein and zeaxanthine that help to maintain eye health and protect them from the harmful UV rays. If a person starts including eggs in the diet from childhood, these antioxidants will build-up in the eyes and protect them from vision problems (7).
Protein is extremely important for the body. It is the building block of new tissues and repairing the old one. Protein is made up of amino acids and your body requires nine major amino acids, which have to come from your diet. There are very few food items that contain all the nine amino acids. Eggs are one of them (8). Compared to all the other sources of proteins, eggs contain the highest quality followed by milk, fish and beef.
Eggs are replete with Vitamin D. This vitamin is important for calcium absorption and also for maintaining the bone health. Usually, people get this vitamin from exposing their body to sunlight. However, in northern hemisphere and in cold places where sunlight is scantily available, eggs are the main source of Vitamin D. By helping in calcium absorption and maintaining health of bones, eggs play a crucial role in keeping osteoporosis at bay (9).
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