In
the hustle and bustle of our busy daily routines, many of us have a
tendency to make food choices that meet one or most of the following
qualities: quick and easy to prepare, inexpensive and satiating.
Sometimes, this causes you to resort to the snack machine at the office,
the candy bar aisle at Walgreens or the leftover birthday cake in the
office kitchen. While these things often taste good, they tend to
present the following issues:
- They may fill you up temporarily but after a quick sugar high and crash, you find yourself energy deprived and hungry before long
- They provide minimal to no nutritional benefit
- They often leave you feeling guilty and derail you from your healthy eating goals
Worry
no more my friends. Nature itself has provided a fantastic,
inexpensive, satiating food choice that can easily be adapted to meet
the needs of your palate. I present to you, the Egg. When the Caveman
inside of you begins to creep out in your episode of Hanger, the Egg is
your friend.
The
potential benefits the Egg can provide to your nutrition routine are
numerous. For one, eggs are a great, complete source of protein,
containing all of the essential amino acids. In addition to this, eggs
are relatively low calorie and low fat. One large egg provides 7g of protein and approximately 5g of fat. As a higher quality protein source, eggs have been found to promote fullness and curb cravings later in the day, making a great choice
for breakfast or to hold you over as a snack. Eggs are highly
nutritious as well providing several B-vitamins, needed for
proper metabolism function, selenium, an important vitamin antioxidant
in reducing free radicals, and zinc, necessary component to many enzymes
in the body needed for cell growth, the body’s immune system
health, regulation of hormone production and bone health as well as
metabolism of protein. Eggs are also a great source of carotenoids like
lutein and zeaxanthin, important for eye and brain health.
When
it comes to the athletic population, eggs are an egggscellent pick. As a
complete protein, they help promote muscle protein synthesis and faster
recovery after a hard workout. In order for your body to adapt and get
faster/stronger, muscle repair is absolutely necessary. Compared to many
other sources of protein, eggs are rated
very high in quality and absorption rate of the protein they contain.
In other words, the human body is very efficient at digesting and
utilizing the protein from eggs, even more than other protein sources
like soy, wheat or beef. Eggs give you more bang for your buck.
Many
people have concerns with eating eggs due to the thought that consuming
eggs can cause high blood lipid levels and therefore increase one’s
risk for cardiovascular disease and other related conditions. In a
recent meeting
of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, it was listed in the
draft for to-be-released 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that
dietary cholesterol is not considered a nutrient of concern as it has
been previously. For those of you with concern for heart disease,
diabetes or high blood lipid levels, monitoring your intake of saturated
and trans fats can be more effective in controlling or reducing your
risk than dietary cholesterol intake. So despite their previous bad
reputation for cholesterol levels, more recent research has led us to believe that eating eggs regularly and in moderation is okay even if you have concerns for these conditions.
Moral
of the story is, eggs are a nutrient-dense, satisfying choice to add to
your diet. Here are a few ways you can incorporate them into your
routine.- Boil several at the beginning of the week and stash in the fridge for a quick, on-the-go snack or breakfast
- Chop boiled eggs and mix with plain Greek yogurt, mayo, chopped onions & celery, and spices for a delicious egg salad
- Toss eggs in a pan to fry, throw on top of toast or English muffin for a quick egg sandwich
- Add chopped boiled eggs on top of your salad for lunch
- Want a low maintenance, quick & easy meal at the end of the day? Whisk several eggs together with salsa or chopped veggies, low-fat cheese and spices, scramble in a pan for several minutes for a yummy omelet
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