With Easter and Passover beginning next week, eggs are prominent. So let’s talk about them!
In my household, we celebrate Easter. On Monday we talk about what to do with two dozen hard-boiled eggs. Sound familiar?
There are very few foods that have risen and fallen in nutritional prestige as many times as the egg. The nutritional value of 1 egg is 80 Calories, 5g Fat, 1.5g Saturated Fat, 187mg Cholesterol, 6g Protein, and 11% Vitamin D. Eggs are also good sources of B2 and B12. When compared to other sources of protein, eggs are higher in cholesterol, which precipitated their fall from nutritional grace. However, the liver produces cholesterol daily. The amount the liver produces is affected by the amount of dietary cholesterol consumed. Eat more cholesterol, the liver produces less. Eat less cholesterol, the liver produces more. The bigger dietary contributor to high cholesterol and heart disease is saturated fat. Saturated fat raises LDL- the “bad” cholesterol and high LDL raises risk for heart disease and stroke. So rather than avoiding eggs, limit red meat, pork products like ham, bacon and sausage, and butter to improve health.
Two to three eggs a few times a week is nutritionally sound. If having eggs helps you push aside a sugary breakfast cereal, even better!
If you want to enjoy eggs, but want to cut some of the fat, have one whole egg with two egg whites. The yolk houses the fat and cholesterol, but also all the nutrients. The white is almost pure protein. one egg and two whites works well for scrambled eggs or omelettes.
So what to do with all those hard boiled eggs?
- slice two eggs on top of a salad to add protein
- pair two eggs with a fruit like banana for a post workout snack
- make egg salad with low-fat mayo and have for lunch with high fiber bread or crackers
- slice two eggs on top of a whole-wheat English muffin with a slice of low-fat cheese and tomato for a breakfast sandwich
- try our feature recipe later this month Salad with Curried Egg Salad