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Egg has lots of benefits you may not know of, but in just a "few" we would explore those qualities that eggs possess,
1. Eggs help to improve performance
Eggs have a high satiety index, meaning they
make you feel full for longer. One large egg
supplies 6g of high quality protein and a large
variety of essential nutrients, with the exception
of vitamin C. This is why teaming up a fruit or
orange juice with an egg and whole-wheat/low GI
bread provides the perfect breakfast to perform
well in a challenging environment.
2. Eggs can help to iron out problems
Many people with mild iron deficiency experience
vague symptoms of tiredness, headaches and
irritability. Iron is the carrier of oxygen in the
blood and plays an important role in immunity,
energy metabolism and many other functions in
the body. The iron in egg yolk is in the form of
heme iron, the most readily absorbable and
usable form of iron in food and more absorbable
than the form of iron in most supplements.
3. Eggs improve nutrient adequacy of the diet
The nutrient density of eggs makes them a
valuable contributor to a nutritious diet. A study
among egg vs. non-egg consumers revealed that
the diets of the non-egg consumers were more
likely to fall short of vitamins A, E and B12. Eggs
contributed 10-20% of folate and 20-30% of
vitamins A, E and B12 among egg consumers.
This study demonstrates the important role one
food can play in ensuring nutrient adequacy.
4. Eggs do not increase blood cholesterol
In the 1990s, eggs received a lot of bad publicity
due to their cholesterol content of 210mg per egg
yolk. Numerous studies have clearly
demonstrated the lack of a relationship between
egg intake and coronary heart disease.
To put things into perspective, it is important to
realise that foods high in fat, especially saturated
and trans fatty acids have a far greater impact
on heart health than cholesterol in food. Eggs
should be recognised as an inexpensive, versatile
and easily digestible source of protein.
5. Eggs can help to promote weight loss
Eggs with toast have a 50% higher satiety index
than regular breakfast cereals. Several studies
have reported that starting the day with an egg
breakfast increases satiety in overweight people
and may help with weight loss.
In one study where a breakfast of bagels, cream
cheese and yoghurt were compared to a
breakfast of two eggs, toast and jam (same
amount of kilojoules), the latter group stayed
fuller for longer and reduced their kilojoule intake
at lunch by 29%.
At 315kJ per large egg, eggs actually add few
kilojoules for all the nutrients they provide. When
teamed up with whole grains (for example whole-
wheat bread) and fruit or vegetables they are a
complete meal, readily available, easy to prepare
and inexpensive, making them a useful tool in
weight-loss programmes.
6. Eggs help to promote brain health
Choline is a nutrient that facilitates brain
development in the foetus and newborn as well
as memory function even into old age. Eggs are
an excellent dietary source of choline, and one
egg per day will provide 28% of a pregnant
woman’s choline requirement.
Choline is of extreme importance during
pregnancy and lactation when the reserves can
be depleted. At the same time, it is the critical
period for foetal brain development and lifelong
memory enhancement. In experiments with rats,
memory function in the aged rat was in part
determined by what the mother ate. Mothers, the
message is clear – make a lifelong investment
and eat your eggs!
7. Eggs help to prevent cataracts and to protect
eye sight.
A good dietary intake of eggs, spinach and
broccoli is associated with a significant decrease
in cataracts (up to a 20% decrease) and age-
related lens and retinal degeneration, the leading
cause of blindness in the elderly (up to a 40%
decrease).
Eggs are a good source of the antioxidants lutein
and zeaxanthine, which play an important role in
keeping the eyes healthy. It accumulates in the
eye where these nutrients protect against some
types of harmful, high-energy wavelengths of
light. Getting enough lutein and zeaxanthine is
therefore very important from childhood onwards
throughout the life cycle.
8. Eggs provide the best quality protein
Protein is one of the most important elements of
our diet. Our bodies use protein to build new and
repair old tissue. Eggs are champions at
providing high quality protein. Amino acids are
the building blocks of protein. Nine of these
amino acids cannot be manufactured by the body
and must be derived from the diet. A complete
protein food contains enough of these nine
essential amino acids to promote growth and
maintain body tissue.
Egg, milk and meat (including poultry and fish)
proteins are all complete proteins, but egg protein
is of the highest quality, with a rating of 100.
Compared to eggs, milk is rated at 93 and fish
and beef at 75. One egg has approximately the
same protein content as 30g cooked meat, fish or
poultry. And apart from being the most versatile
and best source of protein in our diet, it is also
the least expensive.
9. Eggs can help to protect our bones
Eggs are one of the few natural food sources of
vitamin D, our sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is
essential for calcium absorption and for
maintaining optimum bone health. Eggs therefore
play a supporting role in the prevention of
osteoporosis together with dairy products, our
main source of calcium.
10. Eggs promote healthy hair and nails
The hair and nails reflect many biochemical
imbalances and shortages in the body. Eggs can
help to promote healthy hair and nails because
of their high content of sulphur-containing amino
acids and the wide array of vitamins and
minerals.
Many people report faster growing hair after
adding eggs to their diet, especially if they were
previously deficient in foods containing zinc,
sulphur, vitamin B12 and vitamin A.
