Eggs are nutrient dense and fit within a balanced and healthy diet whether you’re eating them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as a snack.
The most common egg used today is the hens egg, though duck, goose and other fowl are available in some areas. The color of the yolk depends on the hens diet — wheat-fed hens will have darker yolks than hens fed other grasses. Fertile eggs (expensive because of high production costs) are no more nutritious than non-fertile eggs.
Eggs and nutrition benefits
- one of the most nutritious foods money can buy
- rich in high quality protein
- a medium egg contains less than 70 calories
- naturally rich in vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B12 and vitamin D
- contain vitamin A and a number of other B vitamins including folate, biotin, pantothenic acid and choline
- contain essential minerals and trace elements, including phosphorus, iodine and selenium
Eggs and cholesterol
In the past it was thought that people should limit the number of eggs they eat because they contain cholesterol, but current evidence suggests that dietary cholesterol does not increase the risk of heart disease in most healthy people. Egg yolks are high in cholesterol (215 mg for a large egg, and the American Heart Association recommends only 300mg/day); an egg white (albumin) is fat free and contains only 10 calories.
Eggs and balanced diet
If you’re healthy, chances are you can follow an egg diet for a limited time, lose a few pounds and not worry about side effects. But you will face a few challenges. For one thing, the specifics of the egg diet are hard to pin down, with several versions and few specific instructions to follow. As the name would imply, the Egg Diet is one that has its entire focus centered on eggs. There are several variations of the Egg Diet that exist today ranging from eating only eggs to eating just eggs and grapefruit. However, the most popular Egg Diet these days is one that insists on eggs with each meal and also allows lean proteins or low carbohydrate fruits and vegetables to be consumed as well.
Eggs and fitness
Protein is an essential part of muscle recovery after exercise. It helps rebuild muscle tissue after the natural stretching and tearing that occurs during exercise. Eating protein along with some carbohydrate after finishing your exercise session should help to improve your recovery and increase the efficiency of muscle glycogen storage.
Eggs and allergy
The reactions can vary from person to person and usually occur soon after exposure to egg. Egg allergy symptoms can include:
- skin inflammation or hives — the most common egg allergy reaction
- nasal congestion, runny nose and sneezing (allergic rhinitis)
- digestive symptoms, such as cramps, nausea and vomiting
- asthma signs and symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath
Discuss with your doctor any reaction — no matter how mild — you or your child has to eggs. The severity of egg allergy reactions can vary each time one occurs, so even if a past reaction was mild, the next one could be more serious.
Eggs and foods
- Poached eggs: Break 4 eggs into simmering water. Cook for 1 minute. Loosen from bottom of pan with a spatula. Poach for 3 to 5 minutes, to desired doneness. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Sunny side-up: Carefully crack eggs into a frying pan one at a time. Cook until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
- Soft boiled eggs: You can cook soft-boiled eggs the same way as hard-boiled eggs, but steep in hot water for less time. To eat, use a knife to take the cap off of the egg (you can eat it straight from the shell).
- Hard-boiled eggs: To cook hard-boiled eggs, place eggs in a pot with water (the water should cover the eggs). Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Turn off stove, remove the pot from the stove and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and place them in a bowl of cold water, then crack and peel the shells.
- Scrambled eggs: Crack eggs in a mixing bowl and scramble together with a fork. Add milk and continue whisking. Pour into a pan with butter and cook for a minute. Use a spatula to push the eggs into the center of the pan.
- Omelet: Whisk egg whites with salt, pepper and seasonings. Pour into a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When finished cooking, add toppings, fold and serve.
- Frittata: A frittata is an easy, one-pan meal thats perfect for breakfast or dinner.
- Eggsalad: Chop up hard-boiled eggs and mash them together with mayonnaise (add celery or onion if you like). Mix together and serve on a sandwich.
- Deviled eggs: Make hard-boiled eggs, remove their yolks and replace with a creamy filling.
- Tea eggs: A traditional Chinese snack made by cooking hard-boiled eggs that are then cracked and steeped in a spiced tea mix.
- Eggnog: A traditional holiday beverage made with milk, cream, sugar and whipped eggs.
- Sponge cake: This cake is the base of gateau and differenet cookies, made with flour (usually wheat flour), sugar, eggs, and is sometimes leavened with baking powder.
- Egg stew: It is a quite special food, similar to meat stew prepared with onion and sweet paprika powder.
- Ice cream: There are two main base recipes for ice cream. French style ice cream contains egg yolks, which help make it soft, rich, smooth, creamy, custardy. Philadelphia style ice cream has no eggs, and relies on the fat in the cream to keep it soft, but will still never be as rich and smooth as French style, and will still tend to freeze harder.
Eggs and cooking
Perhaps you’re in a hurry and want your hard boiled eggs done in half that time. You can do that by not removing them from the heat and letting the eggs cook in a rolling boil for 4 to 6 minutes. You should still prepare an ice bath for them though or you’ll wind up with severely overcooked eggs.
The steps are practically:
- Place your eggs in a pan and cover them with cold water (at least an inch over the tops).
- Add a teaspoon of salt or so and turn up the heat!
- Once the water reaches a full boil, start the timer (see images below)
- Pull the eggs out at your desired time (I like 5 minutes) and immediately place them into an ice bath to prevent further cooking.
- Peel and serve, yum!
Eggs and whipping white technics
Room temperature eggs will whip easier, although cold eggs are easier to separate from the yolks. So, separate your eggs while they are still cold and then allow the whites to come to room temperature before whipping. If there is any amount of yolk in the whites, they will not whip. Begin whipping your egg whites on low speed until they become foamy and frothy. Once the egg whites are foamy, increase the speed to high until they become whipped to the desired stage. The optimal stage is reaching firm peak, when the beaters or whisk is lifted out of the egg whites, the peak will stand erect and not bend over. When firm peaks form, the egg white have reached their fullest volume and should not be beaten any longer.
Eggs and decoration
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are decorated eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans. Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth. Easter eggs are a widely popular symbol of new life in Central European countries folk traditions, which include concealing them in the garden for children to find, and making artificial eggs out of porcelain for ladies or creating egg-tree for home or garden decoration.
