The Unscrambling of Eggs
When I was a kid we ate eggs, lots of eggs. In those days they were known as one of the best foods in the world. We were awed by the notion that one simple egg was all that was needed to produce an adorable little baby chick, it was a miracle in a shell, right? Ah but then came the age of enlightenment and scientists taught us about the dangers of cholesterol, and sadly eggs were summarily banned from breakfast. The epiphany was that eggs contained cholesterol and cholesterol created plaque in arteries and plaque in arteries gave us heart disease and heart disease was a twentieth century disaster. So all foods that contained cholesterol were placed on the no fly list and our eating habits shifted. We learned to live with cereal, egg whites, Egg Beaters and margarine for breakfast and our mornings suffered.
Now scientists are unscrambling the mystery of the incredible edible egg. Recently research has taken a deeper look and discovered that it isn’t actually the dietary cholesterol we eat that is the bad guy, rather it is the blood cholesterol that we make in our own bodies that is the real culprit. In a great article from the Harvard Gazette, Walter Willett, Chair of Harvard Public Health, discusses the ushering in of the changes in the U.S. government’s dietary guidelines. Restrictions have been lifted because, dietary cholesterol is“not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption”.* So healthy foods that contain cholesterol or good fats, like eggs, fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds are a great addition to our diet. The new recommendations are that we “up” our daily dietary percentage of fat from 30 to 35 percent. In this effort eggs are a great addition. If you are trying to loose weight eat eggs first thing in the morning because they are very satiating and will make you feel full longer than carbohydrates like cereal and toast. In addition eggs have some hard to find nutrients that are very important, like Choline, which contains important nutrients for brain health. They also contain the antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which are powerful protectors for our eyes helping reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. The nutrients in eggs amazingly contain almost every vitamin, mineral and nutrient required by the human body. And that’s exactly why you should eat them.
Eggs have finally redeemed themselves and are still that little miracle in a shell we always thought they were. So celebrate and find fun ways to sneak them back into your diet. If you are hunting for great egg-inspiration you should look no further than our Chef Jeremy’s blog EGGsactly What You Need and if you want some fantastic eggstravagant dishes, come visit Salty’s for world famous weekend brunches.