Egg - A multi vitamin

Eggs are rich source of all nutrients except vitamin C.



There are hundreds of recipes in which eggs are used as main dishes or as binding agent, foaming agent, leveling agent, decorative agent, boiled, poached, scrambles, and omelets.

Egg Nutrition

• Vitamin A present in eggs is essential for normal growth and development.
• Vitamin D present in egg yolk (one of the few natural source of this vitamin) helps in mineral absorption and thus good bone health.
• Vitamin E present in eggs protects against some cancers and also heart diseases.
  
  
  
  
• Iodine and phosphorous present in eggs is essential for making thyroid hormones and maintaining normal teeth and bone health.
• The protein quality of eggs is excellent as compared to other dietary proteins; it provides nearly all the essential proteins required for growth and development. Thus egg protein is used as standard or reference for evaluating the protein from other diet sources.
  
  
  
  
• Eggs are also good source for albumin and glutamine, which are less likely in other foods.
• The cholesterol present in egg yolks should be consumed with a word of caution for people with altered lipid profile, heart diseases, diabetes and obesity.
• One medium size egg contains 214 mg of cholesterol.
• On the contrary lutein found in eggs has a protective effect on heart, by slowing down the progression of atherosclerosis.

Egg Facts

• When we say eggs 95% population commonly refer to chicken eggs that are not fertile.
• Eggs are a very economical way to fulfill the essential nutritional requirements of the body.
• Eggs are used to lose weight as after ingestion it gives a feeling of satiety and a person tends to feel hungry only after 6-8 hours.
• It just takes 24-26 hours for a hen to lay an egg, and then it rests for 30 minutes and starts the process again.
• World egg day is celebrated on second Friday of October each year.
• It is best to cook eggs and eat to avoid food poisoning caused by the bacteria salmonella (if consumed in large numbers) and to destroy the anti nutritional factors present in egg (avidin and ovomucoid).
  
  
  
  

To maintain the freshness of the eggs it is wise to refrigerate them as they are perishable.
It is immaterial to argue on the topic of which came first – the chicken or egg? But it is definite that both came before evolution of mankind. Whatever may be the answer enjoy eggs to gain its nutritional benefits and to stay healthy.