Eggland’s Best Eggs – they’re one of the best sources of protein that your body can readily absorb and use. In fact, eggs top the list of protein sources with a high “biological value,” a measure of how well your body can use the protein you consume through diet. After all, it doesn’t matter how much protein you take in if you can’t use it to build muscle tissue.
Here’s something that may surprise you. In terms of biological value, eggs outrank beef. Eggs have a BV of around 94 while beef only clocks in at 74. Eggs whites also have one of the best amino acid profiles relative to other foods. When you eat a meal with eggs, you’re getting all the essential amino acids your body needs to build new muscle protein in a form you can easily absorb and use.
Protein alone is a good enough reason to add Eggland’s Best eggs to the breakfast, lunch or dinner table, but now a new study highlights another reason to eat your eggs. Doing so can actually help you get more nutritional benefits from the vegetables you eat. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?
Why You Should Add Chopped Egg to Your Salad
Researchers at Purdue University asked 16 young men to eat a salad consisting of raw vegetables. One group of men ate the salad with three whole eggs, a second group with 1.5 eggs and a third group without eggs. The results? The guys who munched on the salad with the most egg had greatly increased absorption of nutrients called carotenoids from the salad. In fact, carotenoid absorption increased by 3 to 9-fold! We all want to get the most nutritional value from the veggies we eat, and, based on this study, eating raw vegetables WITH egg is a way to absorb more carotenoids.
Why should you be concerned about carotenoid absorption? Some of the carotenoids you take in through diet are converted to vitamin A, but carotenoids have health benefits independent of vitamin A activity. Research shows carotenoids are important for healthy immune function and for eye health. Research shows these nutrients in fruits and vegetables may lower the risk for some eye diseases, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, a common cause of visual loss in older people.
A number of fruits and veggies are rich in carotenoids, including most orange and orange/red fruits and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, pumpkins, and squash, but green, leafy vegetables are also an excellent source of these compounds, but the chlorophyll in these plant-based foods masks the orange tone characteristic of foods high in carotenoids.
The most common carotenoids you take in through diet are beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene. Unfortunately, most people don’t get enough of these body-friendly nutrients because they don’t eat their veggies! Eating carotenoid-rich foods with egg helps you get the full benefits of the carotenoids you DO take in. Maybe it’s time to top that salad with Eggland’s Best eggs? Use an olive oil dressing too. The fats in the olive oil also help with the absorption of carotenoids and other fat-soluble nutrients.
Other Health Benefits of Eating Eggland’s Best Eggs
Protein and increased absorption of carotenoids – these aren’t the only benefits Eggland’s Best eggs offer. Whole eggs are an excellent source of a nutrient called choline that plays a role in memory, cognitive function, and brain health. Your body uses choline to make acetylcholine, a chemical messenger important for communication between nerve cells, brain function, and muscle contractions. Women need around 450 milligrams of choline daily while men need 550 milligrams. A single Eggland’s Best egg gets your day started right – with 125 milligrams of choline you get a jump start on meeting your daily choline needs. One caveat – you won’t get choline from eggs if you throw away the yolk – that’s the portion that houses this important nutrient.
Most of the vitamins and minerals your body needs are in Eggland’s Best eggs, including vitamins A, D,E, K and many B vitamins, including vitamin B12, another vitamin important for brain health and nerve function. Plus, eggs have 13 minerals.
Will Eating Eggs Affect Your Cholesterol?
Although all eggs contain cholesterol, for most people, they won’t cause a rise in blood cholesterol level. Some people do experience a slight rise in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol when they eat more than one or two eggs a day. Interestingly, some research shows eating eggs is linked with larger, fluffy LDL-cholesterol particles and fewer small, dense particles. That’s important since small, dense particles are the ones linked with heart disease. Eating eggs is also correlated with increases in HDL-cholesterol, the type of cholesterol particles linked with protection against heart disease.
Reassuring is the fact that observational studies looking at egg consumption and heart disease show no increased risk for cardiovascular disease among people eating one or two eggs per day. In fact, eating eggs for breakfast is linked with greater satiety and decreased calorie consumption later in the day. You have to love the way they fill you up!
Eating Eggland’s Best eggs may help with weight loss and weight control as well. In one study, participants ate a similar number of calories but one group ate a bagel breakfast while the other ate two eggs. The group dining on eggs lost 65% more weight! Plus, their blood lipid levels, including HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides didn’t change.
The Bottom Line
Now you have another reason to eat Eggland’s Best eggs – carotenoid absorption. When you make your favorite salad, add a chopped egg to it. Fortunately, they’re easy to prepare. Boil a batch on Sunday to add to your salads the following week or purchase Eggland’s Best peeled, and ready-to-eat-hard-cooked peeled eggs. Enjoy the health benefits that Eggland’s Best eggs offer!
References:
Today’s Dietician. “Consuming Eggs with Raw Vegetables Increases Nutritive Value”
J Nutr Biochem. 2010 Apr;21(4):261-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2008.12.011. Epub 2009 Apr 14.
Today’s Dietician. Vol. 11. No. 9. September 2009. “Eating for Eye Health”
Nutr Clin Care. 2002 Mar-Apr;5(2):56-65.
European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. Volume 115, Issue 10, pages 1085-1093, October 2013.
Metabolism 2012; doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2012.08.014.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Dec;24(6):510-5.
Nutraingredients.com. “Eggs for Eye Health”
Metabolism. 2013 Mar;62(3):400-10. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2012.08.014. Epub 2012 Sep 27.
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2000 Dec 15;1529(1-3):310-20.
BMJ 2013;346:e8539.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Dec;24(6):510-5.
Eurekalert.org. “Adults who eat eggs for breakfast lose 65 percent more weight” August 5, 2008.
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