Eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein. In fact, eggs stand out from other protein sources thanks to their high biological value or BV. Biological value is a measure of how readily the amino acids in a food can be used by your body. Eggs top the list!
But eggs aren’t just for breakfast. You can eat them any time of day and even add them to your next salad as an additional source of protein. But that’s not the only reason to dress up your salad with slices of egg. A 2015 study showed doing so may help you better absorb some of the nutrients in that salad.
Does An Egg Boost Nutrient Absorption?
In a simple experiment, researchers asked a group of men to eat salads in three separate sessions. During one session they ate a standard tossed salad made with a variety of vegetables while in another, they ate a similar salad topped with the 1.5 eggs. In yet another session, they ate a veggie salad enhanced with the contents of 3 eggs. After each salad meal, they drew blood from the men.
When they measured the content of carotenoids in the men’s blood, the salad eaters had 3 to 8 times higher levels of carotenoids in their bloodstream after eating the salad with 3 eggs. Carotenoids are fat-soluble plant pigments that give orange, red, and yellow vegetables their brilliant color.
In humans, carotenoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Plus, your body converts some of the carotenoids you take in through diet into vitamin A. Examples of carotenoids are beta-carotene, abundant in carrots, alpha-carotene, lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and zeaxanthin
If you enjoy the taste of carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, papaya, and squash, you’re getting a healthy dose of carotenoids. Green, leafy vegetables are also high in carotenoids, although they don’t look orange or yellow because the chlorophyll in these foods hides the carotenoid pigments.
Absorption of Carotenoids
Carotenoids are fat-soluble, meaning you absorb them best when there’s a source of fat around. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed little to no absorption of these nutrients when subjects ate a raw veggie salad with fat-free dressing and no other source of fat. Fortunately, more people are now aware that dietary fat isn’t taboo and fat-free dressings are usually loaded with sugar. A salad dressing made of olive oil is a good choice for a salad because it contains enough healthy fat to help you get the full benefits of the fat-soluble nutrients in your salad. Of course, an olive oil dressing and eggs are even better. With eggs, you get protein too.
Why Be Concerned about Carotenoids?
Diets high in carotenoids are linked with a lower risk for certain eye diseases, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. When you consume carotenoids, some of the pigments are deposited in your retina, the light-sensitive tissue in the back of your eyes. These carotenoids absorb vision-damaging blue light that promote the formation of cataracts. Some dietary carotenoids are converted to vitamin A, specifically alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Vitamin A is important for healthy immune function.
Fruits and vegetables are the main sources of carotenoids in the human diet with the exception of zeaxanthin, a pigment that gives salmon its pink color. So, if you aren’t eating veggies and fruits, you’re missing out on the health benefits these plant pigments offer. You won’t get the same benefits by taking a carotenoid supplement. In fact, a study showed smokers who took carotenoids in supplement form had a higher rate of lung cancer. Sometimes nutrients behave differently when you isolate them from the other dietary components they work with synergistically.
So, getting your carotenoids is important to your health and you can’t easily absorb fat-soluble nutrients in raw vegetables unless you have a source of fat in your salad – or, as this study shows, a few servings of an egg. The benefits of adding egg are that this incredible, edible orb is one of the most filling foods there is, thanks to their high protein content. The problem with turning a salad into a meal is it’s not very satiating unless you add a source of protein. Eggs serve double duty by filling you up AND increasing the quantity of carotenoids you absorb from your salad.
Other Ways to Absorb More Carotenoids from Raw Veggies
Veggies, with the exception of avocados which are really a fruit, contain little or no fat. When you eat cooked vegetables, adding a little butter or olive oil boosts the number of carotenoids your body can absorb. Another way to enhance carotenoid absorption is to chop vegetables into small pieces. Doing so breaks down the cell wall of the plant and allows more carotenoids to be released and made available.
You might think, thanks to the raw movement, that uncooked veggies are better for you, but that’s not necessarily so. Carrots, a good source of the carotenoid beta-carotene, make more of these nutrients available if you lightly cook them. Steaming is best for preserving the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in vegetables. Limit the amount of water you expose vegetables to when you prepare them. Otherwise, the nutrients will leech out into the water and be poured down the sink. If you do use water, save it and add it to soups or smoothies, so all of that goodness doesn’t go to waste.
The Bottom Line
It’s not just how many nutrients you eat – but how many you absorb that matters. When you eat a raw salad, make sure you’re actually getting the full benefits the veggies offer. Adding egg and a source of fat will give you more protein and enhance the absorption of the fat-soluble nutrients. Give it a try!
References:
Kim JE, Gordon SL, Ferruzzi MG, Campbell WW. Effects of egg consumption on carotenoid absorption from co-consumed, raw vegetables. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. May 2015 [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.111062.
Nutr Clin Care. 2002 Mar-Apr;5(2):56-65.
Consultant 360. “Could Adding Eggs to Your Salad Improve Nutrient Absorption?”
Am J Clin Nutr August 2004 mvol. 80 no. 2 396-403.
NPR. “Get the Most Nutrition for Your Veggies”
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