In this article we will talk about eggs. Looks like a simple topic, but nothing is less true. Eggs are a popular food for many people, but few people know much about them.
We will discuss if eggs are healthy, how many eggs you should eat, how to prepare eggs and the nutritional values in an egg.
Table of Contents
- Are eggs healthy?
- How many eggs should you eat?
- How to prepare eggs?
- What are the nutritional values of an egg?
Are eggs healthy?
The main components of eggs are proteins and fats, and a little bit of carbohydrates. The fat is located mostly in the yolk and this is mostly unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat lowers the cholesterol level in your body. Lower cholesterol levels will lead to a reduced risk of heart- and vascular disease. However, eggs themselves also contain cholesterol. As a result, this positive effect on heart- and vascular disease is virtually canceled.
In addition to proteins and fats, eggs also contain vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin D, folic acid and various minerals (iron for example). Iron, vitamin B12 and protein make eggs a good meat replacement option.
So in conclusion, eggs don’t have any specific health benefits. But also no health disadvantages if you eat the recommended quantity which we will discuss in the next subject.
How many eggs should you eat?
Due to the high cholesterol level in eggs it’s not advisable to eat an enormous amount of eggs weekly. Too many eggs increases the risk of heart- and vascular disease as previously discussed.
Not everything is known about the health effects of eggs on the body. This makes it difficult to make firm statements about the maximum amount of eggs you can eat.
It is advisable not to eat more than about 7 eggs per week. Take into consideration that other food that contains eggs also falls under this.
How to prepare eggs?
There are several ways to prepare eggs, the best known are boiling and baking. With baking it is pretty easy to see when your eggs are ready, with boiled eggs this is more difficult. It is impossible to see if the eggs are ready from the outside, so below are some time indications for different types of eggs. With boiling eggs it is important that the eggs are completely under water. In addition, it is also useful to rinse the eggs afterwards with cold water. This will make the eggs easier to peel.
- Soft boiled eggs: 4-5 minutes
- Semi-soft boiled eggs: 6-7 minutes
- Hard boiled eggs: 8-10 minutes
What are the nutritional values of an egg?
Below are the nutritional values of 1 egg, we define 1 egg as 50 grams. An egg contains 64 kilocalories of energy.
- 4,4 grams of fat (of which 1,4 grams are saturated and 3,0 grams are unsaturated)
- 6,2 grams of protein
- 0,19 grams of salt
There are close to zero carbohydrates in an egg and also no sugars and fiber.
Lifestyle coach [5+ years of fitness experience]