Power Food: Eggs

Eggs are a near-perfect food – they are full of essential nutrients, provide a variety of healthful benefits, are inexpensive, versatile and delicious. Find out more about this power food below, and give our egg recipes a try - Breakfast Egg Muffins, Baked Scotch Eggs and No-Mayo Egg Salad Sandwich - you won't be sorry!

• Choline
Choline is an essential nutrient that plays an important part in regulating the nervous system, in cardiovascular health, as well as an key role in brain and memory function. Eggs (in particular the egg yolk) is an excellent source of choline.


• Eye Health
Lutein is a nutrient that has been shown to lower the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. Eggs not only contain a good amount of lutein (found in the yolk), but to contain in a highly bio-available form. In fact, even though spinach contains a higher concentration of the nutrient than eggs do, studies have shown that the amount of lutein that is absorbed by the body is significantly higher from eggs than spinach (or even a supplement!).


• Source of Complete Protein
Eggs are a good source of protein, providing over 6g of high quality protein per egg. And they are not only protein-dense, but it is also a complete protein, providing all the essential amino acids, meaning that it is not necessary to combine eggs with any other food to get all the necessary amino acids for protein synthesis and muscle growth.


• Vitamin D
Eggs are one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D, and each egg provides almost 6% of your RDA of Vitamin D. This important vitamin is necessary to keep your bones and teeth strong and regulates the growth and activity of your cells. Although you can get plenty of this vitamin naturally from the sun, with growing concern over sun exposure and skin cancer risks (not to mention those dark, dreary winter months), it's important to get enough vitamin D from your food sources as well.


• Selenium
An important mineral for anyone leading an active lifestyle. It helps protect your cells from free-radical damage (intense activity has been shown to increase free-radical generation), critical to maintaining proper function of the thyroid (a properly functioning thyroid is essential to a healthy metabolism) and it helps lower your risk of joint inflammation, which is especially important to athletes who put a lot of pressure on their joints. Eggs are a very good source of selenium, providing almost 20% of your daily requirement.


• Tryptophan
An essential amino acid that the body uses to synthesize protein, it's also a precursor for serotonin, which helps the body regulate appetite, sleep patterns and mood: All important factors in maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. One egg provides you with almost 22% of your daily recommended intake.


• Healthy Fats
Eggs are often thought of as a high fat food, but this is a common misperception – eggs contain less than 5g of fat and only 1.5g of that is saturated – the rest are made up of healthy unsaturated fats, such as monounsaturated fats that actually help lower ‘bad’ cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Most of the unhealthy association with eggs comes from foods that are typically cooked or eaten with eggs such as cheese, butter, bacon or sausage and hashbrowns – eggs on their own are extremely healthful and the fats they do contain are beneficial.


• Vitamin B2
Vitamin B2, commonly known as riboflavin, plays a crucial role in certain metabolic reactions, mainly in the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar, which is "burned" to produce energy. Riboflavin is also an antioxidant, which means it can neutralize damage-causing free radicals. As well, riboflavin is required for red blood cell formation and respiration, as well as regulating growth and reproduction – it’s essential for healthy skin, nails, hair growth, regulating thyroid activity and general good health. One egg contains over 13% of your RDA for this important vitamin.


• Vitamin B12
This essential B-vitamin plays an important part in red cell development and in preventing anemia. It also helps your nerve cells develop properly and helps your body metabolize proteins, fats and carbohydrates. One egg provides over 8% of your RDA of Vitamin B12.