FitSugar

What Do You Eat More Often: Whole Eggs or Egg Whites?

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:47:28 -0700

The good old egg is an excellent source of protein. I always order scrambled eggs or an omelet when I go out to brunch, but I know many women who ditch the yolks and only order egg whites.

Although most of the calories, fat, and cholesterol come from the yolk, it's also very nutritious, containing protein, calcium, vitamin D, and folate. So I'm wondering . . .

Quiz: All About Eggs

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:30:36 -0700

Some mornings, I am all about eggs, and wake up craving them for breakfast. I'm egg-cited for you all to take this quiz to see if you know the nutritional facts about eggs!

Take the quiz

Packaged Hard-Boiled Eggs: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

The company Eggology, known for selling pasteurized egg whites, is now selling packaged hard-boiled eggs - $1 for two eggs. They're cage-free, organic, and pre-cooked and peeled, so if you enjoy eggs for breakfast, in your salad at lunch, or as a pre-workout snack, you don't have to boil or peel their shells off. Not that boiling and peeling an egg is that difficult, but anything that makes it easier to eat healthy seems like a plus. So are you eggcited about these pre-cooked eggs?

Eggs = High Quality Protein

FitSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:30:00 -0800

Protein is the building block of life. You need a healthy dose of the macronutrient daily to build muscle. Plus, protein gives you energy. A new study from the University of Illinois found the humble egg to be a great source of high-quality protein. Egg protein helps preserve muscle mass and provides steady and sustained energy. The study recommends eggs as a protein source for endurance athletes since eggs are high in the amino acid leucine, which helps muscles utilize the fuel glucose. If you were avoiding eggs for health reasons, it is considered safe to eat six eggs a week.

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Eggs vs. Egg Beaters

FitSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Lately I've been hearing so many people talk about how they use Egg Beaters in place of eggs. Original Egg Beaters seem like a healthier alternative to eggs, because the label says it's made from real eggs and contains no cholesterol, but the truth is it only contains egg whites. That's where the protein comes from (6g per 1/4 cup serving). Then to make up for all the missing vitamins you'd get naturally from the egg yolk, synthetic vitamins, spices, and coloring are added back in to make them look and taste more like real eggs. From my experience, they look and taste a little weird.

To hear more about eggs, Egg Beaters, and your cholesterol then read more.

Just because your cholesterol is high, doesn't mean you have to swear off real eggs forever. One egg contains 210 mg of cholesterol, and since the American Heart Association recommends no more than 300mg a day, it's OK to eat one whole egg every day if you wanted to (as long as you're limiting your intake of steak, cheese, and bacon. Plus you don't want to give up the yolk since it contains less sodium than the egg white, and is a great source of valuable vitamins such as hard to come by vitamin D, as well as calcium, and folate.

Since I'm a firm believer in eating foods as close to the real source as possible, I choose eggs over Egg Beaters. After all it is really not that difficult to separate your own egg whites. If you're concerned about your cholesterol, try eating one egg with two egg whites instead of two complete eggs. This way you'll get the benefits from the low calorie, low fat, and high protein of the egg whites, but you'll also get the vitamins found naturally in egg yolks and only 210 mg of cholesterol. Not to mention, it makes me feel better to eat an egg cracked open fresh from a shell, rather than poured out of a container.

Not So Devilish Eggs

FitSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:00:00 -0700

When it comes down to it, Easter is really all about eggs and plenty of them. There always seems to be an excess of hardboiled eggs after the day's festivities wind down. The eternal Easter question seems to be, what to do with all those left over eggs? (Actually, at my house I do field many earnest questions about how the Easter Bunny does his job.)

Here's a way to turn those leftovers into a wonderful snack. Traditional Deviled Eggs contain calorie and fat laden mayonnaise that really has no redeemable nutritional elements. So take your leftover eggs and try this healthy, easy, and super tasty recipe for Not So Devilish Eggs.

To check out the recipe, just read more.

Not So Devilish Eggs
FitSugar

What to do with all those left over hard boiled eggs? Make a healthy treat with this easy, recipe.

Ingredients

1 dozen hard boiled eggs
1 16 oz. container of Hummus (you can go with any variety you want)
A few pinches of Paprika
A handful of slivered almonds

Directions

Cut the eggs in halves (length-wise) and remove the yolk.
Fill the hole where the yolk was in each half with a scoop of hummus.
Top with a few raw, slivered almonds and a pinch of paprika.
Serve and eat!

Why we like it: Deviled eggs are a typical and easy snack but hardly a healthy one due to the yolk and mayonnaise concoction that makes the deviled egg so devilish.
Hummus (rather than a yolk-mayo mixture) cuts the fat and adds iron.
Paprika adds a bit of Lycopene.
Almonds provide some good fats (yup, such a thing exists) that help lower cholesterol.
Egg whites are always a great source of protein.

Print recipe with images | without images

The Incredible, Edible Egg

FitSugar — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

I love eggs and it being Easter, I thought I would celebrate with a quiz about them! Not only are they lovely when dyed, they are nutritious! Take this short quiz and see how well you know eggs.

Source

Take the quiz

Eggs For Eyes?

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:30:00 -0800

Move over carrots, you've been riding on your reputation as the best food for eye health for too long. The incredible, edible egg is chock full of eye friendly antioxidants. It is true that carrots are high in the chemical family of carotenoids, but eggs yolks are high in lutein, a type of carotenoid that helps fight macular degeneration, the leading cause of legal blindness.

It is true that eggs don't contain as much lutein as green leafy veggies, like kale and broccoli, but according to nutritional biochemist Elizabeth Johnson of Tufts, the body is able to absorb these antioxidants better from eggs.

Eggs are definitely a food to stop avoiding. They are good for brain function, as well as dieting since they provide a protein filled breakfast that keeps you full, which in turn prevents overeating later in the day. Now it seems, they are good for your eyes!

Fit's Tip: Eating one egg a day is not considered unhealthy nor will an egg a day increase your risk for stroke or cardiovascular disease. The National Institute of Health found that the small adverse affect of cholesterol in an egg is counterbalanced by the effects of other nutrients including antioxidants, folate, and other B vitamins.

Source

Foods to Stop Avoiding: Eggs

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:15:00 -0800

Just like anything else, foods can get a bad reputation. The thing about reputations is that they can be repaired and scientists are working round the clock to make sure we're not skipping out on foods just because we've heard, through the grapevine, that they're bad. Mushrooms, avocados, peanuts, eggs, and coffee top the list of the top foods with the worst reputations that you should stop avoiding.

Here are highlights on why you should stop avoiding eggs:

Eggs
Misconception: Eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, so they don't have a place in my heart-healthy diet.
Why they're good for you: Eggs contain a variety of substances that appear to promote good health. Choline, a nutrient that is critical to brain function, is one example. Eggs, it seems, are one of the richest food sources of choline. Scientists at the University of North Carolina found adding choline to the diets of pregnant animals improves memory performance in their offspring. It may seem like a leap to apply this finding to people, but researchers are already encouraging pregnant women to eat eggs and other choline-rich foods (such as beef liver) during pregnancy.

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Omega-3 Eggs: A Waste of Money?

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:45:00 -0700

If you're like me, then you've been spending a little extra cash on eggs enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. I've been pretty smug with myself and these eggs, but then my smug little health conscious heart gets broken...

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (or CSPI) would like to stop seven egg producers from implying that their eggs can reduce the risk of heart disease. In fact, says CSPI, egg producers should not be making heart-healthy claims, because the FDA specifically prohibits such claims on eggs and other foods high in cholesterol or saturated fat.

Also, the CSPI thinks that egg producers take advantage of consumers’ limited knowledge of the different types of omega-3s. While the FDA permits claims for a possible reduced risk of heart disease linked to two kinds of omega-3s, DHA and EPA (since the benefits have been proven), the agency does not allow such claims for other kinds of omega-3s. What's more? Even the eggs with the most DHA and EPA contain no more of those omega-3s than the amount in one and a half teaspoons of salmon, the richest source of omega-3s.

To see which eggs are under scrutiny, just read more

Land O Lakes claims that “omega-3 All-Natural Eggs” are a “good source of heart-healthy nutrition” despite the fact that FDA has not defined the term “good source” for omega-3s and that the eggs contain too much saturated fat and cholesterol to meet FDA’s definition of healthy.
Eggland’s Best uses unapproved nutrient content claims for omega-3s on its carton and on its Web site. In addition, the company claims that its eggs have 25 percent less saturated fat than regular eggs. But that difference is less than half a gram-an amount that the FDA considers trivial for purposes of nutrition labeling.
Safeway Specialty 3 Eggs misleadingly boasts “100 mg of omega-3s” even though the FDA has not set standards for such omega-3 claims. In addition, the principal source of omega-3s in the hens’ diets is likely not a source that may be associated with heart benefits.
Gold Circle Farms claims that its eggs contain “450 mg of omega-3s.” The claims are based on two eggs even though the official FDA serving size for eggs is one egg.
The Country Hen illegally claims “the difference is an egg that is simply healthy” even though the product does not meet regulatory requirements for “healthy,” and also makes its claims based on two eggs.
Full Spectrum Farms boasts that its product has “30 mg” of unspecified omega-3s even though one ordinary egg, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, contains 37 mg of omega-3s, 20 mg of which are DHA and EPA.
Giving Nature asserts that the company feeds its hens flax seed which “has been known to hold high levels of DHA omega-3.” But, according to the Flax Council of Canada and others, the omega-3s that FDA considers healthful (DHA and EPA) are not found in plants such as flax seed.

Moral of the story: Think about sticking to fish, fish oil and algae for beneficial omega-3s.

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