All my fellow egg eaters know the question you get when you order an egg sandwich or eggs at the diner. “How would you like your eggs done?” I usually always say scrambled. I really enjoy eggs in all forms though, sunny side up, scrambled, hard boiled, poached– they all appeal to me. But sometimes I wonder, and this may sound kind of stupid, do eggs in all forms have the same nutritional value? As well as that, why do some people advise you stay away from the yolk of the egg while others say it’s good for you? I had to figure it out.
What I found out from Livestrong.com was that cooked eggs have the same amount of protein as raw eggs. Now, unless you’re putting raw egg in some kind of shake, I don’t know who would eat these but that’s beside the point. Cooking the eggs allows protein strands to break up and therefore digest better, making them only slightly better for your body. Some may say that hard boiled eggs are healthier for you than an omelette or scrambled eggs but that isn’t because of the actual egg. Most omelettes require a pan to be greased as well as ingredients like cheese and bacon to be added into it. Likewise, scrambled eggs are typically made with a buttered pan and milk mixed into the eggs. These are the only reasons that they are thought to be “less healthy”, but really there is no nutritional difference.
People also seem to be concerned with the egg yolk. I used to get egg white omelettes but soon after I stopped caring. Should I though? I read an article from Harvards School of Public Health. Apparently, there is in fact a correlation with egg yolk and heart disease due to the cholesterol content in the yolks. After the schools study and research, they came to the conclusion that one egg a day is generally safe for your body. They also stated that 3 eggs a day in an omelette per se is not the best idea (which concerns me and my breakfast choices.) And as well as that, the Harvard Public Health school suggests no more than 3 yolks PER WEEK. Yikes.
Another question that came over me was “which type of egg is the best to eat?” My dad always bought white eggs but my mom always purchased brown. Does it make a difference if its brown, white, organic, free range, etc.? According to this Times article, there is no difference between white and brown eggs. So what does it matter which ones you buy? And as for organic and those fancy, more expensive kind of eggs, it really just depends on personal preference.
So what can you take out of this? Eat a healthy amount of eggs but don’t over-do it. (Kind of contradicting, huh?)
Interesting post! I am honestly pretty shocked at your findings in the first article because I would have never known there were actual connections with egg yolk and health risks. I always thought that the yolks were the best part for you but people just preferred not to eat them, but that shows how much I know. I eat eggs all of the time and I guess now I will second guess what I have for breakfast everyday or at least change it up a bit every couple days. I do however have recently switched to only buying organic eggs because of the benefits that they have. So organic vs non-organic isn’t really just a personal preference, there are benefits to organic, as mentioned in this article .
Yum eggs. You put forth some interesting information thats good to keep in mind when it comes to long term health. I’ve always wondered what the difference was between brown and white eggs, but guess now I know. If only 3 yokes a week are whats recommended, here are some good recipes using just egg whites http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/egg-cellent-5-egg-white-recipes.html