Eggs myths busted!

January 28, 2013, 10:51 am IST in One Healthy Day @ A Time | Lifestyle | TOI

Before you abandon it, read this: One of nature’s most perfect foods may be even better for us than previously thought.

Myth 1: Egg is equal to cholesterol!
Reality: Eggs are an excellent source of proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals, and high in folate, which helps makes blood in the body. Researchers at the University of Alberta recently discovered they also contain antioxidant properties, which helps in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. They found the yolks contained two amino acids, tryptophan and tyrosine, which have high antioxidant properties. However, when the eggs are  fried or boiled, antioxidant properties were reduced by about half, and a little more than half if the eggs were cooked in a microwave.

Myth 2: Eggs are fattening!
Reality: At 90 calories, this humble, nutrition-packed handful is extremely useful for those who want to lose weight. A breakfast of one boiled egg and a whole wheat toast increase basal metabolic rate due to the thermogenic (calorie-burning) effects of egg, and stabilise blood sugar, leading to lowered hunger pangs and cravings.

Myth 3: Eggs are heating!
Reality: Egg proteins get converted by enzymes in the stomach and small intestines and produce peptides that act the same way as ACE inhibitors, prescriptions drugs that are used to lower high blood pressure. And peptides can be formulated to help prevent and treat hypertension. Anything that helps lower your blood pressure, cannot be heating, unless you’re consuming too many at a time, in which case, even spinach is bad (too much spinach will give you the runs).

Myth 4: If you’re working out, eat chicken or whey protein, not egg!
Reality: The egg yolk contains loads of fat soluble vitamins, like A, D, E, K and carotenoids.  These fat soluble vitamins do more things than you could imagine;  boost your immune system, reduce your risk of cancer, keep your bones, teeth and skin healthy, support the thyroid gland, reduce the damaging effects of diabetes, promote healthy growth in children to list a few. The egg yolk contains 99% of the zinc, 90% of the calcium and 95% of the folate.  Astonishing!  (zinc is a crucial mineral for sperm count by the way).  Finally get this, egg whites are touted as the protein part of the egg, which is true.  However, the yolk contains 43% of the total egg protein and balances the amino acid profile of the whole food. Need any more pumping?

Myth 5: Eat it raw!
Reality: Unless you’re Rocky Balboa running early in the morning on no feelings, eating raw eggs can make you seriously ill. Contaminated eggs kill up to 5000 individuals each year in the US. One egg in 10,000 is contaminated with salmonella, so you should never eat undercooked eggs, make eggnog on your own or mimic Rocky by swallowing them raw.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
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