#8: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

00Angela00

This is day eight of our education of the 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. Woo Hoo! Some of these you won't be surprised by, some you will. I'll take one out of each food group each day to mix it up a bit.

All information is from the book by jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth".

Day 8: Eggs (including yolk)
I can’t say enough good things about eggs. They’re nature’s most perfect food. Eggs are plentiful, inexpensive, easy to prepare in a zillion different ways, and loaded with vitamins. They’re also one of the best sources of protein on the planet. One three of the four scientific scales for protein quality used in the past few decades—Protein Efficiency Rating, Biological Value, and Net Protein Utilization—eggs consistently score highest in the quality of their protein, soundly beating milk, beef, whey, and soy.

•Eggs are a great source of protein, containing all nine essential amino acids

•Eggs are loaded with vitamins and nutrients that help your eyes, brain, and heart.

•Eggs are one of the best sources of choline which is essential fro cardiovascular and brain function and for the health of your cell membranes

•People avoid egg yolks because they’re afraid of the cholesterol, but the choline in the egg yolk actually helps prevent the accumulation of cholesterol and far in the liver

•Egg yolks and beef liver are two of the richest dietary sources of phosphatidylcholine

•Eggs contain Acetylcholine which is critical for memory and thought

•According to the Physicians’ Desk Reference, adequate acetylcholine levels in the brain are believed
to be protective against certain types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease

•Eggs contain leutein and zeaxanthin which have been found to be among the most effective supplements for eye health

•Eating eggs was one of two major dietary patterns found in one recent study to be protective against breast cancer

•In a study don’t the women eating the most eggs were also least likely to have breast cancer

•Eating six eggs per week vs. two eggs per week lowered their risk of breast cancer by 44%

•The less you scramble or expose the yolk to oxygen, the less the cholesterol gets oxidized

•Poaching is one way to minimize oxidation, boiling is another, and of course, so is eating them raw (which is pretty safe if you use high-quality, cage-free, organically fed, omega-3-enjanced chicken eggs

WORTH KNOWING:
One more thing. Do me a favor. Stop with the egg whites already. If I see one more healthy, robust, well-muscled, athletic person ordering an egg-white omelette for breakfast, I’ll scream. Listen carefully: The egg yolk is good for you! It’s part of the package. Worried about cholesterol? According to the Harvard Medical School Guide to healthy eating, “No research has ever shown that people who eat more eggs have more heart attacks than people who eat few eggs.” People vary widely in their response to dietary cholesterol, and the effects of eggs on your health can’t be predicted by the amount of cholesterol they contain.

For our previous postings:

day one: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57017--1-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
day two: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57180--2-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
day three: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57278--3-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
day four: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57482--4-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
day five: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57516--5-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
day six: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57602--6-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
day seven: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57689--7-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth

mnichol

"Unless You Puke, Faint, or Die, Keep Going!" ~Jillian Michaels



love that! Good article too!!

tamawamara

Thanks for all the great info on eggs!I keep telling my hubby that the whole egg is good for you, not just the white!Thanks for backing my thinking up!Keep up the great posts!Tami:flowerforyou:

JDHINAZ

I me two eggs every morning. The yolks are the best part!

jeanns

How the heck do you poach an egg??? :laugh:

00Angela00

How the heck do you poach an egg??? :laugh:

This is from Mr. Breakfast:

1) Get out a medium or large skillet. You'll want something with a depth of at least 3 inches because that how much water you'll be putting in. I've seen recipes say to use a 1/2 cup to a full cup of water. I prefer the 2 to 3 inches of water measurement. Add a pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil.


2) As your water is heating up, let's crack your egg. The way to go here is to break it into a shallow cup or bowl. A coffee cup will do fine. We're doing this for two reasons: 1) We don't want to break the yolk and 2) we don't want any funky eggs.


3) Before you add the egg to the water, reduce the heat of your water so it is right on the edge of not boiling anymore. Now, gently... gently Florence... ease your egg from the cup into the water. Just let it slide out.


4) This is the fun part. I love watching poached eggs cook. They look like little floating angels or ghosts. Those flowing strands of white are nothing to be worried about. Just sit back and watch the magic. The amount of time you leave it in the water depends on how firm you want your yolk. Generally speaking, it's 3 minutes for medium firmness, 2 minutes if you like them runny, and 4 minutes if you like a firmer yolk (like your friend Mr Breakfast).


5) You'll want to scoop out your egg with a slotted spoon so it can drain. Even if you like your yolk runny, gently finger-touch a thicker part of the egg white to make sure it's firm, as you lift it from the water. If it's not, sink it back in the water a little while longer.


6) Spoon your egg onto a paper towel and gently... gently Florence... also pat the top of the egg with the sides of the towel to remove the excess liquid. Some people might advise you to cut the edges of your egg to make a perfect circle at this point. Those people are crazy. The paper towel will retain any loose strands of white and your egg will be shaped just fine.


7) Now spatula that tasty poached egg onto your plate or on top of a waiting piece of toast and eat the heck out of it. While reviewing poached eggs to write this, I made one simply seasoned with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and a couple loose peppercorns. It was delicious and reminded me how wonderful poached eggs can be.

00Angela00

How the heck do you poach an egg??? :laugh:

This is from Mr. Breakfast:

1) Get out a medium or large skillet. You'll want something with a depth of at least 3 inches because that how much water you'll be putting in. I've seen recipes say to use a 1/2 cup to a full cup of water. I prefer the 2 to 3 inches of water measurement. Add a pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil.


2) As your water is heating up, let's crack your egg. The way to go here is to break it into a shallow cup or bowl. A coffee cup will do fine. We're doing this for two reasons: 1) We don't want to break the yolk and 2) we don't want any funky eggs.


3) Before you add the egg to the water, reduce the heat of your water so it is right on the edge of not boiling anymore. Now, gently... gently Florence... ease your egg from the cup into the water. Just let it slide out.


4) This is the fun part. I love watching poached eggs cook. They look like little floating angels or ghosts. Those flowing strands of white are nothing to be worried about. Just sit back and watch the magic. The amount of time you leave it in the water depends on how firm you want your yolk. Generally speaking, it's 3 minutes for medium firmness, 2 minutes if you like them runny, and 4 minutes if you like a firmer yolk (like your friend Mr Breakfast).


5) You'll want to scoop out your egg with a slotted spoon so it can drain. Even if you like your yolk runny, gently finger-touch a thicker part of the egg white to make sure it's firm, as you lift it from the water. If it's not, sink it back in the water a little while longer.


6) Spoon your egg onto a paper towel and gently... gently Florence... also pat the top of the egg with the sides of the towel to remove the excess liquid. Some people might advise you to cut the edges of your egg to make a perfect circle at this point. Those people are crazy. The paper towel will retain any loose strands of white and your egg will be shaped just fine.


7) Now spatula that tasty poached egg onto your plate or on top of a waiting piece of toast and eat the heck out of it. While reviewing poached eggs to write this, I made one simply seasoned with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and a couple loose peppercorns. It was delicious and reminded me how wonderful poached eggs can be.

PS you can also buy egg poachers that shape the eggs in cool designs like hearts, etc. :-D

ivykivy

I eat the yolks. My hair is fabulous. So I guess the yolks and not just for dog hair. Arrph:laugh:

Thanks Angela:flowerforyou:

vanessadawn

Of course the yolk is the most nutritious part, considering it is supposed to fuel the development and growth of a whole baby chick (gross but true lol). But a lot of people, like me, don't eat the yolks as often because it adds an additional 50-60 calories. So sometimes I pass on the yolk, but egg whites are still a great way to get protein. :bigsmile:

stratdl

...maybe part of the reason that eggs became so "bad for you" was that people were eating them after they'd been fried to death in bacon grease and topped with a pound of cheese?

staclo

I love the yolks too, however I'm avoiding them right now b/c of the additional fat. I'd rather be able to have more whites for the protein value. But once I'm maintaining instead of losing weight, I'm definitely going to be including those yolks again! Thanks for the post! :happy:

00Angela00

I eat the yolks. My hair is fabulous. So I guess the yolks and not just for dog hair. Arrph:laugh:

Thanks Angela:flowerforyou:

Isn't there some kind of beauty tip of mixing eggs with your shampoo? haha, I just thought of that

00Angela00

...maybe part of the reason that eggs became so "bad for you" was that people were eating them after they'd been fried to death in bacon grease and topped with a pound of cheese?

oh! you mean that's bad? jj

isadoraworkman

I put vinegar in the water when i poach the eggs..it prevents the loose strands of egg white...holds it together, so to speak.

barbiecat

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
thank you, this is great information
:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

danni55

i have never had a poached egg before and this post makes me want to eat only poached eggs!! I am a non yolk eater most of the time though. Nothing to do with cholesterol or anything, I just am not a huge fan of it. I LOVE hard boiled eggs (which is why I love easter soooo much haha) and always hated the dry icky texture of the yolk. But once in a while I will make sunny side up on a griddle for my fiance and have one with not completely solid yolk and a piece of whole grain toast.....yummy!