Eggs are an essential part of our breakfast and occasionally make entry into our dinner table. Culinary world has been enjoying the versatility of eggs for a very long time.
Eggs are a rich source of protein that helps in repairing muscles, blood sugar levels, boost immunity, and weight loss. While eggs are among the healthiest food options, egg yolks have received criticism for quite some time.
There are several myths related to egg yolks that are not true. One of them is egg yolks loaded with cholesterol which is harmful to our heart health. However, there are various benefits of egg yolks, they are rich in dietary cholesterol which doesn’t convert into a high level of blood cholesterol.
“Egg Yolks are more nutritious than egg whites”
According to researchers, most of the nutrients found in eggs are actually present in their yolks. Egg white and yolk together provides the right amount of protein, calories, and fats. Consuming eggs in a meal would make you feel fuller and more satisfied.
So, how many eggs can you include in your meal?
Though it’s hard to determine the exact ratio, according to some veterans “One egg per day” would be a healthy choice. The idea is to stay committed to an average of 1 egg/day for a week, however, you can manage the number of eggs you eat in a day.
Who’s The Real Culprit?
What actually causes high cholesterol is not dietary cholesterol but trans fat and added sugar. Since high levels of blood cholesterol is known to affect heart health. Food specialists thought cholesterol present in food is the real culprit.
However, recent studies have proved dietary cholesterol is safe to consume and doesn’t raise our blood cholesterol. You can certainly include white eggs in your meals unless you are advised by a doctor to avoid eating them.
More Vitamins & Minerals
Egg yolks contain more vitamins and minerals than egg whites. Vitamin A, B, D, K, B6, B12, folate are generally found in a whole egg, out of which Vitamin A, B, D, and K are found in egg yolks only. In fact, egg yolks are among the rarest foods in which natural Vitamin D is found.
Like Vitamins, Yolks are rich in minerals as well. A whole egg contains 13 minerals including Calcium, Magnesium, potassium, sodium, & selenium. Though both egg yolk and white contain these minerals, the larger amount is present in its yellow part. Like, 90% of Calcium & 93 % of Iron present in an egg are found in egg yolks.
Eye Health
The presence of carotenoids is among the major benefits of egg yolks makes it extremely helpful to improve and maintain eye health. Out of three dietary carotenoids — lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, Egg yolks are rich in lutein and Zeaxanthin. Carotenoids are color pigment that provides yellow color to the yolk.
Researchers have proved the benefits of carotenoids in muscular degeneration and contracts. They usually act as antioxidants & protect our eyes from free radicals that can be a potential threat to our eyes.
Benefits of Choline
- Improves cardiovascular functionality
- Helpful in skin aging
- Protects our skin from cancer
- Promotes bone health and boots immunity
- Breast cancer and prostate cancer risk reduction
Presence of Choline
Eggs are among the most common food rich in choline. A regular egg contains around 165 mg of choline that can fulfill 30-36% requirement of our daily intake. The thing is choline is only found in the yellow part of the egg and not in the white part.
Benefits of Choline
- Helps in Regulating Cardiovascular functions
- Reduces the risk of breast cancer
- Helps to reduce the cholesterol from the liver
- Produces DNA and repaid our body
- Helps in memory focus, muscle control, heart regulations, etc.
Conclusion
Eggs are considered best when eaten as a whole. However, over-eating is bad, you must try to limit your intake and restrict it to 7 eggs/ week schedule.
It’s necessary to store and prepare eggs in an effective manner to enjoy the real benefits of egg yolks. The risk of getting a “Salmonella” infection is higher if proper hygienic measures aren’t fulfilled while preparing eggs.