The Incredible Egg

Today lets talk about eggs. Yes, eggs. The incredible egg in fact. Now we've all seen the commercials for the incredible egg but do you actually know how good they are for you? While eggs are full of vitamins and minerals, they also are less than 15 cents per egg, have approximately 70 calories, and are an all natural resource. Plus with all the nutrients, eggs can play a vital role in pregnancy, muscle strength, weight management, eye health, and brain function! Not only can eggs do all that, but eggs are of the highest quality of protein.  How do eggs play a part in all of the areas mentioned above?

Pregnancy: Eggs are an excellent source of choline which is an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects.

Muscle Strength: Due to eggs having the highest quality of protein, this helps active adults build and maintain their muscle strength.

Weight Management: Not only does the protein in eggs help build muscle strength, but will keep you full and energized longer throughout the day. And that's exactly what you should be looking for in a breakfast item, staying full and energized.

Eye Health: There are two antioxidants in eggs that help prevent macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of age-related blindness, lutein and zeaxanthin. And according to this article, although the amounts lutein in eggs is small, eggs have been found to be a more bio available resource than other food sources. 

Brain Function: Choline, which is vital for fetal brain development continues to work in adult brains as well. Choline aids the brain function that maintains important structures that are a key component of the neurotransmitter that relays messages from the brain to the muscles in our bodies.

Wow! I can't believe just a simple egg can do all of that!! My favorite way of incorporating eggs into my breakfast meal is with an omelet. Eggs are great vehicles for adding other ingredients, and bonus they only take a few minutes to whip up!

The Spinach Ham & Cheese Omelet

prep: 5 minutes

cook time: 5 minutes

servings: 1 to 2

ingredients

2 eggs

2 tbsp water

1 tsp butter

salt & pepper

1/4 cup of shredded Italian cheese blend (1 oz)

1/4 cup baby spinach

1/4 cup finely chopped ham

1. Beat eggs and water in small bowl until blended.
2. Heat butter in 7 to 10-inch nonstick omelet pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Tilt pan to coat bottom. Pour in egg mixture. Mixture should set immediately at edges.
3. Gently push cooked portions from edges toward the center with inverted turner so that uncooked eggs can reach the hot pan surface. Continue cooking, tilting pan and gently moving cooked portions as needed.
4. When top surface of eggs is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, season with salt and pepper. Place cheese on one side of omelet; top with spinach and ham. Fold omelet in half with turner. With a quick flip of the wrist, turn pan and invert or slide omelet onto plate. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

calories: 299
total fat: 20g
saturated fat: 9g
cholesterol: 418mg
sodium: 642mg
carbohydrates: 2g
protein: 25g
vitamin A: 1,262.3IU
vitamin D: 91.9IU
folate: 47.4mcg
calcium: 264.9mg
iron: 2.2mg
choline: 274.2mg

I can't wait to try out more omelets now knowing how wonderful they are for my body! 

Sources:

incredibleegg.org

Journal of Nutrition 
www.sxc.hu