Health
Eating of eggs as part of the diet is not as harmful as some persons deem it to be
By Benprince Ezeh
For years, eggs were considered more of a health risk than a healthy food. This is because they were considered a high cholesterol food, so those with high cholesterol levels were advised to avoid them.
According to dieticians, an egg contains the highest biological value or ‘gold standard’ for protein. It also has only 75 calories but 7 grams of high quality protein, 5 grams of fat, and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, along with iron, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids. The egg is a powerhouse of disease fighting nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin. These carotenoids may reduce the risk of age related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults. And brain development and memory may be enhanced by the choline content of eggs.
In 2000, the American Heart Association, AHA revised its dietary guidelines and gave healthy adults the green light to enjoy eggs once again. The AHA’s guidelines now allow an egg a day for healthy adults while still advising a total daily cholesterol limit of 300 mg.
The confusion over the egg stems from its cholesterol content. One large egg contains 213 mg of cholesterol, accounting for two-thirds of the recommended daily limit. So, when scientists learned that high blood cholesterol was associated with heart disease, foods high in cholesterol logically became suspect.
But after 25 years of study, it has become evident that cholesterol in food is not the culprit, but saturated fat that has much bigger effect on blood cholesterol. Full fat dairy products and fatty meats are examples of foods that are loaded with saturated fat and which trigger the body to produce cholesterol.
Adaolisa Obiesie, a dietarian and nurse with a general hospital in Anambra State, said that if you had been advised by your dietarian to change your diet in an attempt to reduce your blood cholesterol levels, the best way is to keep to daily guideline intakes for saturated fat ‘20g for the average woman and 30g for the average man’ opting instead for mono-unsaturated fats found in olive and rapeseed oils.
”It’s also advised to increase your intake of fruit, vegetables and fibre, whilst minimising sugars and refined carbs.”
Indeed, some people prefer boiled eggs to fried ones so as to avoid oil fats. But Obiesie said that there is not much difference. “It depends on how you want to prepare your meal, if I had taken boiled in the last three days, I might opt for fried for the next four days depending on what am eating it with.
“Both the white and yolk of an egg are rich in nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals with the yolk also containing cholesterol, fat soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids but are also an important and versatile ingredient for cooking, as their particular chemical makeup is literally the glue of many important baking reactions,” she said.
Indeed, Jennifer Ani, an educationist and caterer, said that she loves eating eggs and she boils her often. “I prefer boiled eggs to fried because I dislike oil and the talk of cholesterol is really frightening me. And I also use egg in baking,” Ani said.
On her part, Chioma Ezeh, a mother of two and an educationist, often gives her children eggs for its nutrients and massive protein that it contains. “My children like eating eggs and they prefer boiled ones which I give them at least four times in a week for their healthy growths,” she said.
For Ifunanya Enenta, a student of the University of Nsukka in Enugu, fried eggs are no-go area for him. The last time he ate fried eggs, it lande him in a hospital. “When I became ill, the doctor said that I should not be eating egg again, if I must, it should be boiled ones and just once a week because am developing cholesterol and soon it will affect my heart. That was how I stopped eating it entirely,” Enenta said.
So, it is different strokes for different folks.
BE
– Jan. 30, 2019 @ 17:55 GMT |
Tags: Why Egg is essential to human health
