Are eggs heart-hazardous capsules of cholesterol or a must-eat wonder food? Clinical nutritionist, health coach and author Stephanie Moore uncovers the truth of this affordable protein.
As a clinical nutritionist, I spend most of my days advising people on how to optimise their food choices to ensure they are in the best possible health for the long-term. People tend to think about their food purely as a source of energy or calories. But food is so much more than that. What really matters when it comes to healthy ageing is whether the food we choose to eat provides the necessary nourishment (not just energy) for our 37 trillion cells to function optimally. Vitamins, minerals, essential fats and proteins, as well as hundreds of complex compounds are all needed for the body to repair and regenerate. This is why we need nutrient-dense foods.
Few foods fill this brief as well as eggs do. They’re deeply nourishing and contain a wide range of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and easily digested protein, plus antioxidants for cell protection – all in one neat and tasty little bundle. The egg white is widely known to be a great source of complete protein (around 60% of an egg’s total protein is found here), which is essential for tissue healing, and muscle and bone health. In fact, one medium-sized egg contains around 7-8 grams of bioavailable protein, with all the essential amino acids (in the ideal ratio) to be used as building blocks for repair and maintenance around the body. Easy-to-absorb protein is important at any age or stage, but especially so during midlife, when we can struggle to hold on to our muscle.
Eggs are also rich in vitamin D, a pre-hormone that is essential for brain health, immune function, bone and muscle growth, healthy skin and a happy gut. The vast majority of people in the UK are vitamin D deficient or sub-optimal and, with very few foods containing good levels, eggs are one of the most useful sources of this precious fat-soluble vitamin. Two eggs provide around 80% of our daily requirement.
Eggs are one of the richest food sources of choline, a B-like vitamin essential for good brain and mental health. Choline is a precursor to a critical neurotransmitter known as acetylcholine that helps regulate many functions in the brain. According to Dr Drew Ramsey, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, and founder of the Brain Food Clinic in New York City, ‘eggs contain every nutrient we need to make a brain cell’.
Two eggs provide around 50% of our daily folate requirement. Folate is one of the B vitamins strongly associated with energy product
