A protein pill you can take every day? Eggs aren’t your average tablet, they’re obviously bigger, and natural. What’s not so obvious is they’re absolutely packed with nutritional value.
Each egg has nearly 7 grams of protein, presented with an ideal blend of high-quality protein building blocks to make it easy for your body to absorb. Given protein needs increase with age, eating eggs is an easy way to get the protein we need.
Eggs are full of vital vitamins and minerals too; apart from vitamin C eggs have all the vitamins you can think of. Actually, eggs are one of the few food sources of vitamin D, which help your body absorb calcium and maintain phosphorus levels – two factors that are extremely important for maintaining healthy bones. Vitamin D can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, which is a major health risk for older people, especially women. It also has a role in maintaining a healthy immune system.
Among the many antioxidants in eggs is lutein, which has been shown to help reduce age-related vision loss from macular degeneration. It also helps to protect the eyes against cataracts.
All these nutrients together make for quite a potent little pill!
No wonder the New Zealand Ministry of Health agrees eggs can be enjoyed by most people every day of the week.
These guidelines are set by a panel of New Zealand experts to outline the best diet for maintaining health, based on current evidence. The latest research shows that earlier concerns about regularly eating eggs missed the mark, and this natural whole food can be enjoyed on a daily basis.
The only exceptions are those who are hyper-responders to cholesterol. If you’re one of them, have a chat to your health professional about eating eggs. The NZ Heart Foundation recommend a limit of six to seven eggs per week for people at increased risk of heart disease
Eggs are not only highly nutritious, great for protein and easy to digest, they’re easily affordable too!
RECIPE: 40 second omelette
The 40 second omelette is a great way of using what ever you have in the fridge!
The choice of fillings you can use is endless! Cheese, spinach, ham, tomato, mussels, cooked rice, left over pasta, tuna, sweetcorn and so on.
Ingredients
- 2 x Grade 7 eggs
- 2 Tbsp of water
- Salt and pepper
- Tbsp butter
- ½ cup filling of your choice
Method
- Beat eggs and water together until blended, adding salt and pepper to taste.
- In a 26cm non stick pan, heat butter until it sizzles – but not burnt.
- Pour in egg mixture.
- With an inverted spatula, pull the cooked portions of egg from the perimeter of the pan to the centre so any uncooked egg can run into the cleared hot pan surface. Do this until the egg is set and will not flow. Don’t cook until it’s dry! The moist egg will finish cooking when the omelette is folded over.
- Sprinkle all of the filling on the left side of the egg (left handed people fill the right side). Slide the spatula all the way under the unfilled side of the omelette up to the centre of it. Fold the unfilled side entirely over the filled side. Set aside spatula.
- Holding the pan in your right hand and a plate in your left hand, invert the pan so the omelette falls upside down onto the plate (left handed people use opposite hands).
- Garnish to serve.