EGGcellent Health

I hope you already heard, but last Friday a huge salmonella outbreak led to the recall of numerous brands and cartons of eggs. Sometimes we put all our eggs in one basket, but before you do make sure to check the labels!  Visit the U.S. egg safety site to learn which eggs are the ones to ditch.

 

What you need to know, is that the CDC has received over 2,000 reports of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE), a common bacteria found in eggs that results in food poisoning. Most cases of salmonella go unreported, however since mid-July the CDC has confirmed way more cases than normal linking them all the way back to the egg farms across the states. Currently, about 16 different brands have been recalled, but the list continues to grow daily so check back whenever you can.

 

So what are the symptoms? How can I treat SE? How can I avoid it all together?

 

Symptoms – Fever, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea 15 to 72 hours after eating

Treatment – Hydration is the best route, anti-biotics can actually prolong the duration of Salmonella

How to avoid – Throw out the infected eggs, keep eggs refrigerated, and discard cracked or dirty eggs

 

With the breakout aside, I’m here to tell you that eggs are actually EGGcellent for your health. Eggs sometimes get a bad reputation, particularly because of their high cholesterol content. People are under the impression that the cholesterol in eggs directly translates into elevated blood cholesterol, makes sense right? This is actually not true.

 

According to a study cited by WebMD involving 25 years of research, cholesterol in food is surely not responsible for increases in our blood cholesterol. The cholesterol in our bloodstream is much more influenced by the amount of saturate fat in our diets. For example, consuming full-fat dairy products or fatty meats trigger our bodies to produce much more cholesterol than an egg. Basically, I’m giving you the okay to crack an egg and here’s why:

 

-  Keep you feeling full! Highest biological value for protein (along with milk)

-  1 Egg = 75 calories, 7grams of protein, 5grams of fat

-  Nutrient rich! Packed with iron, vitamins, and minerals

-  Good for your eyes! Eggs contain high amounts of carotenoids, which are linked to reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration (blindness)

-  Healthy Brain! Choline content in eggs has be linked to increasing brain development and memory

-  Easy to Eat and inexpensive! Truly a quick fix in the morning and cheap

 

Staying on a low-fat diet is sometimes difficult, so by incorporating eggs into the plan you’ll stay satiated longer. As a general warning, make sure to still monitor your egg intake throughout the week because we still have to keep an eye on our cholesterol content for the day. The American Heart Association allows for one egg a day, while still limiting daily cholesterol to 300 mg. So there may be a recall going on, but don’t let that get you down, scramble it up whenever you can!

 

Check out the Member's Only website for healthy egg recipes!