The Humble, Life-Giving Egg

Did you know the yolk of an egg has an almost perfect balance of good healthy fats?
Photo: Mo Riza

The humble egg has been given a really bad rap over the last few decades.

It has been accused of being ‘too high in fat and too high in cholesterol’. Truth be told, our humble little chicken egg serves one purpose: to provide all the key nutrients necessary to start life, albeit chicken life.

When we break the egg down into components, it’s a near perfect food all wrapped up in an easy to prepare and eat package. Eggs are incredibly high in protein – half can be found in the whites, while the other half is in the yolk.

Eggs are also high in essential substances such as vitamins A, D, E, B1, B2, B6, Folic Acid, B12, choline, biotin and minerals – calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron.

“Most studies have shown that eating cholesterol laden foods does not substantially change blood cholesterol levels.”

In addition the yolk of an egg has an almost perfect balance of good healthy fats, such as omega 3s, which are predominantly healthy monounsaturated fats and virtually no carbohydrate.

Even environmentally they are great because they result in almost no waste.

For those worried about cholesterol, most studies have shown that eating cholesterol laden foods does not substantially change blood cholesterol levels.

In fact, an elevation in cholesterol is generally caused by poor fat metabolism from excessive carbohydrate intake, poor alcohol consumption and low levels of exercise, once again making the humble old egg a great solution.

Eating an egg is a great way to start your day. Its high levels of protein and nutrients provide us with a hit of prolonged energy to last us well through the morning – it’s also quick to prepare and easy to eat.

Just try and keep the yolks on the runny side more often than not to avoid denaturing the good healthy fats.

For those who prefer something a little more exciting than soft boiled eggs, try this recipe out:

Spice up your breakfast with this Spanish egg recipe

Spanish Eggs

Cooking time:

15-20 mins

Ingredients:

1 chorizo sausage
1 small onion
1/2 ts hot chilli
1/2 ts paprika
1/2 ts cumin
1 jar pasta sauce
3-5 small eggs
Fetta cheese

Method:

1. In a small frying pan, lightly brown the chorizo.
2. Whilst frying, finely chop the onion.
3. Remove the chorizo and thinly slice.
4. Add the chorizo and onion back to the frying pan.
5. Once the onion has softened, add the cumin, chilli and paprika. Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add the jar of tomato sauce and turn heat down. Allow to simmer until the sauce has thickened.
7. Crack the eggs onto the mixture, cover and leave to simmer for 4 minutes or until eggs are cooked to liking. The simmering should cause the egg white to disperse into the sauce.
8. Remove from heat and sprinkle some fresh fetta over the top.

Serve on its own or with a warm buttered fresh piece of toasted sourdough wholemeal bread!

Give it a try. For a week, just add an egg a day to your breakfast, or swap the cereal and toast for a couple eggs and see how your week ends up.