Eggs as a source of proteins, minerals and vitamins
Eggs are a creation of nature, which is conceived so that the chick embryo is surrounded by proteins, vitamins and minerals. Even with the knowledge of the high cholesterol content and the possibility of contracting salmonellosis, eggs are still an inexpensive and very popular food product.
Cooking methods and heat treatment do not affect their nutritional quality in any way. Eggs provide our body with many vitamins and minerals. They contain vitamin B12, which is essential for our nervous system. An egg that has undergone prolonged heat treatment is less digestible. Almost completely digested after 1-2 hours, soft-boiled eggs, hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs after 3 hours.
Eggs are very nutritious and do not make you fat. In addition, there are many therapeutic diets aimed at reducing the amount of protein in the diet. For such diets, eggs are used, which contain 13% protein and only 80 kcal, which is necessary for the diet.
Yolks contain lecithin, which is rich in choline, and it promotes the transport of cholesterol in the blood and the breakdown of fats. Again, it is present in the composition of cell membranes and nerve fibers. The human body is able to produce the required amount of choline itself, but the additional choline obtained removes accumulated fats from the liver, and again heals some types of nervous diseases. Egg yolk has a remarkable property, it causes contractions of the gallbladder, this stimulates the outflow of bile into the intestines, and this leads to an improvement in peristalsis and helps the absorption of fats. It is worth noting that fried eggs or eggs with mayonnaise (or with a similar sauce) are undesirable for liver problems.
It is not at all recommended to eat eggs for people who have gallstones. This can be explained by the fact that egg yolk causes a strong muscle contraction. This is really the only reason why you should stop eating eggs.
Useful properties of eggs
Eggs are a source of niacin, which is needed to nourish the brain and the formation of sex hormones, vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting; choline (mentioned earlier) improves memory, removes toxins from the liver; lecithin - dissolves plaque in the walls of blood vessels.
Again, eggs contain vitamins E, B2, B6, B12, biotin and folic acid, which does not allow the development of congenital malformations in newborns, has a high energy value with a content of valuable proteins and bioregulators, a lot of minerals (calcium, iron), again vitamin A and nicotinic acid.
An ordinary eggshell contains such trace elements: fluorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, sulfur, zinc, silicon and others, a total of 27 elements! In the shell of one egg there are 2 grams of calcium (so that calcium is absorbed completely well, it should be used with lemon juice). For adults, it would be good to conduct such a course twice a year for 15-20 days. Before use, eggs should be washed in warm water and soap, then rinsed. The white and yolk are removed from the egg, rinsed again, and placed in boiling water for 5 minutes. If the eggs are hard-boiled, then they are less active, although they are already suitable for use. Consume up to three grams, taking into account age. You can grind in a coffee grinder.
It should be noted that there are no carbohydrates and vitamin C in eggs, they can cause allergies.
We advise against buying cracked or broken eggs. Please note that there is no difference in nutritional value between brown and white eggs.
How to store eggs properly.
Eggs should be stored in the refrigerator, not in the door, but in the main chamber. Best of all in an open container or in the original packaging so that the expiration date is known. It is best with the pointed end down, so that the yolk is in the center, without touching the air layer filling the blunt end. Fulfilling all these conditions, eggs are stored for three weeks. Again, the cells should be rinsed periodically, as the shell is not airtight and bacteria can penetrate through it.
How to check the freshness of eggs?
Can eggs be tested using ordinary water? Place the egg in a glass 3/4 full of water:
1. The bottom has sunk, which means that it was freshly demolished no more than 3 days ago.
2. Floats upright, demolished a week ago.
3. Surfaced immediately, part of the egg protrudes from the water, laid three or more weeks ago.
In order not to lose vitamins in the yolk, cook soft-boiled eggs.
Eggs and cholesterol
In fact, eggs have a lot of cholesterol, but they are less harmful, since cholesterol is balanced by lecithin, which is present in the yolk and participates in the nutrition of nerve cells.
How many eggs can you eat in order not to exceed the acceptable dose of cholesterol in eggs? On the advice of nutritionists, no more than four eggs per week. According to WHO, the number of eggs, given and contained in other food products (mayonnaise, cakes, mousses, biscuits) should be no more than 10 pieces per week. Although, given the research results, after eating eggs, the level of cholesterol in the blood practically does not increase.
One large egg contains 6-8 grams of protein and 5-7 grams of fat, of which 2 grams are saturated fat. A medium-sized egg yolk contains about 350-400 milligrams of cholesterol. The permissible amount of cholesterol consumed per day for women is 290 mg, and for men is 390 mg. In reality, the worry is not about cholesterol from food, but about that which is produced by the liver from saturated fat. It can be concluded from this that people who have high blood cholesterol need to worry.
For those whose blood cholesterol content exceeds the permissible norm, we recommend eating 1 yolk with 1 or 2 proteins (cholesterol is contained in the yolk). Scrambled eggs can be cooked with one yolk and two egg whites in a non-stick skillet that has been greased with butter (preferably milk). It should be noted that egg white is a source of easily digestible protein.
Eggs and salmonellosis
For an egg to cause salmonellosis, a combination of two conditions is necessary: firstly, the egg must be infected, and secondly, it must be stored improperly.
However, it does not often happen that all these two conditions coincide, but nevertheless, the necessary precautions should be taken.
According to statistics, out of 7000 eggs, only one is found infected with salmonella. But still, for safety reasons, you should not eat raw eggs, or soft-boiled eggs. Dishes such as sauces and mousses are based on raw eggs, so they cannot be considered safe. Especially it is necessary to be careful for the elderly, sick, children, pregnant women, AIDS patients, people with weak immune systems.
In order to avoid various kinds of bacteria, eggs must be carefully cooked. Cook for at least 7 minutes (5 minutes for poached eggs), fry for 3 minutes on both sides. The white and yolk must be firm. The omelet should be dry. Cook duck eggs for at least 15 minutes. And it's best to bake them, not boil them. Goose and duck eggs are much more nutritious than chicken eggs. But you have to be careful, as there are more harmful microorganisms in the eggs of waterfowl.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
