5 Reasons Why Eggs Should be on Your Plate This Month
I can’t believe it’s already May! As excited as I am about the warmer weather, there is something happening this month that I am even more EGG-cited about. Can you guess what it is? It’s National Egg Month! Egg-cellent right?! Okay, I will stop with the corny egg jokes, but the truth is I can’t get enough of eggs. I love them so much that I have partnered with the American Egg Board to share with you my top 5 reasons why eggs need to be an essential part of your diet. Get ready to get cracking!
Eggs may reduce the risk of stroke
At least twice a week I have clients tell me that they love eggs, but they avoid them because they are concerned about the cholesterol content. Guess what? The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans remove the daily limit on dietary cholesterol and include eggs in all three recommended healthy eating patterns. In fact a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition shows that up to one egg per day is associated with a 12 percent reduction in the risk of stroke, the 5th leading cause of death in the United States.
Eggs are an affordable source of high quality protein
Did you know the average egg costs less than $0.20? As one of the least expensive sources of high-quality protein, eggs may help to boost the nutrition of your whole family while reducing your grocery bill. One large egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and nine essential amino acids, all for 70 calories per egg. That means you could serve two eggs a day to each member of a four-person family all week long for around $11!
Eggs are a natural source of vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that most of us fall short on. It plays a large role in bone health, and deficiencies of vitamin D may be linked to many chronic disorders such as depression and even certain cancers. Few foods contain vitamin D, which makes it a challenge to take in the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) from diet alone. Eggs, however, are one of the few foods that contain a natural source of vitamin D with one large egg providing 41 IU of vitamin D (or about 10% of the DV).
Eggs may help to shrink your waistline
Have you ever noticed that when you have eggs for breakfast, you feel much more satisfied after your meal than when you have a high carb option like a bagel? You aren’t alone. Research published in the International Journal of Obesity suggests eating eggs for breakfast may help promote weight loss, lower body mass index and shrink the waistline more effectively than compared to eating a bagel breakfast of equal calories. If you are struggling to lose or maintain a healthy body weight, try swapping your high carbohydrate breakfast, such as a bagel, for eggs instead. This small change may just be one of your most powerful tools in the struggle to slim your waistline.
Eggs are an incredibly versatile food
Fun egg fact: The average American eats 276 eggs per year! That is a lot of eggs, but because eggs are so versatile, you can have them every day and never get bored. Think of all the ways you can incorporate eggs into your diet: hard-boiled, scrambled, poached, as an omelet, as a quiche, in a recipe, and the list goes on and on. For my family, we love eggs in any form, but we especially love these On-the-Go Veggie Egg Muffins and my Breadless Breakfast Quiche. If you are looking for more ways to incorporate eggs into your diet, check out the IncredibleEgg.org for more great recipe ideas.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy eggs? Show me your favorite photo or video of your delicious egg dishes on Twitter or Instagram using #EggChallenge and #Contest and you could win a kitchen prize pack from the American Egg Board. Winners will be announced weekly throughout the month of May. Visit http://www.incredibleegg.org/eggchallenge for more details. I am so EGG-cited to see what you come up with!
This post is sponsored by the American Egg Board. All opinions are my own.