Nutrition Unscrambled

Good Company with Friends and Eggs

By Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN
June 30th, 2011

It is always good to get away and enjoy time with new and old friends.  This past weekend we spent the weekend with friends at a cabin by Starved Rock State Park.  Two days and thirty-six eggs later, we ate yummy breakfasts to start our day.

We kept it simple with scrambled eggs.  Other options to go along with our eggs were turkey bacon, whole wheat toast, pancakes, orange juice and some fruit.  Of course all 10 of us made our breakfast plates look a little different.   The first day, I chose to have some grapes along with a “half sandwich” (a piece of toast, eggs and 2 pieces of turkey bacon which I folded in half) and the second day I had pancakes with my scrambled eggs.   Others decided to have their eggs with cheese.  One person ate everything in a bowl together with syrup; while another person had plain eggs and a plain pancake. It goes to show we can take the same eggs and have them in different ways.   We were fueled for our hiking, boating and other activities!

This brings me back to the statement we often say around here -it’s the company an egg shares that gives it the “bad” reputation.  Remember, there is room for the all foods and we make choices.  I think showing people the “good” company an egg can share and how healthy, quick and easy it can be is important.  The best part is that you can balance the company even over the weekend!

So my questions to you are:   

  • How do you talk about eggs as health professionals?
  • How do your client’s depict them and how can we continue to change the face of eggs?

~Anna



Give Eggs the Company they Deserve

By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
March 7th, 2011

When observing focus groups around the country which included physicians, nurses, dietitians and personal trainers it was interesting to see how these health professionals viewed eggs and dietary cholesterol.  Most health professionals felt eggs were a healthy food choice especially compared to available alternatives. In fact, it was often heard that eggs got a bad rap and they did not feel that the food deserved to be the icon of indulgence. What we heard is that eggs offered many valuable nutrients lacking in their patient’s diets and suggested an egg is a better choice than sweetened cereals, breakfast bars or donuts. What concerned most health professionals were what other foods people choose to eat with eggs. They generally agreed that eggs need to choose new friends and could be considered healthy if they weren’t accompanied by the saturated fat and sodium found in other breakfast foods. This striking misperception is often exemplified in restaurant menus that list egg white omelets accompanied by high fat and high sodium bacon or sausage with white toast as the healthy choice, giving the impression that egg yolks are the unhealthy element.

 In fact, scientific research has shown that the egg yolk supplies about 40% of the high quality protein in an egg important for muscle building and retaining muscle especially when aging or losing weight. The yolk is also known as a naturally good source of vitamin D, lutein and choline, all nutrients that are needed for health. What makes eggs especially healthy is that they can be a great vehicle for eating vegetables and whole grains that supply many other important nutrients making an egg breakfast done right a great way to start the day. To me, the recent research that showed eating eggs at breakfast did indeed keep one satisfied for longer than an isocaloric bagel breakfast confirmed that eggs at breakfast is the healthiest choice to make.

~ Marcia



About

Nutrition Unscrambled  is written by nutrition experts with the Egg Nutrition Center, which is funded by the American Egg Board. It is monitored and maintained by the public relations agency of record. The mission of the Egg Nutrition Center is to be a credible source of nutrition and health science information and the acknowledged leader in research and education related to eggs. For more information, click here.

About the Bloggers

Mitch Kanter, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Egg Nutrition Center. For more information about
Mitch, click here.
Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD is the Senior Director, Nutrition Education at the Egg Nutrition Center. For more information about Marcia, click here.
Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN is the Program Manager, Nutrition Research and Communications at the Egg Nutrition Center. For more information about Anna, click here.

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Disclaimer

All information provided within this blog is for informational and educational purposes only and it is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health or before making changes to your diet or health behaviors.