Without a doubt, eggs are one of the best foods you can include in your diet if you want to improve your overall health and fitness especially if you want to increase muscular strength. They really are a "super-food" due to the multitude of health benefits they provide. Not only do eggs provide high quality protein, they also contain 11 vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants and eating these regularly are a great way to get your most of your daily nutrient requirements. Most of the protein in an egg can be found in the egg white, while the yolk contains healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Unfortunately, they have copped a bad rap over the years and we were mistakenly told to avoid eating them in fear of elevating cholesterol. Apart from avoiding eating them altogether the other mistake many make when trying to incorporate into their diet is eating them the same way all the time. Eventually they get bored of eating them and their diet evolves to some other food that does not come close to the same nutritional power. In this article we explain all the benefits of including eggs in your diet, and more importantly we provide you with 5 very simple recipes you can use to make every meal super tasty and healthy at the same time!

Are Eggs Good for your Health For Aren’t They High In Cholesterol?

This is a question that comes up all the time whenever we mention eggs. There is a lot of concern with how eggs affect your cholesterol or that they are too high in fat and many of these assumptions are based on poor information from many years ago that has since been debunked. Where did all this confusion begin?

In the 1980’s eggs were demonised by health authorities because the yolk had a high cholesterol content as the belief was if you eat cholesterol you will get high cholesterol. As a result we were told to watch our consumption, which saw the advent of egg white omelettes and other bizarre ideas to avoid eating high cholesterol. (Most people don’t know that crabs, prawns and other crustaceans have almost the same cholesterol content!)

I highly suggest reading our detailed article about cholesterol called Why We Need Cholesterol to be Healthy to gain a better understanding of the real reasons behind cholesterol being out of balance.

By 1999 studies were completed that suggested that while eggs contained high cholesterol, there was absolutely no correlation with eggs and heart disease. There have been several trials since that prove you were no more likely to have heart disease if you ate more than an egg a day than if you ate an egg a week!

Based on current evidence from the Heart Foundation, the relationship between eggs and heart health is neutral.  So this means that eggs neither increase nor decrease the risk of heart disease in most people. I eat eggs most days, I add them to meals and have them also as a healthy snack option and I would rather eat an egg than junk food any day. The funny thing that I find though is that our society seems to have no problem consuming junk food and seems to not be concerned with the quantity of junk food that they consume. And the serious health risks created from these foods is much greater than eating a boiled egg every day!

There is some great information found on the Australian Egg website I suggest to check out.

The main part that I found interesting from this website was the latest Heart Foundation guidelines have no limit on how many eggs people should have on average, and that healthy people can eat eggs. The Heart Foundation guidelines also state that eggs have almost no effect on blood cholesterol levels and recommend regular egg consumption as part of a diet that is rich in whole foods and low in saturated fats. Click here to see the research.

Another great study to back up the Heart Foundation was that the CSIRO research has also shown that eggs are safe to eat on a daily basis. It was interesting to read that the CSIRO conducted a range of research, both in clinical trials and in a survey of more than 84,000 Australians, and found that egg consumption is actually linked to a number of positive health outcomes. Click here to read this.

Eggs Are Nutrient Rich and a Rich in Protein

Eggs are a great source of protein and contain healthy fats including omega-3 fats. The protein contained in eggs will help to keep us fuller for longer and the result from being fuller and satisfied will prevent sweet cravings. Omega – 3 fats play a huge role in our health and well-being, especially in regards to helping with inflammation. Protein which is found in high quantity in eggs, are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body tissues such as your skin, internal organs and muscles. This is why they are a key part of any athlete’s diet for they can help to repair damaged muscles and enhance recovery for improved performance.

See article – Everything you need to know about protein for more on this.

But it is not just sporting athletes and body builders who benefit from this "super-food". Research shows that eating two eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet, helps over-weight adults lose more weight and feel more energetic than those who eat a toast breakfast of equal calories.

This study supports previous research which showed that people who ate eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied and ate fewer calories at the following meal. Compared to the subjects who ate a toast breakfast, men and women who consumed two eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet:

• Lost 65 percent more weight
• Had a 61 percent greater reduction in BMI
• Reported higher energy levels

The eggs breakfast versus the toast breakfasts provided the same number of calories!

Below are 6 examples of why the humble egg is so good for us and should be included in your diet:

• High in protein
• Packed with vitamins & minerals, for example Vitamin D, A & E
• Contains folate
• A source of Omega 3
• Filling and can help with weight loss
• Raises levels of GOOD cholesterol

Many people have a poor understanding of what it takes to lose weight and still believe it is about eliminating carbs, counting calories, and doing heaps of cardio to burn fat along with several other myths that have been proven to be ineffective and even make you worse! We have covered these topics before in many articles and you will find all of those by going to the index page of our website.

5 Egg Recipes That Are Quick To Make & Taste Great!

I love eggs and would have them most days, but I must admit sometimes they can get a bit dull and boring, in this article I’ll give you 5 different recipes that I use at home.

There are many different ways to cook the EGG, you can have them:

• Hard boiled
• Poached ( my favourite )
• Scrambled
• Fried
• In an Omelette

There really is many ways you can cook these and the best part is they don’t take too long. Make sure you check out recipes page for hundreds of other great healthy food tips.

Poached Eggs

Poached eggs mare my go to when I want something quick, breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I have to admit, that I was pretty bad at cooking them the way they do in cafes, so I cheated and bought myself an egg poacher, this has been an awesome investment. 

I follow the Ketogenic diet, so when serving my poached eggs I don’t serve them on bread, I find that the bread bloats me and only fills me temporarily, instead I serve my poached eggs with low energy carbohydrates, sometimes some extra protein and always some good quality fats.

Some combinations with my poached eggs are:

• Smoked salmon, spinach and avocado
• Ham, asparagus and avocado
• Bacon, cheese and avocado

If you have trouble keeping the egg intact you can get some trays from the local cooking store as shown in the picture below. 

Frittata

Frittata’s are so easy to make, I always make enough so that I have left overs for the next couple of days, the frittata can be made in a large baking dish or made smaller with a muffin tray.

Here is my easy recipe for Frittata:

Base Ingredients

• 6 Eggs
• Cream
• Sprinkle of Grated Cheese

Additional Ingredients, when it comes to additional ingredients I usually look in my fridge and see what I need to use up, use your imagination when it comes to the additional ingredients:

• Smoked salmon, broccoli, tomato and spinach
• Ham, corn, broccoli, red capsicum
• Chicken, broccoli, asparagus and spinach
• Chicken, pumpkin, peas and asparagus
• Mixture of veggies

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees
• Beat together the Base Ingredients
• Place all the Additional Ingredients at the bottom of an oven proof dish ( I use a small rectangular dish or the pan in the picture which can go in the oven )
• Top with the egg mixture and bake in the oven until set, approximately 20 - 30 min, depending on the size of your dish

Another little tip that I do when making the mini frittata’s is that I line the muffin time with the ham and then add the filling.

This will give you 3 - 4 servings, add a salad on the side and some avocado, take left overs for lunch the next day or a quick left over breakfast or afternoon tea snack. 

Below is a picture of how I may serve my mini frittata for lunch, remembering with Keto there is no bread, I use the lettuce leaf / cup as the bread instead, I’d usually add some avocado to this as well.

Omelette 

Again, like the frittata use your imagination with your fillings, and look at what’s in your fridge, some examples that I would add are:

• Mushrooms
• Ham / Salami
• Smoked salmon
• Capsicum
• Cheese
• Tomato
• Broccoli
• Avocado

Similar to the frittata but much quicker!!  This is another go too for me when I’m after something quick to eat, the picture below shows one of my favourite fillings, broccoli and feta cheese.

Eggs Baked in an Avocado

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• 1 Avocado, cut in half and seed removed
• 2 Eggs
• Dry Herbs

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180°.
• Scoop about 1 tablespoon worth of avocado out of each half
• Place avocados in a baking dish, then crack eggs into a bowl, one at a time. Using a spoon, transfer one egg to each avocado half, (as you can fit without spilling over ).
• Season with dry herbs, salt and pepper and bake until whites are set and yolks are no longer runny, 20 to 25 minutes.

These can be served with bacon on the side and salad.

Baked Eggs

This is a another tasty dish, not one that I have often, following the Keto diet, legumes are not on the eating list, but an occasional treat never hurts. 

Base Ingredients:

• Heinz Beanz Creations - I like Spanish Style 420g
• 3 - 4 eggs

Additional Ingredients

• Cheese eg feta, parmesan
• Olives
• Bacon or ham
• Chorizo
• Veggies
• Avocado
• Herbs

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees, my oven also has the grill so I heat that up as well to brown the top of the eggs
• Preheat a small oven proof fry pan
• Gently warm through the beans
• Using a spoon, make a small hole and crack your first egg into this, repeat with your remaining 2 -3 eggs
• Top with your additional ingredients and garnish with herbs or extra chilli
• Place in the oven until the egg is set and cooked to your liking
• Spoon into your bowl and enjoy.

There will be enough for 2 serves, I keep the remainder for the next day and eat cold either for breakfast, lunch or as a snack, if I'm having for lunch I would add a salad on the side. Use your imagination when it comes to the Additional Ingredients.

Below is a link from the Australian Eggs website on “How To” videos when cooking eggs that is also very useful.

https://www.australianeggs.org.au/facts-and-tips/how-to-videos/

And for tons more ideas about nutrition make sure you grab a copy of our special report shown below. This book is designed to help you understand the TRUTH about NUTRITION, cut through all the confusion, and enable you to employ some SIMPLE and highly effective methods we use in our studio every day with people recovering from injury, disease or looking to reach a fitness goal. Click here to get your copy.

Summary

I hope you enjoyed this article on Eggs and are inspired to try a few different ways of cooking and eating them. There is so much nutritional value from this food and by incorporating into your diet with various recipes your body will find it much easier to improve your overall health. They really are a very misunderstood food and I hope this article gives you a better understanding of how valuable eggs can be.

If you would like to know more about our Nutrition coaching or Personal Training programs click the image below and I will be in touch within 24 hours to schedule a time for a free health diagnostic consultation.

About The Author

Nick Jack is owner of No Regrets Personal Training and has over 14 years’ experience as a qualified Personal Trainer, Level 2 Rehabilitation trainer, CHEK practitioner, and Level 2 Sports conditioning Coach. Based in Melbourne Australia he specialises in providing solutions to injury and health problems for people of all ages using the latest methods of assessing movement and corrective exercise.

References:

• Heart foundation
• CSIRO
• Precision Nutrition 
• Nutrition & Physical Degeneration - By Weston A Price
• Big Fat Lies - By David Gillespie
• How To Eat, Move & Be Healthy by Paul Chek