Eggs are a nutrient-dense food that packs great vitamins and antioxidants into a small amount of calories. They can also be linked to weight loss and lower risk of a heart attack.
Eggs have a somewhat troubled past, often being blamed for high cholesterol and heart disease. Some of this research has been shown to be incomplete, however, and it turns out that eggs are actually beneficial to the heart when eaten as part of a complete diet.
Quick Egg Nutrition Facts (1 Egg Contains This Much Nutrients):
- 75 calories
- 7 grams of protein
- 5 grams of fat
- 6 grams of saturated fat
- 20% of the daily value of vitamin B-12
- 213 mg of LDL and HDL cholesterol
- Contain good amounts of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin
- 25% of the daily value of iodine, choline, and selenium
1. The Misunderstood Facts about Egg Nutrition
Eggs have a troubled past in the world of nutrition, either being shunned wholeheartedly for their cholesterol and heart problems or being de-yoked to their supposedly healthier whites.
Not all cholesterol is bad. This is a very misunderstood nutrition facts about eggs. They contain low-density lipoprotein, which is the bad cholesterol, they also contain high-density lipoprotein, which is the form of cholesterol actually good for heart disease.
One large egg does contain 213 mg of cholesterol, which is two-thirds of the 300 mg recommended daily value. If you eat a couple of eggs every couple days, you’ll still be under the recommended daily value. Also, remember that recommended daily values don’t mean “try to eat none of it!” 300 mg of cholesterol is actually good for you in a balanced diet.
Saturated fat is a huge culprit in blood cholesterol, even more than food simply containing cholesterol. Cholesterol in the diet doesn’t necessarily raise blood cholesterol, the real villain in heart disease. Saturated fat directly contributes to raising blood cholesterol. Simply ingesting cholesterol doesn’t put it into your bloodstream at a 1:1 rate.
The liver produces cholesterol everyday. When you eat cholesterol, it simply produces less cholesterol to counteract the dietary cholesterol.
2. The Best Protein
Not all proteins are the same. Eggs contain all of the essential amino acids in the right ratios for absorption and bodily protein use, and are classified as a “biological protein.” Only milk has a higher content of biological protein, and if you’ve swapped milk for almond milk or rice milk like many have, then eggs are a great resort.
A single egg packs 75 calories but 7 grams of protein, a gram of protein for every 10 calories!
3 A Concoction of Nutrients
We need to eat calories, but the difference between healthy and unhealthy eating is often the amount of nutrients, fats, and proteins packed into those calories.
Eggs offer 7 grams of protein for 75 calories, along with 20% of the daily value of vitamin B-12, 25% of the daily value of iodine, choline, and selenium, and good amounts of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. These vitamins and minerals are great nutrition facts about eggs!
They weigh in at 5 grams of fat and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, but these fats come from a good biological source which packs the protein to back them up.
4. Weight Loss and Workouts
A great nutrition fact about eggs is that they are great foods in both weight loss and workouts. They’re dense in nutrients, meaning they give you a lot of vitamins and proteins for only a few calories.
The high-protein and low-calorie count makes eggs great weight loss foods, because proteins are extremely filling. They score high on “satiety,” a measure of how full you feel after consuming a given food (potato chips rank really, really low on satiety). When you’re trying to lose weight, eggs are a great way to feel full and rack up the protein.
For athletes, eggs in the morning start you off with proteins, healthy cholesterol for your blood, and B-vitamins for energy.
A note on a trend: eggs should be fully cooked to avoid bacteria. Whatever you see of jocks or influencers blending raw eggs into protein shakes, it isn’t a good idea. Cook your eggs fully to prevent illness.
5. Good for the Brain and Eyes
Lutein and zeaxanthin in eggs help protect your eyes, and choline repairs your brain.
- Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants that target the retina of the eye to reduce cataracts and degeneration.
- Choline aids memory and brain health by building cell membranes and helping produce signaling brain molecules.
Conclusion
Eggs are nutrient-dense foods that deliver great benefits for their low-calorie count. With their choline and antioxidants that are difficult to find in other products, healthy biological proteins, and good cholesterol, they’re difficult products to replace.
Eating a couple of eggs every couple of days will help with heart disease, provide choline for the brain, and are delicious in breakfast foods!
I hope that this article on nutrition facts about eggs was helpful. If you are interested, I highly suggest that you look at the health facts page!