Taking another Look at Eggs The unassuming egg – it is cheap, easy to cook, a good source of high quality protein, and low in calories. One large whole boiled chicken egg is approximately 78kcals; it provides 6.3g of high quality protein. How does it affect heart health? Although, the whole egg contains only 1.6g of saturated fat, it is high in cholesterol – about 212mg of cholesterol. Health experts recommend that we eat less than 300mg of cholesterol per day. On the other hand, egg whites have only a trace of saturated fat and are cholesterol free. The white of a large chicken egg provides about 3.6g of protein at 16kcals. Excessive consumption of raw egg whites can lead to a Biotin (a B vitamin) deficiency. The protein avidin in the raw egg white binds Biotin which leads to the deficiency. This can be avoided - cooking the egg white breaks down the avidin. But this deficiency is rare as one has to consume two dozen raw egg whites on a daily basis for several months. Symptoms of Biotin deficiency include hair loss, skin rash, and neurological issues. Currently, there are many varieties of eggs available on the market based on how the chickens are fed and raised: organic cage-free, low saturated fat, high omega-3, etc. Egg substitutes that are both fat-free and cholesterol-free make good heart healthy alternatives. Vegetarian egg replacements are also available in specialty stores.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:14:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015