Eggs are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. There is a number of health benefits of eggs due to which they are classified as “superfoods”.
This article will explain the best health benefits of eating eggs. But first, look at how nutritious eggs are.
Nutritional Profile Of Eggs
Eggs are one of the most nutritious food on earth. In fact, a whole egg contains all the nutrients needed to convert a single cell into an entire chicken.
Eggs contain the two most important macronutrients i.e, protein and fat. One large size whole egg gives you about 72 calories with:
- Protein: 6 gm
- Fat: 5 gm
- Saturated fat: 1.6 gm
- Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7 gm
- Monounsaturated fat: 2 gm
- Carbohydrates: 0.5 gm
As far as micronutrients are concerned, an egg contains about:
- Vitamin B5: 7% of the RDA
- Vitamin B2: 15% of the RDA
- Phosphorus: 9% of the RDA
- Vitamin B12: 9% of the RDA
- Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA
- Selenium: 22% of the RDA
- Folate: 5% of the RDA
In addition to this, eggs contain a decent amount of vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B6, vitamin K, calcium, and zinc. You can add other food items likes bread, milk, veggies, etc with eggs to make it a complete meal (1).
SUMMARY: Eggs are one of the most nutrious food on earth. They contain a little bit of almost every nutrient your body need.
Health Benefits Of Eating Eggs
There can be a long list of benefits of eating eggs but here are the top 10 of them:
1. Muscle Building
Building lean muscle mass is one of the best health benefits of egg and almost every gym enthusiast or sportsman eat eggs for its high-quality protein. Protein is the main building block of muscles. In fact, getting enough amount of protein is very important for health (2).
Eggs are an excellent source of protein, with each egg you get about six grams of high-quality protein. It contains all the essential amino acids that your body requires to build muscles and for other bodily functions.
In addition to that, the digestibility of protein present in eggs is very good. This is the reason eggs are one of the best protein sources in a post-workout meal. Eggs are the primary source of protein for people who want to build muscles naturally.
SUMMARY: Eggs contains high quality fast digesting protein. It gives you all the EAAs that your body requires to build muscles.
2. Helps In Fat Loss And Weight Maintenance
Eggs are high in protein and protein is the most satiating macronutrient. Due to this reason, eggs score high on the satiety index, which means it keeps you full for a longer time and automatically reduces your overall calory intake (3).
In a study done on 30 overweight women, replacing bagels by eggs in breakfast increased feelings of fullness and made them eating fewer calories throughout the day (4).
For people who are on a low-calory diet or on a keto diet, eggs are their top preference. They do not contain any carbs which makes them a good food source in a fat loss diet.
SUMMARY: Eggs are highly satiating and reduce your overall calory intake. Regular consumption of eggs may help in weight loss.
3. Raise HDL (Good Cholesterol)
HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. It is also known as good cholesterol.
Eggs are a healthy and tasty way to increase good cholesterol levels. In a study done on 24 healthy adults, shows that eating two eggs in a day for six weeks increases HDL levels by 10% (5).
All the cholesterol of an egg is found the egg yolks only. An egg contains about 180 mg of cholesterol, which is about 60% of the recommended daily intake.
Eating 2-3 egg yolks daily is perfectly fine for healthy people. But unfortunately, some people have misconceptions regarding egg yolks and cholesterol. Read the full article:
Egg Yolks And The Cholesterol Myth
SUMMARY: Studies proves that eating eggs on a regular basis elevates the level of good cholesterol or HDL.
4. Contains Healthy Fats
Fat is an essential macronutrient that your body needs to function properly. It is very important to take enough amounts of healthy fats for your joints and brain health.
A medium-sized egg contains about 5 grams of fat. 3 grams of it are healthy polyunsaturated (PUFAs) and monounsaturated (MUFAs) fats and the remaining 2 grams are saturated fat.
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats help you in maintaining your cholesterol levels in a normal range. These healthy fats also protect you from several heart diseases and help in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
SUMMARY: Egg yolks contain a good amount of MUFAs and PUFAs which is important for your brain and heart health.
5. Reduce The Risk Of Heart Disease
Due to the presence of cholesterol in them, eggs have a bad reputation. In recent years, many studies have been done to examine the relation between eggs and the risk of heart diseases.
A review of 17 reports (nine for heart disease, eight for stroke) with about 2.6 lakh participants found no association between egg consumption and heart disease or stroke (6).
Eggs contain a good amount of healthy fats which helps in keeping your heart healthy and reduce the risk of heart diseases and strokes. In addition, the increase in good cholesterol levels also promotes heart health.
SUMMARY: Many studies have found no relation between eggs and risk of heart disease. Eggs may help in improving your heart health.
6. Improves Eyesight
This is a less-known health benefit of eating eggs as most people don’t know about this. Eggs contain some nutrients that can work against the degenerative process of eyes.
Two of them are lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants are very effective for eyes and work by accumulating in the retina of the eyes (7). Studies show that consuming enough amount of these nutrients can reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataract (8).
Both these nutrients present in the egg yolks. Make sure to eat at least 1-2 egg yolks daily to get these benefits. In addition to lutein and zeaxanthin, eggs also rich in vitamin A. The deficiency of vitamin A is one of the most common causes of blindness (9).
SUMMARY: Eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin that plays an important role in eye health and reduce the risk of diseases like cataract and macular degenration.
7. Brain Booster
Along with physical health, there are some mental health benefits of eggs too. Eggs contain the nutrients called choline and lutein, which play a key role in brain development. These nutrients help in improving memory and learning power.
Choline is an essential nutrient which you have to take it through diet because your body cannot produce it in enough amount. It plays a major role in brain development and fetal development throughout the lifespan (10).
Lutein is another nutrient that is not only good for your vision but boosts brain health too. Studies show that the higher brain and serum concentration of lutein is linked with better cognitive skills in older adults.
Egg yolks contain both of these nutrients in enough amount and regular consumption can give you these brain health benefits of eggs. It is a major source of choline. One large egg provides you about 150 mg of choline.
SUMMARY: A high amount of choline and lutein present in the egg yolks helps in improving cognitive performance, memory and learning power.
8. Have Some Essential Minerals
Eggs also contain some other essential nutrients that our body needs for various purposes. Minerals like zinc, phosphorus, and iron present in eggs in a sufficient amount.
Zinc boosts your immune system and iron benefits you in a number of things. Eggs are also rich in iodine which is important to make thyroid hormone.
Hens that were fed omega-3 enriched foods tend to lay eggs that contain a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the levels of triglycerides in the blood which further reduces the risk of heart disease (11).
SUMMARY: Eggs are rich in some essential minerals like zinc, iron, phosphorus, and iodine that are essential for good health.
Health Benefits Of Eggs – In A Nutshell
So these were the top 8 research-based health benefits of eating eggs. This superfood is rich in high-quality protein, healthy fats, and contains several essential vitamins and minerals.
Leave the cholesterol myth and eat at least 1-2 whole eggs in your diet to reap all its health benefits. If you are a gym-goer or an athlete then you can have even 5-6 egg yolks without concerning the cholesterol levels.
On top of that, eggs are easily available, cheap, easy to prepare, tasty, and go with almost any food. Make sure to purchase good quality eggs from a trusted store or directly from a poultry farm if you have access.
You can buy organic eggs here from amazon.
More about eggs:
2 Comments on “Top 8 Amazing Health Benefits Of Eggs”
Comments are closed.