Newsletter 32: Eggs
Egg lovers will be delighted that previous health warnings about eating eggs have recently been disproved: in fact, the egg is a veritable superfood, packed with good nutrition.
“Eating eggs won’t give you high cholesterol. In fact, eggs are full of high-quality proteins, vitamins and minerals and should be a part of any healthy diet” (Harvard Study)
A new government study finds they’re actually lower in cholesterol and higher in vitamin D than previously thought. Free-range chickens and organic feed have resulted in healthier eggs – which is why it is also important to look for free-range or organic eggs.
About 200 studies have looked at the link between eggs and heart disease and found that it’s not the cholesterol, but saturated fat that increases the risk of heart disease. An egg happens to be relatively high in cholesterol, but very low in saturated fat. The average large egg contains 212 milligrams of cholesterol, which is quite high. But that cholesterol does not go straight to your bloodstream and then into your arteries – this is a myth. For most people, only a small amount of the cholesterol in food passes into the blood. The only large study to look at the impact of egg consumption on heart disease found no connection between the two. Saturated and trans fats have much bigger effects on blood cholesterol levels.
If you’ve got a high cholesterol reading, you can reduce it by up to 30 percent in less than six weeks, simply by modifying your diet by including plenty of high fibre foods, lean meats and low-fat dairy.
Regular consumption of eggs may help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks. Even if you are on a low-fat diet, eating up to seven eggs a week is okay.
Resources:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/08/earlyshow/health/main7329038.shtml
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1999/04.22/eggs.html
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/egg-nutrition
Creamed spinach with Eggs
Ingredients
4 large eggs
400g spinach, frozen
250g low fat cream cheese or quark or cottage cheese
50g mature Cheddar, coarsely grated
cayenne pepper
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Method
Pre-heat the grill to its highest setting. Boil the 4 eggs for 8 minutes and cool them quickly under running water.
Next peel the eggs. Cook the spinach in a saucepan and put in a sieve to let it drain and squeeze out any excess water. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the low fat cream cheese or quark or cottage cheese in with the spinach.
Now lay the spinach mixture in the bottom of the dish. Next cut each egg in half then lay them on top of the spinach and season well with salt and freshly milled black pepper. Sprinkle over the cheese then pop the whole lot under the grill, for about 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is beginning to bubble and turn golden brown. Dust with a little cayenne pepper and serve either with some really good bread or I think it goes well with some nutty brown rice
Serves 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 149
Total Fat 7.1g
Saturated Fat 2.9g
Cholesterol 219mg
Carbohydrates 2.9g
Protein 17.9g
Spinaci kremuz bil-bajd
Ingredjenti
4 bajdiet kbar
400g spinaci frizat
250g cream cheese, low fat, quark jew cottage cheese
50g gobon Cheddar
Bzar Cayenne
Bzar u melh
Metodu
Ixghel il-gril bil-lest. Ghalli il-bajd ghal 8 minuti, kesshu that ilma kiesah u qaxxru. Sajjar l-ispincai go borma u hallih joqtor go passatur u ghasar xi ilma zejjed minnu. Poggi l-ispiaci go bieqja u hallat il cream cheese, low fat, quark jew cottage cheese mieghu. Qieghed l-ispinaci fil-qiegh ta’ dixx. Aqsam kull bajda min-nofs u poggihom fuq l-ispinaci. Itfa ftit bzar u melh fil-wicc. Itfa il-gobon fil-wicc u poggi that il-grill ghal 3 minuti sakemm il-gobon jinhall. Itfa ftit bzar cayenne fil-wicc u servi ma hobz frisk jew ross kannella.
Iservi 4
Ammont kull porzjon
Kaloriji 149
Xaham 7.1g
Xaham saturat 2.9g
Kolesterol 219mg
Karboidrati 2.9g
Protein 17.9g
