Do you eat eggs?
If so, how do you prepare them, and why?
Eggs have been demonized as an unhealthy food for years, due to their high cholesterol content. One large egg does contain around 208 milligrams of cholesterol -- around two-thirds of your daily recommended intake. While this may seem like a negative, eggs raise your levels of "good" cholesterol and reduce "bad" cholesterol, meaning dietary cholesterol has no adverse effect on your levels of blood cholesterol. However, how you cook your eggs does make a difference to how healthy they are.
SOFT BOILED
Soft boiled is the ultimate way to cook an egg because the fats and nutrients in the yolk essentially have three protective layers from oxidation – the water, eggshell, and egg white. This way, all of the good stuff in the egg yolk is maximally preserved. If done correctly, this is a very quick and easy way to cook your eggs as well. The whites are cooked enough for best protein utilization and removal of avidin. Most people don’t even consider this option, but soft boiling can easily substitute any morning egg routine and the yolks remain creamier and thicker than pan-frying. The yolk is the most nutritious part of the egg. This is even more true when your eggs come from the proper source. Pastured egg yolks are some of the best sources of fats and proteins and are one of the most nutrient dense foods you can find.
Soft boiled is the ultimate way to cook an egg because the fats and nutrients in the yolk essentially have three protective layers from oxidation – the water, eggshell, and egg white. This way, all of the good stuff in the egg yolk is maximally preserved. If done correctly, this is a very quick and easy way to cook your eggs as well. The whites are cooked enough for best protein utilization and removal of avidin. Most people don’t even consider this option, but soft boiling can easily substitute any morning egg routine and the yolks remain creamier and thicker than pan-frying. The yolk is the most nutritious part of the egg. This is even more true when your eggs come from the proper source. Pastured egg yolks are some of the best sources of fats and proteins and are one of the most nutrient dense foods you can find.
SCRAMBLED
Scrambling the eggs is essentially chopping up the fats and proteins into tiny particles and directly exposing them to heat and oxygenation. Avoid this if you are eating conventional feedlot eggs. The fats in conventional eggs are already pro-inflammatory – they do not need to be oxidized further. Not nearly as big of a deal from pastured chickens, but still the worst way to cook eggs because it involves more opportunity to oxidize the fats and cholesterol, making them potentially detrimental to your health instead of beneficial. A potentially problematic protein called avidin is also destroyed (this is a good thing). Thus, heating egg whites is generally beneficial. The yolks, however, would do better with less heat, because heat damages fats and vital nutrients inside.
Scrambling the eggs is essentially chopping up the fats and proteins into tiny particles and directly exposing them to heat and oxygenation. Avoid this if you are eating conventional feedlot eggs. The fats in conventional eggs are already pro-inflammatory – they do not need to be oxidized further. Not nearly as big of a deal from pastured chickens, but still the worst way to cook eggs because it involves more opportunity to oxidize the fats and cholesterol, making them potentially detrimental to your health instead of beneficial. A potentially problematic protein called avidin is also destroyed (this is a good thing). Thus, heating egg whites is generally beneficial. The yolks, however, would do better with less heat, because heat damages fats and vital nutrients inside.
So, now you know….
