Let's stop Beatin' ourselves up over dinner times...

They round all around and they're bigger on the bottom,

Small round the top and we're glad we've got 'em.

And they're egg shaped,

coz they're Eggs.

Every bird you ever heard..

Lays eggs

~ Play School

As mothers, we need to stop beatin’ (no pun intended), ourselves up if we have a day where we just don’t want to cook dinner, but there is another option that is way cheaper than takeaway, and better for you too!

It is perfectly OK to feed your family EGGS!! They are such a great source of protein, they are inexpensive, versatile and QUICK! There really isn’t a more versatile ingredient to have on hand, and can be your dinner life saver!

So, let’s talk eggs… seriously, we all need to change our mentality around these bad boys, they no longer are something that we just keep in the fridge for breakfast, move over scrambled eggs, and insert a super-fast quiche, omelets, Soufflé’, baked eggs, frittatas, poached eggs with asparagus, smashed avocado topped with eggs, curried eggs, and don’t forget the sweet items too.. How good is French toast! The list is endless, and they should be used weekly as they are so adaptable, CHEAP, most kids love them! I have no problem with giving my kids, and hubby eggs for dinner, and neither should you!

I spoke with our Nutritionist Michelle Ross, about the benefits of having eggs in your diet weekly, this is what she had to say:

I agree with Hayley! Eggs got a bad rap in the 70’s when it was reported that eating the cholesterol in eggs raised your blood cholesterol levels and that simply isn’t true! I’m not yolking!

The World Health Organization use eggs as their reference standard for evaluating the protein quality in all other foods.  Egg protein is referred to as High Biological Value protein or HBV so when you eat eggs, you are getting all of the essential amino acids humans use as building blocks in their bodies.

Let’s do some Egg Anatomy: the whites of the eggs contain 60% pure protein called albumin.  An average egg (55g) yields 5g of protein.  Children aged between 1-8 need between 14-20g of protein a day so 2 eggs for dinner ticks a good portion of their daily protein needs! 

The YOLK is where the nutrient party is though! Packed with B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, choline, biotin and folic acid.  Eggs rank very high in choline and guess what ONE of the things choline does? REDUCES BLOOD CHOLESTEROL!! It also detoxes chemicals, assists in coordination, muscle contraction and the regulation of fats and cholesterol, plays an important role in cell membrane structure, memory enhancement and attention, protects the myelin sheath (which is wrapped around and protects your nerves) plus, plus, plus!  Each one of the nutrients in the yolk could have its own paragraph of praise for how it assists our cells to function as a whole. 

The other nutrients contained in eggs include: magnesium, potassium, sodium, Omega-3 fats (only if the hens were fed omega 3’s), vitamins A, D, E, K, carotenoids, and minerals calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, manganese and selenium!

Diabetics should talk to their health-care provider regarding their egg consumption but the rest of us can indulge knowing we’re feeding our bodies easy-to-assimilate nutrients that are a cinch to make!  A few other things to consider when you eat eggs—I know cage eggs are the cheapest to buy but frankly I’m disgusted we still see them on our supermarket shelves!  The hens’ lives are pure misery, don’t feed that to your children.  Spend the extra money and buy pasture-raised eggs from hens that roam the farm and are treated with respect and dignity.  Believe it or not, the nutrient value and energetic value of the food is affected.  I buy organic, pasture raised eggs because I don’t want to eat antibiotics or other junk in my eggs.  The cost is about $1/egg and well worth it. 

Now if you’re reading this and think, “yeah, I’ve got eggs in my cupboard but they’ve been there awhile”, before serving them up, fill a bowl with water and gently place the eggs in the bowl.  If they FLOAT, they’re OFF, if they stay on their sides at the bottom, they’re fresh and if they stand up but don’t float, use them up, they’re ok!  And please store your eggs in the fridge for longest, most hygienic shelf life.  Get cracking!

Hayley & M xx