The four most healthy ways to cook eggs
Eggs are one of the most perfect choice of food especially for breakfast. They are nutritious, delicious and completely beneficial to the health of the body.
They are packed with nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants including potassium, protein, protein, biotin, vitamin A, zeaxanthin, calcium and magnesium.
Not only are eggs nutrient dense they are also low in calories, support weight loss and provides the body with complete protein (A complete protein is fully composed of all the essential amino acids).
Eggs are also composed of components that are contained in super foods, they contain choline. Choline is an essential nutrient that is required by the body for proper development of the brain and the cardiovascular system.
The benefits of eggs are enormous; they support weight loss this is due to their high satiety level and low calorie content (I.e when you eat eggs for break fast you get satisfied easily and you tend to feel less hungry during the day).
They contain lutein and zeaxanthin these nutrients supports the development of the eye and helps to prevent the eye from the risk of macular degeneration.
The protein content of eggs makes them a great choice of food in building up muscles.
Eggs are also rich in iron and folate, these nutrients plays vital role in the body as they helps to transport oxygen to the cells in the nobody helps sustaining and maintaining the health of the cells.
Eggs also contain antioxidants such as vitamin E which help to protect the body from the damages cause by free radicals birth during an oxidative reaction. Free radicals have been linked to certain chronic illnesses including heart related disorders.
Nutritional value of eggs
| Why cooking
1 large egg |
155kcal | |
| Calcium | ||
| Protein | 13g | |
| Fat | 11g | |
| Carbohydrates | 1.1g | |
| Vitamin A | ||
| Biotin | ||
| Iron | ||
| Sodium | 124mg | |
| Sugar | ||
| Vitamin B | ||
| Potassium | 126mg | |
| Cholesterol | 373mg | |
| Choline | ||
| Vitamin D | ||
| Magnesium |
Why eggs are better consumed cooked than raw?
Most people prefer to take their eggs raw because they believe that it’s nutrients are more potent when it is uncooked. How true is this?
Is it preferable to consume a raw egg rather than a cooked one?
A lot of online publications states that cooking eggs makes them safer to consume as most eggs are not kept in the most hygienic form hence they are prone to salmonella. A billion eggs were recalled in 2010 due to the presence of salmonella found in them.
When you cook your eggs the heat helps to keep off the bacteria present in the egg making it safer for human consumption.
Eggs are packed with lot of nutrients, when an egg is uncooked the potency of the nutrients is greatly reduced for instance let’s look at two nutrients present in eggs that have reduced potency when consumed raw.
The first nutrient is protein, eggs are one of the food packed with a high protein content(complete protein. In a raw egg the protein are large compounds deposited unevenly, this makes them quite difficult to digest.
When heat is applied to an egg(I.e when it is cooked) the large compounds of protein breaks down and form another bonds with the surrounding protein making it easier for the digestion process to occur.
The second nutrient is biotin(Vitamin H), this is an essential nutrient required by the body for proper metabolism of fat and sugar.
In raw eggs biotin are not effective as a compound known as avidin present in the egg white suppresses the functionality of biotin however when the egg is cooked the level of avidin present in the egg is greatly reduced hence biotin can function effectively.
There is also the taste option to consider, a lot of people prefer to have scrambled or fried egg because it is more delicious than a raw egg.
When you cook your eggs you can easily add vegetables toppings however this may not be the same when you consume raw egg.
The taste of a food matters so much to a lot of people and I think it is safe to say that eggs are more delicious when cooked than when consumed raw.
While you cook your eggs, do not forgot that overcooking them could lead to other damages like the release of free radicals which are responsible for certain chronic illnesses(cancer, heart related diseases).
When eggs are overly cooked the level of antioxidants present in them is depleted this makes them susceptible to the damages caused by free radicals.
Antioxidants are compounds that blocks off the effects of free radicals from the body, when they diminish their protective factor also decreases.
Eggs were not always known as super healthy foods as they were high in cholesterol which is considered bad news to the heart health. Studies and Research conducted shown that eggs could actually be a very healthy food to eat when cooked correctly.
Therefore your egg can be healthy or unhealthy depending on your cooking method. If your cooking method is unhealthy for example using high temperature or overcooking, the level of cholesterol present in the egg increases and this is completely unhealthy for the heart.
So many people love their egg to be crispy as they love how it taste when they eat it however it is important that we try to find out if cooking method can endanger our health.
Different method of cooking an egg
Eggs are globally versatile, they can be prepared in so many healthy ways.
It is so much better to cook your eggs rather than consuming them raw. When you cook your eggs you expose them to heat which will help to kill off bacteria making the eggs safer to consume.
There are some many ways to cook an egg, the method used is ultimately the choice of the individual who wishes to eat the egg.
An egg can be boiled, poached, scrambled, fried or baked it’s all dependent on individual decision.
1.Boiled
This is one of the most conventional method of cooking an egg. To boil an egg, pour water into a pan wash your eggs in running water then put in onto the pan.
Cover the pan and allow it to boil for 8- 10 minutes. Viola! Your egg is completely boiled.
- Poached
Poaching an egg is quite similar with boiling an egg the only difference is you boil the egg without the shell.
Pour water into a pot then allow it to boil, break your eggs into a little bowl then pour it into the boiling water and cover the pot.
Reduce the heat and allow it to boil for 4 minutes, your poached egg is ready for consumption.
- Fried eggs
Fried eggs are delicious and a favourite easy breakfast that takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.
You can fry your eggs “sunny side up” or “over easy” frying an egg is a very easy task, add a little drop of extra olive oil to a pan then pour your eggs into the pan. Don’t allow your eggs get burnt, you are not boiling the eggs so don’t leave your eggs unattended to.
For “sunny side up” crack your eggs into the pan and fry only one side while for “over easy” you fry both sides.
- Scrambled eggs
Scrambled eggs are similar to fried however they are beaten and stirred under low heat till they are completely cooked.
- Baked eggs
Pour your eggs into a flat dish and place it in the preheated oven. Heat the eggs till they are fully baked.
- Omelette
Just like scrambled eggs omelette are cooked under low heat however unlike scrambled eggs omelette are not stirred till they are completely solid.
Pour the eggs into a hot pan, leave the eggs to fully cook until it is set.
Disadvantages of over cooking your eggs
While it is really important to cook your eggs in order to destroy bacteria, overcooking your eggs under high temperature is potentially damaging to the eggs. Although cooking your eggs makes the nutrients easily digestible, overcooking an egg can lead to the destruction or depletion of certain nutrients the eggs contain.
1.Eggs are composed of lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, when an egg is excessively cooked under a high temperature the level of vitamin especially vitamin A is greatly reduced. The amount of antioxidants present in an egg is also reduced.
- Eggs are rich in cholesterol (1 large egg can contain over 300mg of cholesterol) which is one of the cause of heart related diseases. If an egg is excessive cooked under high temperature the cholesterol it contains may undergo an oxidation reaction to produce a compound known as oxysterols.
The presence of oxidized cholesterol and oxysterols in the blood have been to an increase risk of heart related diseases.
- When eggs are overcooked there is a release of free radicals as a result of oxidation. The presence of free radicals in the body has been traced to an increase in the risk of chronic illnesses including cancer and heart diseases.
Healthy tips to know before cooking an egg
1.Bid overcooking goodbye
It’s time to give up the crispy eggs cooked over a high temperature for a long period of time.
Overcooking an egg can only lead to a depletion in the levels of nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals it contains
Cooking an egg over a high temperature for a long period of time can be damaging to the heart as the cholesterol contained in an egg might become oxidized.
Ensure that you always cook your eggs under low heat and for shorter times, always remember that although cooking eggs makes the nutrients more digestible it also diminishes the levels of nutrients an egg contains.
- Add vegetables to your eggs
There a quite a number of people in the world who hates eating vegetables alone they prefer adding their vegetables to another food before they can eat it.
You can add your vegetables to your eggs, you can choose to cook it together with your omelette, fried egg or scrambled egg.
Eggs are nutrient dense food, when you add vegetables to your egg you add more nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants to the meal.
- Try to use a low calorie cooking method
If your goal is to cut down the amount of calories you consume daily, it is advisable that you stick to a low calorie cooking method.
Do not make scrambled or fried eggs as they require extra oil which could be additional calories. Stick to boiled or poached eggs, the eggs cooked in this way are completely free of extra fat or calories.
- Ensure that the oil you use to cook is stable under high temperature
It is advisable to use oil that are stable under high temperature and do not easily oxidized to form free radicals which are harmful to the overall’s body health.
Cook your eggs at a pressure lower than 210°c, examples of oil that are stable under high temperature are; coconut oil or extra virgin olive.
- Purchase eggs that are nutritious and healthy
The quality and nutritional value of an egg depends on how it is raised and what it was fed. There are about 6 different types of eggs they include;
- Omega 3 enriched : These are one of the most nutritious egg. According to the name, the hens were fed omega 3 supplements and this boosted their quality of egg produced.
- Pasture raised: The hens that produced the pasture raised were along to roam about and feed on plants and insects.
- Conventional : This is the classic or standard eggs, the hens were fed with grains.
- Free range: The movement of these hens is completely the choice of the hen, they are not restricted as they are allowed to move outside or stay indoors.
- Organic: Their nutrition was mainly organic feed.
- Cage range: According to their name, they weren’t raised in a cage.
The conventional and organic eggs are chosen over other types as they are believed to be more nutritious than the other forms of eggs.
Conclusion
Eggs are one of the most healthy food in the world and they are absolutely cheap to purchase. Your cooking method determines how healthy or not your eggs will be.
Decide to use a cooking method that is absolutely calorie free, devoid of over cooking and high temperature.
What’s your favourite method of cooking an egg? Tell us about it in the comment section below.