An egg costs less than 15 cents yet contains a wealth of high-quality nutrition. For just 70 calories, an egg provides you with essential nutrients that protect your eyesight, maintain healthy hair and nails, preserve brain health and assist in protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Follow safe handling and preparation guidelines to avoid bacteria-related illness from eggs.
Cholesterol
A large whole egg contains 212 mg of cholesterol, which is about 70 percent of the recommended daily limit of 300 mg on a 2000-calorie diet. Cholesterol, a waxy substance implicated as one cause of cardiovascular disease, is found only in the yolk of the egg. Eating one whole egg each day is considered safe if you're healthy, but if you have diabetes or heart disease, limit egg yolks to just three per week, advises the Harvard School of Public Health. If your LDL cholesterol is high, eat only egg whites. Pay attention to what you eat along with your eggs; avoid butter, cheese, home fries and fatty meats like sausages, which are bad for heart health.
Protein
The protein in egg whites is so high-quality that it's used as the "gold" standard for comparing proteins. One large whole egg has 6.3 g of protein and just the egg white has 3.6 g. Your body needs protein from your diet each day to grow and maintain all of your body's cells and tissues, including muscles, organs, hormones, antibodies, blood cells and enzymes. Adult women need a total of about 45 g of protein per day and adult men need about 58 g, according to Georgetown University.
Vitamins and Minerals
Eggs are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, although most are found in the yolk. Key vitamins and minerals in eggs include the antioxidant mineral selenium, vitamin B-12, phosphorus and riboflavin, and they also contain smaller amounts of many others. Vitamin B-12 is required to make new blood cells and for the normal functioning of your nervous system; phosphorus is a component of your cell membranes and plays a role in energy transfer; and riboflavin, or vitamin B-2, is necessary for healthy skin, metabolism and normal vision.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin
A large whole egg has approximately 165 micrograms of lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that may delay the formation of cataracts and help to prevent age-related macular degeneration, leading causes of blindness. Lutein and zeaxanthin are pigments that may absorb dangerous UV radiation, and they may have antioxidant activity that helps to prevent eye damage from free radicals.
Safety Considerations
Never eat a raw or undercooked egg or egg product that's not pasteurized, because you could become ill from salmonella bacteria, even if the eggshell is intact. Buy only refrigerated eggs that are clean and uncracked; refrigerate them promptly after purchase and use them within three weeks, warns the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Wash anything that comes into contact with eggs with hot, soapy water. Cook eggs until both the whites and the yolks are firm. Serve eggs or food containing eggs immediately, refrigerate leftovers promptly and eat them within three to four days.
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Playing It Safe with Eggs
- Harvard School of Public Health: Eggs and Heart Disease
- College of the Canyons Student Health & Wellness Center; From A to Zinc; Sheri Barke, M.P.H., R.D., C.S.S.D
- University of Michigan Health System; Healing Foods Pyramid: Eggs; 2005
- U.S. News Health; Vitamin E, Lutein May Fight Cataracts; Carolyn Colwell; January 2008
- Incredible Egg: New USDA Study Shows Eggs Have 14% Less Cholesterol and More Vitamin D
- HealthAliciousNess.com: Egg Whole Raw Fresh: 1 Large
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