The Whole Truth About The Egg

Egg is a useful dietary product, whose reputation has long been spoiled by erroneous judgments of scientists and doctors.

Egg is a useful dietary product, whose reputation has long been spoiled by erroneous judgments of scientists and doctors.

Delusion of nutritionists

Back in 1984, another issue of "TIME" magazine was published with the inscription "Cholesterol. And now the bad news ... ". Indeed, high levels of cholesterol contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, and such news cannot be called good. As the main cholesterol threat, the editors of "TIME" magazine saw scrambled eggs, which were displayed on the cover of the issue in the form of a sad emoticon. Since then, the reputation of chicken eggs has been thoroughly damaged. For a long time, nutritionists strongly advised their patients to refrain from eating eggs, because one chicken egg contains as much as 200 mg of cholesterol! It turns out that after eating 2 eggs a day, it is possible to exceed the daily rate of consumption of this substance?

Fortunately, over the last few years, progressive medical professionals (following the latest medical research) have completely changed their attitude towards eggs, and here's why. As you know, cholesterol can be "bad" (low-density lipoproteins) and "good" (high-density lipoproteins). The development of atherosclerotic changes is facilitated by low-density lipoproteins, due to their high content of saturated fatty acids and low protein content.

Not all of the cholesterol contained in eggs enters the bloodstream. The content of harmful saturated and trans fats in the egg is extremely low, which makes this product very valuable and useful for health. Moreover, eggs contain a large amount of polyunsaturated fats, which contribute to lowering the level of bad cholesterol. The egg also contains such useful substances as lecithin and phospholipids. For a long time, it was believed that egg phospholipids have a negative effect on the liver, but today it is known that they help the liver to neutralize toxic substances.

According to the latest data, a healthy person can eat up to 7 eggs a day!

Biotin and cooking of eggs

Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays a role in fat and protein metabolism. Biotin participates in the synthesis of a number of enzymes, and is also a source of sulfur, which in turn participates in the production of collagen, which is necessary to maintain the elasticity and elasticity of the skin. Chicken eggs are sources of this important vitamin. However, in raw eggs, biotin is bound to the glycoprotein avidin. In this state, biotin is not absorbed in the intestines and leaves the body naturally. During heat cooking, the connection between avidin and biotin is destroyed and the latter in a free state enters the intestines, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

The whole truth about salmonella

Salmonella is another argument in favor of boiled or fried eggs. Indeed, raw eggs can become a source of infection. And cases of salmonella infection from raw eggs, unfortunately, are not uncommon. Doctors recommend always washing eggs before cooking them, because a large part of salmonella is contained in the shell. Eggs should be fried well, and eggs should be boiled hard for at least 8-10 minutes.

Chicken or quail?

Recently, quail eggs have become very popular. Quail eggs contain more protein, as well as biologically active substances: vitamins and minerals. So, quail eggs are really more useful than chicken eggs, although they are much smaller in size.

We choose correctly

When choosing eggs, we first of all pay attention to their freshness. Naturally, the sorting date and expiration date must be indicated on the packaging, but it will not be superfluous to evaluate the product yourself. How to distinguish a fresh egg from a stale one? The most basic external feature is the surface of the egg. Fresh eggs have a matte surface, and "old" eggs have a shiny surface.

You can evaluate the freshness of an egg by dropping it into a glass of water. A fresh egg, which is not even three days old, sinks to the bottom. If the egg floats on the surface, it is about a week old. And if it quickly floats, then it is more than three weeks old, it is undesirable to use it.

It is recommended to store eggs in the refrigerator in a box. The eggshell has a porous structure, so it can absorb various smells. Our ancestors greased eggs with vegetable oil or fat, and then wrapped them in paper. So the eggs could be stored for a long time.