Dietary Guidelines to Enjoy and get the Best Benefits out of Eating Eggs

Eggs are a nutritious food item as it contains a number of the nutrients that our body requires. Egg contains very good quality protein, fat and also a number of vitamins namely A, B2, B12, D and E. It contains some minerals namely iron, calcium and phosphorus.

I would say, it is safe for children 1 year to 18 years of age to consume one whole egg daily. All the nutrients packed into it make it a wholesome and good food for the growing years.

Adults may consume an whole egg 3-4 times per week. If however one has a strong family history of high cholesterol levels one must test your cholesterol level and only if below 170mg/dl then consume whole eggs.

The egg yolk is the part that is dangerous in relation to cholesterol as one egg yolk contains more than 100mg/dl of cholesterol and must be completely avoided if blood levels are above 200mg/dl cholesterol. After it has been brought down to 170-180mg/dl then one whole egg may be eaten once twice a week.

Egg white is absolutely safe for consumption. It may be eaten daily and is a source of one of the best quality proteins for our body. It is very low in calories and at the same time very filling so is a good food for weight reduction diets.

A whole egg, medium size, is about 80 calories where as an egg white is only 20-22 calories. Therefore we usually recommend this for young athletes as well as elderly people who feel weak and who are on a weight reduction diet.

Each egg white would give us approximately 4.0 gram of protein with no fat at all (only protein). An ideal breakfast I would recommend is 2-3 slices whole wheat bread with 2 egg whites, a sliced tomato and a glass of skimmed milk. This may be eaten upto 5-7 days a week and substituted with cereal and milk or idlies and sambar on the other two days.

Those who are into heavy workout and sports training may eat up to six egg whites in a day. However it should not be eaten alone, like only five egg whites before or after a workout. This will not get absorbed and used properly. The ideal would be to eat two to three egg whites with breakfast along with carbohydrate foods like bread,chapati,idli, etc. it may also be eaten with lunch or dinner along with the regular meal of rice or chapati.

Please note egg should not be consumed raw as raw egg white is not digested properly and will just be eliminated from the body in the motion and therefore will be wasted. Also egg must be cooked properly to destroy salmonella, which can cause serious digestive tract illness. Therefore half boiled eggs,sunny side up eggs or raw egg beaten with milk should be strictly avoided. We do not recommend the use of health eggs for people with cholesterol as the yolk is still present and will provide the hundred milligrams of cholesterol which is harmful to the heart. You just need to use normal eggs and avoid the yolk.