Easter Eggs

With Easter Sunday right around the corner, I wanted to devote another post to eggs. I wrote The Incredible Edible Egg post just over a month ago, so please visit that post to learn about all of the amazing positive nutritional properties of eggs.

Which came first...the chicken or the egg? We may never know! Eggs can be traced back to 3200 B.C. in India. Today China is the world's largest producer of eggs.

Fun facts about eggs

• The week of Easter is the highest selling time of the year for eggs at about 95 million dozen in the US.
• The week after Easter is Egg Salad Week to use up all of the Easter Eggs
• Eggs have been used for centuries in the springtime because they represent new life
• Christians adopted them at Easter to represent Christ's Resurrection
• They are used in Passover Seder to represent life and the hope for salvation
• The largest omelet ever made used 5,000 eggs in Madrid by chef Carlos Fernandez
• The USDA sizes eggs and the sizes range from peewee to jumbo
• Eggs are also rated for quality from AA (highest) to A and B
  
• White eggs and brown eggs have the same nutritional quality
• The difference in the color comes from the color of the chicken
• Chicken eggs are the most widely consumed, but people also eat eggs from quail, duck, and turkeys
• Egg white is also known as albumin

Food safety of eggs

• Salmonella can contaminate eggs, but it is rare
• Keep eggs refrigerated
• Cook eggs until the yolk is not runny anymore, especially for pregnant women, children, and elderly
• Don't keep eggs out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours
• If you are hiding eggs on Sunday, don't hide them where they will come into contact with pets or lawn chemicals
• After you find all of the eggs, throw away any that got cracked
• Refrigerate the eggs again after the Easter Egg hunt is over

Storage

• Do not put the in the door of the refrigerator because they are exposed to warmer air when the door opens
• Keep them in their original container and they will be protected
• Egg white can freeze well and keep for several months
• Use eggs by the expiration date
• Once eggs are hard boiled, use them within a week
• Wash your hands, utensils, and work surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling eggs

No Easter is complete without a recipe for Deviled Eggs.

Have a blessed Easter and enjoy your eggs!

More Recipes
www.deviledeggs.com
American Egg Board Recipes
Iowa Egg Council Recipes
www.goodegg.com
Eggland's Best Recipes

Photo courtesy of www.goodegg.com
Thanks to 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life by Dave Grotto for some of the information in this post

Labels: Easter, eggs, Tara Gidus

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The Incredible Edible Egg

Remember back 20 years when the egg was thought to be so bad for you? Some people still have a fear of eggs. I have to admit, I was in the "please make my omelet with egg substitute" side for a while. But I have changed my tune now that I have learned more about some of the many positive nutritional aspects of the incredible edible egg.

We used to think that the cholesterol in eggs was a culprit in raising our blood cholesterol. Much research has been done on the effect of eggs on cholesterol and the consensus now is that an eggs are fine, and actually can be very good for you! Saturated fat and trans fat are far worse than dietary cholesterol at raising blood cholesterol. All of the dietary cholesterol is found in the yolk, and that is why we were so "egg yolk-phobic" for so many years. But I am here to tell you, eat the yolk! There is some saturated fat in the yolk, so we still want to use a little bit of portion and frequency control, but an egg every day is not excessive and can fit into a heart healthy diet.

5 Reasons to eat eggs:

1. Weight management. Eggs contain high quality protein that keeps you full longer, helping to maintain a healthy weight.
2. Strong muscles. Protein helps active people build muscle and can help aging adults prevent muscle loss.
3. Healthy pregnancy. Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects. Two eggs provide 250 mg choline, about half of the recommended daily intake for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
4. Brain function. Choline helps all people maintain the structure of brain cell membranes, and is a key component of the neuro-transmitter that helps relay messages from the brain through nerves to the muscles.
5. Eye health. Lutein and zeaxanthin are two antioxidants found in the egg yolk. They may help prevent macular degeneration.

Nutrition facts for one large egg:
75 calories
6.5 g protein
0 g carbohydrate
5 g fat
1.5 g saturated fat
0 g trans fat
212 mg cholesterol
Contains: Vitamin A, iron, phosphorus, selenium, riboflavin, Vitamin B12, folic acid, Vitamin D, zinc

For more information check out these links:
Fun Recipes and Tips: www.incredibleegg.org
Info on Benefits of Eggs from the Egg Nutrition Center: www.enc-online.org
Recipes for eggs
Blog on eggs and nutrition science: www.unscramblingthescience.com

Photo of eggs courtesy of cursedthing

Labels: cholesterol, eggs, heart disease, Tara Gidus

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