Wellfie Wednesday Tip #75: Egg-cellent or Egg-stra Dangerous?

Happy Wellfie Wednesday! Welcome back. This week's tip is brought to you by another guest promoter of health (@FScottFeil_DPT)! 

     Hello all, F Scott Feil, PT, DPT here and I am so thankful and excited to be writing a guest blog post for the Wellfie Wednesday Crew. I use their blog as the basis for my Wednesday blog posts on PTEducator.com because they generally always have a good tip on there. So without further ado my blog post is entitled: Wellfie Wednesday Guest Blog Post: Egg-cellent or Egg-stra Dangerous?

     One of the difficulties I found when trying to get healthy was all of the conflicting information out in the world. The internet has become a great resource for those trying to live a healthy lifestyle, but you have to do your research. One week butter is good for you, the next week it is bad for you. One week avocados are the devil, the next week they are a savior. At the end of the day, you have to do your own research and figure out why a particular food source may have benefits or risks, and make your own well informed decision as to whether or not you are going to consume said food item.

So Are Eggs Good For You or Bad For You?

     One of my initial quandry's led me to the question of whether or not eggs were good for you or bad for you. It turns out that eggs are a nutrient-dense food. They are a high-quality protein source, meaning all nine essential amino acids that can't be made by humans can be found in eggs. The protein in eggs can be helpful in building and preserving muscle mass which is important for weight control.

     Eggs are also a good source of vitamin D and the nutrient choline, which has been shown to help protect against infantile birth defects. Eggs also contain vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin (B2) and the antioxidant selenium, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin, which have been shown to have links to healthy eyesight.

     Most the calories, vitamins, and minerals in an egg are are located in the yolk. But what about the cholesterol in eggs? It is true that eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, which is also mainly found in the yolk, however it has been found that dietary cholesterol alone has little effect on  raising blood cholesterol levels. 

ONE THING I LEARNED TODAY:

     The thing regarding eggs that will likely affect your health most is how the eggs are prepared, as well as which other foods you combine with them. I used to eat 3 eggs scrambled, on a hero, bacon, sausage, ham, salt, pepper, ketchup (approximately 1100 calories). One large poached egg has 71 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat. An omelet made with spinach and one yolk is also a more lean choice. So feel free to enjoy eggs, but be mindful of how you prepare them. And as always, balance eggs with other healthy fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I have attached a simple healthy, Whole30 Compliant (for those of you who enjoy Whole30 meals as well) recipe that I now make with eggs on occasion. This recipe will be featured on my Foodie Friday Blog at PTEducator.com, but you guys will get a sneak peak of it a few days early!

EGG WHITE VEGGIE BAKE RECIPE

6 eggs (whites only)
1 conatiner baby spinach
1 container baby bella mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choice)
1 tomato finely chopped
1 yellow onion finely diced
4 tablespoons ghee
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Separate your 6 eggs (whites from yolks, dispose of yolks or do with them what you will). Saute spinach, garlic, mushrooms, and onions in 3 tablespoons of ghee. Coat a baking dish with final tablespoon of ghee (especially edges). Add eggs, sauteed vegetables, diced tomatoes to baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until eggs have completely cooked. Enjoy!

F Scott Feil is the founder and owner of PTEducator.com, a website aimed at increasing the public's health literacy through a daily blog. He is also the co-host of The Healthcare Education Transformation Podcast and The Fantasy Doctors NBA Podcast.

Thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures this week and tag the WW crew members in your post (@TheFuelPhysio, @Eric_in_AmERICa, @AaronPerezPT, @DianaKlatt, @kuhnalyssa_spt) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

- WW Crew