Let's talk eggs. I'm thinking eggs are more good than not, don't you think? Maybe I'm wrong. And I'm totally open to wrong. In fact, as a little sidenote, I am NO expert at all. I'd like to get an expert on here to help me sort some of this out, but basically we're learning together.
Anyhoo, if you know something I don't or if you think I've got it backwards, let me know in the comments section. That's what it's all about.
Back to the eggs. I'm all about convenience, and I've found that boiling a bunch of these babies at a moment when I can bails me out of a snack attack later. Today the kids had an egg for snack instead of the back-up animal crackers. Which are totally cookies. Call them what you want but those are cookies, no?
But here's what some expert says here:
General dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association are that adults eat no more than 3-4 eggs yolks each week. There aren't any formal recommendations for children, but like adults, it is recommended that children limit their intake of cholesterol to 300mg each day. Since an egg contains about 213mg of cholesterol, eating eggs too often can cause your child to have a diet that is high in cholesterol.
Eggs can be a healthy part of your child's diet though and shouldn't be avoided altogether. In addition to being high in cholesterol, eggs also have a lot of benefits, including being high in protein, iron, minerals and B vitamins.
So all in all, my verdict is that I'm going to keep making the eggs, but not so many. Not an everyday thing. That's too bad. I was thinking they could be a super easy everyday thing. I can handle that though.
I also am not an expert, but I disagree with the general dietary guidelines from the AHA! I think their guidelines are fine for people who have high cholesterol or a family history of it, but when I think about all the crap that we put into our bodies, it seems silly to me that they would recommend to limit eggs - which I think are one of natures more perfect foods. That said, I usually buy Egglands Best because their hens are vegetarian fed, and if you can believe the labels, they are a bit better than the traditional egg without being genetically modified or filled with chemical fillers or sugar to make up for whats missing like most supposedly healthy food. Their large eggs have 175 mg of cholesterol. They have all those healthy omega threes, and good vitamins and claim 25% less saturated fat. If you are choosing between giving them a granola bar with a bunch of things in it that you can't pronounce, or some pretzels that are made with white flour or a cookie or an egg, I think the superior choice is clear. So personally, I would give it to them without guilt.
ReplyDeleteYou know what?! I think you're right. There are much worse things that I regularly give my kids than eggs, so you're right. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHowdy, MIss Beth =0) First of all, I LOVE the new blog and I'm only a few days in! Second of all, I actually have quite a bit of knowledge in the field of nutrition so feel free to call me any time =0) Boiling the eggs in advance is an awesome idea and they make a great snack! All of the fat and cholesterol from the egg is found in the yolk, so all you have to do is discard the yolk or use 1 yolk for every 2 or 3 eggs and you have such an amazingly healthy snack for you and your little ones. My kidlets (you're so cute LOL) even ask for theirs without the yolks all together now!
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