You might be a little surprised to find eggs in my list of fat burning foods. Unfortunately they have been given a pretty bad image by fast food companies that fry them in hydrogenated oils, serve them as part of a fried English breakfast, and shove them into omelette burgers!
And can we forget the horrible conditions that battery farmed hens have to endure to produce our eggs in the first place? They have also been classified as a “high cholesterol food”, but more on that in a moment.
But I’m here to show you that by choosing the right produce, and preparing them properly, eggs are actually a true fat burning food, packed full of nutrition.
Whole Eggs Are Best
How many of us still separate our egg yolks and whites, only to throw the yolks in the bin because they contain all of the bad stuff (fat and cholesterol)? Well I must confess that I used to be one of those people. I had read some body building and exercise articles that made me think the white was the only good part of an egg. However, those articles had it all wrong…
In truth whole eggs are a much better source of bio-available protein than the whites alone. This is because of a more balanced amino acid profile, making the protein easier to digest. But we’re not at the best bit yet…
Egg yolks are the healthiest and most nutritious part of the egg! They contain 90% of an egg’s vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. More than 90%! And to think, we’ve been throwing them in the bin!
Egg Yolk: Nutritional Powerhouse
One of the antioxidants found in the egg yolk is lutein. This little guy can also be found in leafy greens such as spinach, and helps to maintain the health of your eyes. It also helps to slow the thickening of arteries, which can lead to heart disease over time.
The yolk is also where you’ll find vitamins, A, D, E, K, B12, B6 as well as minerals such as zinc, iron and phosphorus. It is also packed with plenty of essential fatty acids.
Just think of all of those vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you’ve been throwing in the bin every time you discard your egg yolks. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
But What About Cholesterol?
But what about the rumors that eggs are bad for my cholesterol levels; are they true? Well no actually, the rumors are false.
Recent research has shown that eating egg yolks increases the levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) but not the bad LDL cholesterol.
And did you know that HDL cholesterol is important to many of the vital functions in your body. In fact, higher levels of HDL are linked to a lower risk of heart disease!
Why Choose Free Range Eggs?
In my article about free range chicken breast, I’ve covered the importance of choosing meat from free range chickens. And choosing eggs from free-range hens is just as important!
Thanks to the diet and the environment that free-range hens enjoy, the nutrition levels in their eggs are much higher. You can literally see the difference in the nutrition levels and put it to the test yourself. Crack open a free range egg and one from a battery farmed hen and you’ll notice straight away the free range shell is much thicker. You’ll also see that the free range yolk is a deep orange when compared to pale yellow from the battery farmed hen.
Unfortunately battery farmed hens never get exercise or get access to a natural diet. But for the free range hens that do, it means their eggs are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and have a healthy ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids. So it definitely is worth paying a little extra at the grocery store!
I hope you’ve learned a lot about free range, whole eggs. Check out my List Of Fat Burning Foods and discover Negative Calorie Foods for even more foods that will help you lose weight.