The Eggcellent Adventure
Through rhymes and songs, quite a lot of childhood memories revolve around the daily routine of Hatti-matim-tim's life, or even the disastrous account of poor Humpty Dumpty's fall. Do you know what both these rhymes have in common? Both involve eggs! This best illustrates that the importance of the egg has been instilled in us since childhood and for good reason! Whether as an essential in breakfast or a complementary dish with biriyani, this wonder food is actually quite high in nutritional values.
Why have it?
Being rich in proteins, an eggy breakfast will actually help you sustain your energy throughout the day more than other breakfast options. Specifically, if you are into muscle building, eggs are a must since they contain nutrients that will speed up the rate of your muscle recovery. In fact, eggs must be included in the diet of any sort of athletes since they also contain calcium, zinc and iron, all of which help our strength and endurance.
With zero carbohydrate and sugar content, eggs are vital to weight-loss diets as well. The bunch of antioxidants, range of vitamins and its high choline content are what gives eggs their importance. From reducing risks of cataracts to increasing brain and liver activity, an egg contains enough nutrients to overall improve your health.
The darker side of egg
Some eggs may be contaminated with salmonella, especially if the factories and farms where they are manufactured are unhygienic. So, make sure you buy eggs from a trusted and authentic source and select the medium or smaller sized ones as these tend to have thicker shells which make contamination more unlikely. Finally, store the eggs in a refrigerator as temperature fluctuations can cause them to go bad.
Egg myths busted
Eggs increase cholesterol: Well, not really. While our livers are a natural producer of cholesterol, the production rate actually decreases once we start eating a lot of cholesterol-rich food like eggs since the body is already getting the necessary cholesterol from an external source. So, the total amount of cholesterol in the body remains more or less unchanged.
Eggs cause heart disease: For people who are diabetic or diabetes-prone, this does have some truth to it, and egg-intake must be avoided in these circumstances. However, it is not the case for the general population. Eating eggs will not make you more prone to developing heart disease at all if you do not have diabetic symptoms earlier. However, if you still want to be on the safe side, avoid the yolks and just opt for the whites.
Too much egg is bad for you: While an average consumption is about one to three eggs per day, body-builders can eat as much as 12 raw eggs each day. An amazing source of protein and fat, some bodybuilding diets are actually based on eggs. So, if you do decide to include over 6 eggs a day in your diet, remember to have a blood test done after a few weeks to make sure your body is being able to adjust to this.
Egg beauty
While you keep looking far and wide for the perfect cosmetic product, one of the best ingredients to enhance your beauty is right in your fridge! Yes, it's the egg again! From hair masks and homemade hair shampoos to more skin toning face masks, the uses of an egg in beauty treatments are plenty. Have a dandruff problem? Apply one egg mixed with one cup of curd on your hair. Hair fall and split ends? Mix egg whites and coconut oil and apply that onto your hair, finally rinsing off with lukewarm water.
Yes, the internet will provide you with a gazillion face mask ideas that use eggs with honey, milk or lemon juice. But the egg can work wonders in other areas as well. Not only can the egg-white remove stretch marks if applied with almond oil regularly, it can even get your eyelashes to grow! Add glycerine and olive oil to the egg white and use a clean mascara wand to apply onto the base of your lashes. Rinse it with cool water an hour later and soon enough your natural lashes will look better than the falsies! In fact, if you add a bit of grinded eggshell to your toothpaste, your teeth will look whiter as well.
And now, you know why the biggest beauty brands in the world are obsessed with eggs.
By Adiba Mahbub Proma
Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed