by Lorelei Cohen

Created on: September 03, 2008   Last Updated: November 08, 2010

There is a lot of nutritional value in hard boiled eggs. Eggs are an almost complete food in and of themselves. They are loaded with one of the most complete forms of protein, an array of vitamins, minerals and other essential elements which are required for a complete, and balanced daily diet plan.

The reason that this little oval shaped object that we fondly refer to as an egg is so nutritious is no accident of nature. The egg was specifically created by the mother of a developing baby to provide all the necessary nutrients that this wee one would require to survive till birth.

Eggs are a good source of Vitamin D and are actually one of the few foods in which Vitamin D occurs naturally. They also provide a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin B12, Iodine, lutein, choline, phosphorus, manganese, iron, copper, zinc and calcium. Many of the egg's nutrients are found within the yolk, but the white of the egg does contain quantities of riboflavin and niacin in larger proportion, than can be found within the yolk.

What truly makes eggs unique though is the quality of food protein that they contain. The protein found within eggs is virtually perfect protein. This finding based on the amount and types of essential amino acids that egg protein contains. Because of the exceptionally high quality of egg protein it is generally the standard by which other proteins are measured. One large egg will provide 6.25 grams of this complete protein. This is approximately one half of a serving of protein as defined by food guidelines.

A large egg contains approximately seventy calories of which fifty-nine of those calories will be found within the yolk. But don't throw out your yolks, keep in mind that the reason the calories are there is because that is also where the main bulk of nutrients will be found. Protein contains calories. It is a simple fact of nature.

You have probably heard that eggs are high in cholesterol. This is indeed true. One Large egg contains approx 213 mg of cholesterol which fits in with our daily recommended cholesterol intake levels which allow for between 200 and 300 mg per day. Consuming one egg for breakfast daily is a very healthy food option, especially if that egg is boiled or poached, rather than fried. Cooking eggs in hot water rather than frying them in butter or fat reduces our total daily fat intake and thereby also increases the nutritional value of eggs as a meal.

Eggs have been eaten by man since the dawn of time. Cavemen stole them from dinosaur nests to greedily devour them raw, and while we have become a little more discriminating in our use of them, they are still one of our most basic and widely consumed foods.

So Get Cracking. Eggs are good for you.

Sources:

www.eggs.ca

http://www.eggs.org.nz/

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessen tials/eggsandpulses/eggs/

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