Eggs: What Health-Conscious
People REALLY Need to Know about One of the Most Controversial Foods
Classic barnyard chickens are a far cry from the commercial chicken
farms today that pack 500,000 animals into close quarters where they
feed them genetically modified (GM) grains and emphasize production
over health. The result? Supermarket eggs have low levels of essential
omega-3 fatty acids and are more prone to spreading salmonella!
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According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 36.6 million American
adults have "high risk" cholesterol levels (above 240 mg/dL) and
105.2 million have "borderline high risk" cholesterol levels (above
200 to 239 mg/dL).1
The recommendations for lowering cholesterol often include eating a low cholesterol
diet, in order to lower your risk for cardiovascular disease.
It's no wonder that eggs, a high cholesterol food (found in the yolk) have
gotten a bad reputation in the past.
HDL and LDL
Over time, research started to differentiate between HDL (high density lipoprotein)
and LDL (low density lipoprotein). HDL is known as the "good cholesterol"
because it protects against heart attacks, while LDL is known as "bad
cholesterol" because it creates plaque that can clog arteries, contributing
to heart attack and stroke.
Further research is showing that there are different
types of LDL cholesterol, not all of which are responsible for clogging
arteries. This makes a difference in determining what foods to avoid.
One study showed that eating eggs did raise LDL cholesterol, but NOT the
type responsible for heart disease.2
The Health Benefits of Eggs
At Body Ecology, we love a good egg. Eggs are an ancient food. Man has always
eaten the eggs of all animals that produced them: chicken, duck, goose, turtles.
Called caviar and roe the eggs from fish are very special foods. Eggs are
foods of reproduction and so therefore are good for our reproductive organs.
They are a must for pregnant and nursing woman.
Actually, eggs are a wonderful source of nutrition and can greatly strengthen
your health. A great source of protein, Vitamins A and D and Folic acid.
and the adrenal-building minerals: choline, sodium and potassium. Eggs are
a rich source of phosphorus and also sulfur.
Eggs have been shown to:
- Keep your brain healthy. Choline is an important nutrient found
in egg yolks as phosphatidycholine. . A cell must have this substance to
be normal and healthy and to work properly. It keeps the membrane of each
cell in a fluid condition.
- Phosphatidycholine is necessary for the synthesis of acetylcholine, a
neurotransmitter that carries impulses between brain cells. And acetylcholine
is essential so that we can concentrate and pay attention to our tasks.
It ensures that we have the ability to concentrate and retain information
in our memory. Impaired memory, difficulty concentrating and cognitive decline
as we age are symptoms lacking this essential nutrient. You can see why
eggs can help prevent Alzheimer's.
- Improve heart health. Choline converts homocysteine into harmless
material. Homocysteine is the substance that can damage your blood vessels
and is a precursor to heart disease. Eggs can also decrease your risk
for heart attacks and stroke thanks to the anti-clotting agent found
in yolks.
- Enhance your vision. The lutein found in eggs can help prevent
macular degeneration.
- Nourish expecting mothers and their babies. Egg yolks contain high
levels of biotin, a B vitamin that can prevent birth defects. Egg yolks
should be a baby's first animal food and can be introduced around six months.
- Aid in fat assimilation. Eggs yolks contain lecithin. In fact,
lecithin is the precursor to choline, which helps lower serum cholesterol.
Special Note Worth Mentioning Here: Body Ecology's Vitality
SuperGreen is the only green drink on the market that uses fermented soy
lecithin. Our nutrient- dense green drink formula was designed to nourish
your gut lining and help establish a healthy inner ecosystem. Fermented lecithin
plays a valuable role in digestive health as well.
As you can see, eggs are truly good for you and can be a wonderful addition
to your Body Ecology lifestyle.
Are All Eggs The Same?
Next time you go to the supermarket or even the health food store, you might
be confused by the variety of labeling: free range, organic, cage free, vegetarian...How
do you decide which is best for you?
Here are some guidelines for choosing eggs:
- Organic. Organic chickens eat feed and grains that were not grown
with pesticides. The animals are not given hormones or antibiotics, but
"organic" on the label does not tell us if the chickens were able
to exercise, nor does it tell us what they were fed.
- Free range vs. Cage free.
- Free-range chickens usually have a covered shelter and access to an
outside scratch yard. They are pasture-fed and can get worms and bugs,
which is the ideal feed for health and strong immunity.
- Cage free chickens do not live in cages but typically live inside
a hen house without access to the outdoors.
- Vegetarian eggs are not necessarily good for you. Chickens need
protein to develop properly (that's why bugs are a part of their natural
diet) so chickens that are vegetarian may be fed genetically modified soy
and other unhealthy grains.
- White vs. brown eggs. There is no difference between white and
brown eggs.
- Conventional eggs. These eggs come from chickens fed conventional
food, which includes GM (genetically modified) grains, GM soy and
pesticides.
- The toxins from pesticides and herbicides are stored in the fat of these
chickens and their tightly packed living conditions make exercise difficult.
It's no surprise that these chickens are unhealthy and can harbor diseases
like salmonella.
- Antibiotics are often needed to rid conventional chickens of diseases.
- Conventional eggs have abnormally high levels of omega-6 fatty acids.
High levels of omega-6 fatty acids may increase your risk for cancer,
obesity and heart disease.
Putting it all together: Look for organic, free-range (or pasture-fed)
eggs for the most health benefits.
Salmonella Scare
With all the warnings about salmonella, many people fear soft-cooked and
raw eggs. The real key to avoiding the dangers of salmonella and other
pathogens is in the inner ecosystem: yours AND the chicken who laid the egg.
A healthy inner ecosystem is thriving with beneficial microflora that keeps
pathogens at bay so you can be healthy and strong. When you are following
the Body Ecology program and emphasizing fermented
foods and drinks, these microflora will go to work for you, boosting your
immunity.
The same is true for chickens. When you eat organic eggs from free-range
pasture-fed chickens, they too have been following a healthy, natural diet
of worms and bugs and microflora found in the soil.
This diet builds a healthy inner ecosystem that can protect them from harmful
pathogens.
If you are concerned about salmonella - or any illness for that matter -
consume fermented foods and drinks regularly. And when you buy eggs, choose
organic eggs from free-range chickens.
Healthy Eggs Body Ecology Style
Here at Body Ecology, we recommend cooking your eggs "softly."
You never want to overcook proteins or they become difficult to digest.
We often make our eggs without much of the white. This is important because
many people are sensitive to egg white. Babies should not have them. It
is the yellow, yolk that has most of the valuable nutrition. The recipe
below uses 3 eggs but we have eliminated the white of two of the eggs before
scrambling them. In other words use two yolks plus one whole egg per person.
Try our Body
Ecology Scrambled Eggs recipe, a delicious way to enjoy the healing benefits
of eggs.
(If you suspect you have an egg allergy, you could be sensitive only to the
whites and might not react to the yolks. The Principle of Uniqueness applies
here.
AN IMPORTANT POINT TO KEEP IN MIND: Once you are eating and drinking fermented
foods and liquids and have established your inner ecosystem, many foods
you could not eat before are now well tolerated and can then become beneficial
for rebuilding your body
Organic eggs from free-range chickens provide a variety of nutrients and
are beneficial in every stage of life. They provide energy, nourish your thyroid
and protect your body and brain.
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The Body Ecology Diet is packed with information and recipes for health
and healing. Learn more about eggs and other beneficial foods by getting
your copy of The
Body Ecology Diet today!
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Eggs combine best with lots of alkaline land and ocean vegetables and of
course, cultured vegetables.
These are alkaline and help create balance with the acidic nature of animal
protein foods including eggs.
When cooking eggs always add a touch of the very alkalizing Celtic
Sea Salt (link to: to balance their acidic nature. For more healthy eating
guidelines and delicious healing recipes, read The
Body Ecology Diet. If you have been an egg lover and have given them up
because you were told they are high in cholesterol you can now enjoy them
even every day. But choose AND eat them wisely. Now you know how.
Sources:
1 Cholesterol Statistics. American Heart Association.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4506
2 Warner, Jennifer. Eating Eggs Daily May Not Be Risky for Heart. WebMD News.
http://onhealth.webmd.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55676
Biotin and Pregnancy, MedicinalFoodNews.com, Apr 2002 No. 146. http://www.medicinalfoodnews.com/vol06/issue2/biotin
Eggs: The World's Healthiest Foods, WHFoods.com. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=92
The Five Things You Need to Know about Eggs, SupermarketGuru.com, 26 Dec
2006. http://www.supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/31487
Garber, Barbara, "Real Eggs from a Real Farm: Beneficial Farm turns
a hatchery egg machine into a barnyard animal," WestonAPrice.org. http://www.westonaprice.org/farming/realeggs.html
Omega-3 and Omega-6: Essential fats are the answer to most athletes' prayers,
PPOnline.com. http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/omega-3-omega-6.html
Ronald McDonald Quits Over GE Chicken Feed, Greenpeace.org, 21 Apr 2004.
http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/press/mcds/greenpeaceorg21042004.html
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