Did you know that cancer, heart disease, and diabetes share common risk factors? These chronic diseases can relate to one another in several ways. What’s more, nutrition and lifestyle changes which manage and prevent these diseases overlap considerably.
For example, you could reduce your risk of developing any of them by losing extra weight and avoiding inflammatory foods.
What’s surprising is that eggs are now being regarded as one of the healthiest foods that reduce the risk factors related to these three chronic diseases.
Why are Eggs Beneficial
The author of The Detox Kitchen Bible and Healthspan’s head of nutrition, Rob Hobson, claims eggs are one of the most nutritious foods on the Planet.
Besides containing high levels of protein, eggs are one of the rare foods to include vitamin D. What’s more, they contain almost every essential vitamin and mineral the human body needs.
They contain beta-carotene and choline – antioxidants which reduce inflammation and free radical damage. Damage caused by free radicals is one of the major causes of cancer development.
What is The Healthiest Way to Cook Eggs?
Hobson says you can have eggs in any way you want, and they will still be highly nutritious.
However, hard boiling and poaching eggs contain fewer fat and calories as opposed to fried or scrambled eggs which are usually cooked using butter, oils, and cream.
The food nutritionist Jeraldine Curran suggests enjoying them in a frittata (an Italian dish). That way allows you to cook them completely on a low heat.
This is important as cooking scrambled eggs at a high temperature might create free radicals and damage the delicate oils. Therefore, it’s best to cook them on a low heat.
The anti-aging and fitness nutritionist Rick Hay recommends cooking eggs thoroughly. You should always cook them that way to cut the risk of salmonella.
In fact, he says poaching or boiling them to more than a soft poach or soft boil is the way to go.
The Cooking Time Matters
Another nutritionist, Aleksandra Vicentijevic, explains cooking eggs at a shorter time, even at a higher temperature, will ensure they don’t lose all the nutritional benefits.
Even though cooking is important to eliminate any potential bacteria, you should not cook them for too long to keep them as nutrient-dense as possible.
Heat affects the egg’s vitamin D and vitamin A content, as well as other antioxidants level. For example, baking eggs contain 60% less vitamin D than raw.
Last but not least, the oil you use to cook eggs in is also very important for their nutrient content. Aleksandra Vicentijevic says it’s best to use coconut oil or other oils which are stable at high temperature.
According to the nutritionist Jody Middleton, heated vegetable oils are related to inflammation and cardiovascular disease. It turns out hard-boiled and poached eggs are the best options as you don’t need dairy or fat to cook them.
Here’s a video of the cardiologist Michael Miller explaining eggs contain far less amount of cholesterol than we believed.
