Monday, September 3, 2007

Eggs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)

Nutritional value

Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 150 kcal 650 kJ
Carbohydrates 1.12 g
- Sugars 1.12 g
- Dietary fiber 0.0 g
Fat 10.61 g
Protein 12.58 g
Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.66 mg 51%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.513 mg 34%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.064 mg 0%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 1.398 mg 28%
Vitamin B6 0.121 mg 9%
Folate (Vit. B9) 44 μg 11%
Vitamin C 0.0 mg 0%
Calcium 50 mg 5%
Iron 1.19 mg 10%
Magnesium 10 mg 3%
Phosphorus 172 mg 25%
Potassium 126 mg 3%
Zinc 1.05 mg 11%
Percentages are relative to US
recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database

Eggs provide a significant amount of protein to one's diet, as well as various nutrients.

Chicken eggs are the most commonly eaten eggs, and are highly nutritious. They supply a large amount of complete, high-quality[7] protein (which contains all essential amino acids for humans), and provide significant amounts of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. They are also one of the least expensive single-food sources of complete protein. One large chicken egg contains approximately 7 grams of protein.

All of the egg's vitamin A, D and E is in the eggyolk. The egg is one of the few foods which naturally contain Vitamin D (although, since this nutrient is naturally produced in humans when their skin is exposed to sunlight, other foods' lack of natural Vitamin D is not necessarily detrimental to their nutritional value). A large egg yolk contains approximately 60 Calories (250 kilojoules); the egg white contains about 15 Calories (60 kilojoules). A large yolk contains more than two-thirds of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg of cholesterol (although one study shows that the human body does not absorb much cholesterol from eggs[8]). The yolk makes up about 33% of the liquid weight of the egg. It contains all of the fat in the egg and slightly less than half of the protein and much of the nutrients. It also contains all of the choline, and one yolk contains approximately half of the recommended daily intake. Choline is an important nutrient for development of the brain, and is said to be important for pregnant and nursing women to ensure healthy fetal brain development.[9]

Recently, chicken eggs that are especially high in Omega 3 fatty acids have come on the market. These eggs are made by feeding laying hens a diet containing polyunsaturated fats and kelp meal. Nutrition information on the packaging is different for each of the brands.

Eggs may have different nutritional content depending on the feed and living conditions of the chickens who lay them. Mother Earth News compared eggs from "battery" chickens and eggs from pastured chickens, and found that when compared to the battery eggs, the pastured eggs contained, on average, four times as many omega-3 fatty acids, twice as much vitamin E, half the cholestrol and between two and six times as much beta carotene.[10]

Monday, August 20, 2007

About this blog

I have always assumed that what I read and hear from the various media is reliable and correct. Lately I have found this to be quite false. I guess this will always be the case in this world.

Growing up, I never really bothered about what I ate and drank, or put into my body. But as I see the people around me getting sick(myself included), despite the supposed improvement in healthcare, I had to wonder about the information that I have been fed by the media since young.

So now, I am taking responsibility for my own state of health. This blog is part of my effort to document articles that are interesting and may be useful to myself and others.

Stick around, and let's see what we'll find.