by Marilynn Preston
One big fat reason Americans tend to eat more and weigh more than other citizens of the world is because the media has spoon-fed us so many confusing and contradictory health and nutrition messages over the years.
Eat carbs to lose weight. Avoid carbs to lose weight. Live fat-free. Love olive oil. Never eat fried foods. Enjoy anything in moderation. Avocados are bad for you. Avocados are good for you. And so it goes ... for more years than I can remember … which may or may not involve how many avocados I've eaten in my life.
This kind of mind-numbing back-and-forth — confusing medical statements, contradictory media messages, the latest speculation about the causes and cures of cancer — creates confusion in our brains about what we should eat and how we should live. And it has certainly scrambled our understanding of eggs.
Eggs 'R' Us.
Undisputed, it's where we all came from, and I felt very unnerved, some years ago, when eggs were lowered so drastically in the pecking order of healthy foods. The eating of yolks was linked to high cholesterol. High cholesterol! Oh, no! Most M.D.s — who sadly spend almost no time studying the link between food and health — instantly flipped eggs onto their forbidden foods list. Suddenly, in certain circles, egg-white omelettes were all the rage. Even the most perfectly made cheese souffle fell flat as a heart-healthy dessert.
So here's the latest. It turns out that fresh eggs are a wonderful food. And eggs that emerge from happy and well-fed chickens who run free and listen to Mozart all day, and never have to do taxes or apply to college, are even more wonderful.
One large hard-boiled egg — a level of cooking that anyone with a stove can aspire to — contains only 78 calories. Two of these babies and you're still well under the calorie count of most manufactured nutrition bars.
And calories are only a part of the reason we love eggs and read labels. You also have to pay attention to the amount of protein, fat and sugar in a food, and this is where the egg takes the cake. It gives you 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of total fat (only 2 grams of saturated fat), and a big fat goose egg on sugar. No fructose, glucose or sucrose. And yet, eggs can be so sweet, so satisfying. You almost can't ruin an egg. Hard or soft, hot or cooled, poached or frittatad, eggs have a nutritional profile that hamburgers and processed foods would die for. So crack out that carton soon, and let moderation lead the way. Eggs have been reborn. No yoke.
