Don’t know how to make it any simpler than that!
In the words of the doyenne of gut science and health, Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome and founder of the GAPS diet: “Eggs are one of the most nourishing and easy to digest foods on this planet. Raw egg yolk has been compared with human breast milk because it can be absorbed almost 100% without needing digestions. Egg yolks will provide you with most essential amino acids, many vitamins (B1, B2, B12, A, D, biotin) essential fatty acids, a lot of zinc, magnesium and many other nutrients.”
Or in the words of my 10-year-old son: “Yum!”
On the farm, we’re lucky enough to have our own chickens. Nothing so lovely as cracking a farm fresh egg into the pan, and seeing that gorgeous deep yellow yolk that comes from a happy chicken who has been wandering around the farm, pecking for bugs and hunting for goodies.
We eat eggs nearly every day. Although we start the day with an early breakfast of oatmeal and kefir before morning chores, we usually take a break around 11 am for a big protein egg scramble. We work hard on the farm, and we’re hungry by then!
Early afternoon is the best time to have your protein, as your body processes heavy fats and proteins better during the day than after 6 pm. If I’m trying to shift a bit of weight, I have all my proteins earlier in the day, and then swap out my supper for a green smoothie, which I sip while everyone else is having their supper. Works a treat!
Eggs are a great carrier base for a scramble that has all kinds of other goodies in it. Our favourites on the farm are salmon, soft goat cheese and leek, or chicken, avocado and hard goat cheese. Just toss the ingredients into a saute pan and scramble away. Quick and easy!
Side note – Please don’t use non-stick pans, as they’re potentially toxic if scratched or over-heated and can cause elevated cholesterol levels in children.1 What to use instead? Well, on the farm we have lovely old-fashioned cast-iron skillets that I adore. I keep them rubbed down with a coating of olive oil, which over time produces a gorgeous natural non-stick effect called seasoning.
Cast-iron skillets can actually boost your healthy iron intake,2 rather than producing noxious fumes for your family to breathe, as non-stick pans can if over-heated. Plus, I feel like a proper traditional farmhouse woman when I’m clashing around with my cast-iron skillets! They have a wonderful old-fashioned texture and feel. When scrambling eggs, get your cast-iron pan very hot before adding a dribble of olive oil and then add your egg ingredients – this will make clean-up easier.
Egg consumption has been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes as well as lower blood glucose levels. Men who ate approximately four eggs per week had a 37 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than men who only ate approximately one egg per week. This association persisted even after possible confounding factors such as physical activity, body mass index, smoking and consumption of fruits and vegetables were taken into consideration. 3
Researchers have also found the eggs contain antioxidant properties which help in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. One egg is equal to an apple in terms of its antioxidant value. The science also shows that egg proteins were converted by enzymes in the stomach and small intestines and produced peptides that act the same way as ACE inhibitors, prescriptions drugs that are used to actually lower high blood pressure. 4
But don’t eggs increase high blood pressure because of their high cholesterol content?
The answer appears to be “no.” In fact, scientists believe that eggs may have further antioxidant properties than have already been discovered, and more health benefits than we know.
So re-discover the farmhouse joy of eating your eggs!
(Go for eggs from happy free-range chickens, of course! ; )
