Eggs and Anti-Aging

Research has ended the debate -- there is no link between egg consumption and heart disease.

Eggs are one of the few perfect foods. They are an ideal food to eat to help repair and regenerate the body, helping to combat signs of aging. They're full of vitamins and powerful nutrients - and packed with omega-3 fatty acids.  They are the only protein source with a protein quality rating of 100 - meaning they have all the amino acids you need in exactly the ratio you need. Red meat is second at 70, followed by fish at 60 and chicken at 50.

A single egg contains:

• Nine essential amino acids.

• Six grams of the highest quality protein you can put in your body. Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body tissues such as your skin, internal organs and muscles. They are also the major components of your immune system and hormones.

• Lutein and zeaxanthin (for your eyes) as they are an antioxidants.

• Choline for your brain, nervous- and cardiovascular systems.

• Naturally occurring vitamin D.

Since protein has many anti-aging properties, including preserving your muscle, brain, heart, and libido, you might want to increase your egg intake right away.  With all the nutrients available in eggs your body will be able to repair itself and keep itself healthy.

Unfortunately, when you cook eggs many of their benefits are either altered or destroyed altogether; especially highly perishable nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin - carotenoids that keep your vision sharp and protect you from blindness.  So eat your eggs raw whenever possible.

Allergic reactions to eggs are generally caused by the changes that take place in the cooking process. Eating eggs raw also helps preserve many of the highly perishable nutrients they contain.  What's more, raw eggs act as a tonic to your digestive system, flushing out toxins and revitalizing your immune system. Only when the nutrients are delivered in their pure, raw state do you get this cleansing effect.

I know what you’re thinking ….I can’t eat them, it must be like eating snot!!!! Well actually if you add them in smoothies, or mix them with other food you really don’t know they are there. Raw eggs have almost no taste, so you won't even notice them - and you'll have a real "breakfast of champions."

But, avoiding raw egg yolks is conventional nutritional dogma, as raw egg whites contain a glycoprotein called avidin that is very effective at binding biotin, one of the B vitamins. The concern is that this can lead to a biotin deficiency. The simple solution is to cook the egg whites, as this completely deactivates the avidin. The problem is that this also impairs the structure of nearly every other protein in the egg. While you will still obtain nutritional benefits from consuming cooked eggs, from a nutritional perspective it would seem far better to consume them uncooked. What is important to realize is that there is plenty of biotin in the egg yolk. Egg yolks have one of the highest concentrations of biotin found in nature. So it is likely that you will not have a biotin deficiency if you consume the whole raw egg, yolk and white. What is also clear, however, that if you only consume raw egg whites, you are nearly guaranteed to develop a biotin deficiency unless you take a biotin supplement.

So what does that mean?

When buying your eggs however, it's critical to understand that not all eggs are created equal. There is a major nutritional difference between TRUE free-range chicken eggs and commercially farmed eggs. If you have no choice but to buy your eggs at the shop, look for free-range organic eggs.
So to be clear, my advice is that you can safely eat WHOLE raw eggs, from a healthy fresh source. I eat whole raw eggs each morning with my breakfast smoothie. I would strongly advise against eating raw egg whites alone. They simply need to be consumed with the yolks. By eating eggs your body will be getting a nutrient rich food enabling it to function properly and support anti-aging. I’ve even started to keep my own chickens. They are easy to look after and an excellent source of high quality eggs.

I hope that was helpful. If you have any questions at all on what I have talked about, definitely reach out to me in the comments of this post and I will get back to you!  I need to go now and check to see if I have any fresh eggs, oh and to feed them.