Nature's Egg-celent Food - Are they really good for us? -

Happy National Egg Day! Yes, there's actually a day for that.

Over the past years, eggs have gotten a bad rap with regards to health and healthy eating.

I'm sure you've heard the debate, but does eating too many eggs actually affect your cholesterol levels and heart health?

How many eggs CAN I eat?

According to the Mayo Clinic, most healthy people can eat up to seven eggs a week without increasing their risk of heart disease. What they indicate is that the cholesterol risks are raised not so much from the egg itself, but from the foods that normally accompany the eggs in a Standard American Diet - foods that contain trans fats, saturated fats and sodium such as bacon, sausages and ham.

While one egg yolk has 200 mg of cholesterol (the highest source of dietary cholesterol) eggs also contain the highest biological amount of protein and complete amino acid profile (7 grams) along with other nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids, choline, biotin, Vitamin A and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which have been shown to help lower the risk of many diseases.

The source is the most important thing

As always, choosing the best quality in your foods is very important. This is extremely important when choosing your eggs. Organic and free-range eggs have double the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids than eggs from cage-raised (conventional) chickens. Setting aside the cruelty that conventional cage raised chickens suffer, organic free range eggs contain higher amounts of other nutrients as well. They are also less likely to contain salmonella and other diseases that are spread in conventional cage raised chickens.

So many delicious ways to eat eggs

To me, eggs can be one of the easiest foods to make. Hard or soft boiled, poached or fried, omelettes and my favorite - egg muffins! So many people pick up their breakfast through the drive through, yet, the same meal can be made at home much cheaper, and you will also be able to control what is in your food.

So, in celebration of National Egg Day, here is one of my favorite egg recipes.

Easy and Delicious Breakfast Egg Muffins

(Better than those drive through breakfast eggs!)

Ingredients (choose organic wherever possible)

6 organic free-range eggs
splash milk
a handful of chopped spinach or other green leaves
diced mushrooms (optional)
sliced cherry tomatoes
(non vegetarian option) diced chicken, turkey or ham
shredded cheese or crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper

Other options you could include:

diced sweet onion
yellow or green zucchini
spring onions
bell pepper (your favorite color)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
In a small pan, saute mushrooms until soft
In a bowl, beat eggs, stir in milk and the rest of your chosen ingredients
Using muffin cups or a non stick 12 muffin tin, spoon equal amount of batter into prepared muffin cups
Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 - 18 minutes, or until tops are firm to the touch.

Storage:

These can be stored in the fridge for up to one week. My recommendation to keep them from getting 'damp' is to place a piece of paper towel on the bottom of the storage container to absorb any liquid.

What's your favorite egg recipe?