This Is Why You Should Seriously Be Eating More Eggs

Eating more eggs is a fantastic way to give yourself a health boost. Eating whole eggs is vital: the goodness of eggs is found in the yolk (containing over 90 percent of an egg’s calcium and iron) and the white (containing almost half the egg’s protein). If you’re not eating eggs regularly, here are four reasons why you should.

1. Get your vitamins

One little egg is packed with several vitamins essential to your health:

• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), which helps your body to break down food into energy
• Vitamin B12 (cobalamin), vital for producing red blood cells
• Vitamin A (retinol), which is great for your eyesight
• Vitamin E (tocopherol), which fights off the free radicals that can cause tissue and cellular damage, which may lead to cancer

Vitamins A and B2 are also important for growth, so make sure your kids are eating eggs regularly, too.

2. Take in essential minerals

Eggs are packed with iron, zinc and phosphorus, which minerals that are vital for your body. Women need plenty of iron due to menstruation, and not getting enough could leave you feeling tired, run down and grumpy. Zinc keeps your immune system in top form and helps your body turn food into energy. Phosphorus is important for healthy bones and teeth.

And, as a bonus, there are some trace elements (minerals you need in small amounts) in eggs: iodine, required to make thyroid hormones, and selenium, an antioxidant that can help cut your risk of cancer.

3. Great source of protein

One medium egg contains about 6.5 grams of protein. That means three eggsprovide 19.5 grams of protein: the average woman needs about 50 grams a day, so that’s almost half of your daily intake. (Actual protein needs depend on your weight and level of activity; talk to your doctor to get specific requirements for you.)

Eating more eggs, like a three-egg Spanish omelette, or three scrambled or poached eggs on toast, will keep you full for hours.

4. Prevent breast cancer

Research by Harvard University found that eating eggs as an adolescent could help prevent breast cancer as an adult. In 2005, another study showed that women eating at least six eggs per week had a 44 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than women who ate two or fewer eggs each week.

Plus, researchers from the University of North Carolina found that choline (present in egg yolks) can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 24 percent. An egg yolk contains 125.5 milligrams of choline, about a quarter of the recommended daily intake. So, just two poached eggs for breakfast provides half your choline for the day.

Next: Why We Love Eggs Every Time of Day