Omelets: Eggs Are Your Friend!

For years eggs have been set on the health conscious person's "Danger" list. Hopefully, this is no longer the case in your diet. Eggs are filled with many needed nutrients that the body can not produce on it's own. The vitamin B's are among these nutrients. Eggs have several B vitamins which aid the body in the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Vitamin B's are also known for helping the Adrenal system (helping with stress and depression.) There are farmers who have started to feed their eggs Omega 3 rich diets (flax seed) which makes the eggs they produce rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. Look for these in your grocery store, request them if they don't sell them yet.

According to WorldsHealthiestFoods.com an egg breakfast helps promote weight loss.
In a randomized controlled trial, 160 overweight or obese men and women were divided into 2 groups, one of which ate a breakfast including 2 eggs, while the other consumed a bagel breakfast supplying the same amount of calories and weight mass (an important control factor in satiety and weight loss studies). Participants ate their assigned breakfast at least 5 days a week for 8 weeks as part of a low-fat diet with a 1,000 calorie deficit. (Dhurandhar N, Vander Wal J, et al, FASEB Journal)

Compared to those on the bagel breakfast, egg eaters:
Lost almost twice as much weight -- egg eaters lost an average of 6.0 pounds compared to bagel eaters' 3.5 pound loss.
Had an 83% greater decrease in waist circumference
Reported greater improvements in energy

No significant differences were seen between blood levels of total, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in either group, confirming what other studies (Ballesteros MN, Cabrera RM, Am J Clin Nutr) have shown, including a relative risk study presented at the Experimental Biology meeting: healthy people can safely enjoy eggs without increasing their heart attack risk. The relative risk study, a thorough scientific review of the major studies concerning heart disease causation, which was conducted by Washington, DC-based scientific consulting firm, Exponent, found that eggs contribute just 0.6 percent of men's and 0.4 percent of women's coronary heart disease risk.

I could give a whole list of reasons why eggs are good for you. But I just wanted to give you an idea of why it's not necessary to avoid such an easy meal maker.

Here are some ideas of how I use eggs throughout the week's menu:

Winter Squash Omelets (crookneck or zucchini): Mix several eggs in a bowl with pressed garlic (or garlic salt), sea salt, fresh cut up or dried herbs (basil, sage, chives, etc.), chopped red onions (optional) and a bit of olive oil. Slice desired amount of squash and mix in with the egg mixture. Pour mixture into a skillet and cook as an omelet or scrambled. This was a big hit at our table. It smelled as delicious as it tasted. We ate it as a side to a tasty steak and a salad.

Southwestern Breakfast Burritos: Crack desired amount of eggs into a bowl. Mix black beans, corn, salsa, southwestern seasoning (taco seasoning (or, chili pepper), onions, and fresh spinach in with the eggs. Pour mixture into a skillet and scramble. Place eggs on tortillas (tortillas made with sprouted grains are extremely nutritious and tasty.) Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the eggs, add a bit more salsa or Tabasco sauce to taste, and Enjoy!

Omelets For Babies (9+months): Crack desired amount of eggs into a bowl. Add any of the following; chopped squash, spinach, tomatoes, beans, cheese, colored peppers, tuna, anything else healthy you have in the fridge:). Mix all together and scramble in a skillet.

Chili Burritos With Eggs: Use scrambled eggs in your burritos if you're running low on meat!