Eggs are delicious and nutritious, and one of the best foods for a baby to grow strong and healthy. So, how should babies correctly eat eggs? The editor is about to introduce you to that.
Five Wrong Methods: Don't Fall into These Egg-Eating Misconceptions
Mistake One: Darker-shelled eggs are more nutritious
The color of an eggshell has little to do with its nutritional value. Analysis shows that the nutritional value of an egg depends mainly on the nutritional structure of the feed and the chicken's feeding conditions, not much on the color of the shell. From a sensory perspective, the thicker the egg white, the higher the protein content and the better the quality of the protein. Under normal circumstances, eggs with darker yolks are slightly more nutritious.
Mistake Two: All ways of eating eggs provide the same nutrition
There are many ways to eat eggs: boiled, steamed, fried, scrambled, etc. In terms of nutrient absorption and digestibility, boiled and steamed eggs are at 100%, soft-fried at 98%, scrambled at 97., poached at 92.5%, hard-fried at 81.1%, and raw at 30%-50%. From this, it seems that boiling and steaming are the best ways to eat eggs.
Mistake Three: Eating eggs with soy milk increases nutrition
Soy milk is mild in nature and sweet in taste, and contains many nutrients like plant protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. It has a great nourishing effect when consumed alone. Soy milk contains trypsin inhibitors, which can inhibit the activity of human proteases, affecting the digestion and absorption of protein in the human body. The viscous protein in egg white can bind with the trypsin in soy milk, hindering protein breakdown and thus reducing the human body's absorption rate of protein.
Mistake Four: The longer you boil an egg, the better
Boiling an egg for too long causes the ferrous ions in the yolk to combine with sulfur ions in the white to form insoluble ferrous sulfide, which is difficult to absorb. If a fried egg is overcooked, the high-molecular-weight proteins in the egg white turn into low-molecular-weight amino acids, which can often form harmful chemical substances to human health at high temperatures. It's best to boil eggs in cold water and cook for another 3 minutes after the water boils. At this point, the egg is soft-boiled, and its nutrients are most easily absorbed by the body. The digestion time for eggs boiled for different lengths varies in the human body. A "3-minute egg" is slightly cooked and the easiest to digest, taking about 1 hour and 30 minutes; a "5-minute egg" is half-cooked and takes about 2 hours to digest; an egg boiled for too long takes 3 hours and 15 minutes to digest.
Mistake Five: Raw eggs are more nutritious than cooked eggs
Some people believe that eating raw eggs can moisten the lungs and soothe the throat. In fact, eating raw eggs is not only unhygienic and can easily cause bacterial infections, but it is also not more nutritious.
1. Raw eggs are hard to digest, wasting nutrients. The human body's digestion and absorption of protein in eggs mainly relies on pepsin in the stomach and trypsin in the small intestine. However, the egg white in raw eggs contains a substance that inhibits trypsin, which hinders the digestion and absorption of protein.
2. Raw eggs contain avidin, which affects the absorption of biotin in food, and can easily lead to "biotin deficiency" symptoms such as loss of appetite, general weakness, muscle pain, skin inflammation, and eyebrow loss.
3. The protein structure in raw eggs is dense and contains trypsin inhibitors, so a large part of it cannot be absorbed by the human body. Only after being cooked does the protein become loose, making it more beneficial for human digestion and absorption.
4. About 10% of fresh eggs contain pathogenic Salmonella, mold, or parasite eggs. If the egg is not fresh, the rate of bacterial contamination is even higher.
5. In addition, raw eggs have a special fishy smell that can suppress the central nervous system, reducing the secretion of digestive fluids such as saliva, gastric juice, and intestinal juice, leading to loss of appetite and indigestion. Therefore, eggs must be thoroughly cooked before eating, and undercooked eggs should not be consumed.
Editor's Tips: The Most Nutritious Ways to Eat Eggs
There are many ways to eat eggs. In terms of nutrient absorption and digestibility, boiled eggs are at 100%, scrambled eggs at 97%, soft-fried at 98%, hard-fried at 81.1., eggs poached in boiling water or milk at 92.5%, and raw at 30%-50%. Therefore, boiled eggs are the best way to eat them, but be sure to chew slowly, otherwise it will affect absorption and digestion. However, for children, steamed egg custard and egg drop soup are the most suitable, as these two methods can break down the protein, making it very easy for the body to digest and absorb.
There are two ways to prepare eggs for infants: one is to boil the egg, take 1/4 of the yolk, and mix it into a paste with boiled water or rice water; the other is to put milk in a small pot, add the yolk, and stir slowly with a small spoon over low heat until it becomes an egg and milk custard.
When feeding the baby, use a small spoon to train them to eat with a spoon. If the baby has no adverse reactions like diarrhea after eating, the amount of yolk can be gradually increased.
Four "Not Suitables": Tips for Babies Eating Eggs
First, it is not suitable to treat eggs as a staple food. Some mothers, in order to help their child grow up healthy, give their child egg-based food at almost every meal, which can lead to indigestive diarrhea in the child. This is because the digestive function of an infant's gastrointestinal tract is not mature, and various digestive enzymes are secreted in small amounts. Eating too many eggs will increase the child's gastrointestinal burden.
Second, egg whites are not suitable for infants under six months old. Egg yolks can be fed to infants after the 6th month, while observing for allergic reactions such as rashes, hives, or vomiting after eating, because infants have weaker immunity and may have allergic reactions to new foods. As for the egg white, it should only be given to the child after they are one year old, because infants are more prone to allergic reactions to egg whites.
Third, it is not suitable to give infants undercooked eggs. Even unbroken eggs can easily be contaminated by bacteria, so fried eggs should be fried for 3 minutes and boiled eggs for 7 minutes, otherwise it can easily lead to bacterial infection. Because raw eggs have a tight structure and contain substances that resist digestive protein acids, making it difficult to digest and absorb the protein. Only after the eggs are cooked does the protein structure become loose, and the substances that resist digestive protein acids can be destroyed, making it easy for the human body to digest and absorb.
Fourth, it is not suitable to give eggs to a child with a fever. After eating protein, the body can produce extra heat, which is not conducive to the recovery of a sick child.
Two Egg Recipes: For a Baby's Healthy Body
Milk Egg Custard:
Nutritional Analysis: Nourishing and strengthening the body, brain-boosting and intelligence-enhancing, it is the best nutritional food to help a child's physical and brain development.
Ingredients: 200ml milk, 1 egg, appropriate amount of sugar.
Preparation Method:
1. Mix the egg, milk, and sugar evenly, and steam over low heat in a double boiler until cooked, then it can be eaten.
2. Put the milk in a pot, add the egg, cook over low heat until the egg is cooked, season with sugar, and it can be eaten.
Lean Meat Egg Pancake:
Nutritional Analysis: Tonifies the middle burner and replenishes qi, stimulates the appetite and serves as a side dish.
Ingredients: 30g lean pork, 1 egg.
Preparation Method:
1. Mince the lean pork and mix with the egg, place in a bowl, add an appropriate amount of warm water, season with salt, and steam in a double boiler until cooked, then it can be eaten.
2. Mince the lean pork, mix with the egg, add a little chopped green onion and salt for seasoning, and fry slowly in a small amount of cooking oil in an iron pan until cooked, then it can be eaten.
Eggplant shrimp