5 Major Mistakes 80% of People Make When Eating Eggs
The amino acid ratio in egg protein is highly suitable for the human body's physiological needs, is easily absorbed by the body, with a utilization rate of over 98%, making it very nutritious. Eggs are rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin A, and are also a good source of B vitamins, as well as many other essential vitamins and trace elements for the human body.
Although eggs are highly nutritious and can be prepared in many ways, there are still 5 common misconceptions to be aware of when eating eggs.
Misconception 1: The darker the eggshell, the more nutritious it is
The color of an eggshell has little to do with its nutritional value. Analysis shows that the nutritional value of an egg mainly depends on the nutritional structure of the feed and the chicken's feeding habits, not 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.
Misconception 2: All ways of eating eggs provide the same nutrition
Eggs can be cooked in various ways, such as boiling, steaming, frying, and scrambling. In terms of the absorption and digestion rate of nutrients, boiled and steamed eggs are at 100%, soft-fried eggs at 98%, scrambled eggs at 97%, poached eggs at 92.5%, hard-fried eggs at 81.1%, and raw eggs at 30%-50%. It is clear that boiling and steaming are the best cooking methods.
Misconception 3: Eating eggs with soy milk increases nutrition
Soy milk is mild and sweet in nature and contains many nutrients such as plant protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, and 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 the breakdown of protein and thus reducing the human body's absorption rate of protein.
Misconception 4: The longer you boil an egg, the better
Boiling an egg for too long causes ferrous ions in the yolk to react with sulfide ions in the white to form insoluble ferrous sulfide, which is difficult to absorb. When eggs are fried for too long, the high-molecular-weight proteins in the egg white turn into low-molecular-weight amino acids, which can form unhealthy chemical substances at high temperatures. It is best to start with cold water and boil for 3 minutes after the water comes to a boil. At this point, the egg is soft-boiled, and its nutrients are most easily absorbed by the body. The time it takes to digest eggs with different boiling times varies. 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.
Misconception 5: 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 not more nutritious either.
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. The egg white of a raw egg contains an anti-trypsin substance that hinders protein digestion and absorption.
2. Raw eggs contain avidin, which affects the absorption of biotin from food and can easily lead to "biotin deficiency syndrome," which includes 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 anti-trypsin, making a large portion of it indigestible by the human body. Only when cooked does the protein become soft, making it more beneficial for human digestion and absorption.
4. About 10% of fresh eggs contain pathogenic Salmonella, mold, or parasite eggs. If the eggs are not fresh, the rate of bacterial contamination is even higher.
5. Additionally, 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 raw or undercooked eggs should not be consumed.
Precautions for Eating Eggs
Eggs must be cooked thoroughly and not eaten raw. Be careful to avoid contamination with bacteria from the shell when cracking eggs. For infants, the elderly, and the sick, it is best to eat eggs boiled, poached, steamed, or in a soufflé. In addition, spoiled eggs and rotten eggs should not be eaten. People with coronary heart disease should not eat too many eggs, preferably no more than one per day. For those with existing high cholesterol, especially severe cases, they should try to eat less or none, or eat only the whites and not the yolks, because the cholesterol content in the yolk is 3 times higher than in the white, reaching up to 1400 milligrams per 100 grams.