The amino acid ratio of egg protein is well-suited to human physiological needs, is easily absorbed by the body, and has a utilization rate of over 98%, making it highly 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 major misconceptions to be aware of when eating them.
Misconception 1: The nutritional value of eggs is the same no matter how they are eaten. Eggs can be prepared in various ways, such as boiling, steaming, frying, and scrambling. In terms of nutrient absorption and digestibility, boiled and steamed eggs have a rate of 100%, lightly fried eggs 98%, scrambled eggs 97%, poached eggs 92.5%, heavily fried eggs 81.1%, and raw eggs 30%-50%. Therefore, boiling or steaming eggs should be the best methods.
Misconception 2: The darker the eggshell, the higher the nutritional value. The color of the 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 intake, rather than the color of the shell. From a sensory perspective, the thicker the egg white, the higher the protein content and the better its quality. Under normal circumstances, eggs with darker yolks may be slightly more nutritious.
Misconception 3: Eating eggs with soy milk increases nutritional value. Soy milk is mild in nature and sweet, and contains many nutrients such as plant protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. It has a good nourishing effect when consumed alone. Soy milk contains trypsin inhibitors, which can inhibit the activity of human proteases and affect the digestion and absorption of protein in the human body. The viscous protein in egg whites can bind with the trypsin in soy milk, hindering protein breakdown and thereby 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 combine with sulfide ions in the egg white to form insoluble ferrous sulfide, which is difficult to absorb. When fried for too long, the high-molecular-weight proteins in the egg white turn into low-molecular-weight amino acids, which can form harmful chemical substances to human health at high temperatures. It is best to put eggs in cold water and then 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 digestion time of eggs with different boiling times 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.
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 also not more nutritious. 1. Raw eggs are difficult to digest, wasting nutrients. The human body digests and absorbs egg protein mainly with pepsin and trypsin from the small intestine. However, raw egg whites contain an anti-trypsin substance that hinders the digestion and absorption of protein. 2. Raw eggs contain avidin, which affects the absorption of biotin from 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 anti-trypsin, so a large part of it cannot be absorbed by the human body. Only cooked protein becomes softer and is 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 bacterial contamination rate 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 should be cooked at high temperatures before eating, and raw or undercooked eggs should not be consumed.
Precautions for eating eggs Eggs must be cooked and not eaten raw. When breaking eggs, be careful to prevent contamination with bacteria from the shell. For infants, the elderly, and the sick, eggs should be boiled, poached, steamed, or beaten. In addition, spoiled eggs and "maodan" (unhatched, spoiled 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 high cholesterol, especially severe cases, they should try to eat less or none, or eat only the egg 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.