HealthyTap - your new water

The attack on the egg began about 35 years ago. Our nation became flooded with sugar-coated cereals which competed with the egg as a breakfast food. Suddenly, we began to hear reports on all of the dangers of the egg, from salmonella poisoning to high cholesterol. Some of those in the egg industry complained that these were questionable studies funded by the much larger sugar industry. The reports became somewhat bizarre as the public was cautioned that egg whites were okay, but somehow egg yolks were not.

Make no mistake. Eggs CAN contain Salmonella and they DO contain lots of cholesterol. But are you aware that you are more likely to get e. coli poisoning from lettuce than salmonella poisoning from raw eggs? By some estimates only one in thirty thousand eggs is infected with salmonella and these are more likely to occur in eggs laid by sick caged hens. The average person will not eat thirty thousand eggs in a lifetime. And have you heard that dietary cholesterol plays only a minor role in raising your overall cholesterol?

Why are we focusing on eggs? Because eggs are one of the most nutrient dense foods on earth. And most of these nutrients are in the egg yolk. Eggs contain protein, calcium, magnesium potassium, pantothenic acid, Vitamin A, selenium, zinc, phosphorous, etc. We cannot stress enough that the only eggs to buy are those laid by free-ranging hens which can eat insects and seeds, not those raised in cages and fed only grain. You have to assume that caged hens are given antibiotics, and who knows what else, to control cage diseases and keep the hens from plucking out their own feathers. If you can only buy cage eggs, then look for those that are fortified with Omega 3 fatty acids. Your local farmer’s market probably has fresh farm eggs.

Food should be fun and most baked goods have a much richer taste when the egg yolk is included. Besides, some alternative health practitioners claim that cholesterol is a doctor-created disease that is being orchestrated by the drug industry to sell cholesterol drugs. See our upcoming report on cholesterol. The facts will surprise you.

Health gurus say that eggs mostly should be consumed raw. In today’s society that makes many people cringe. But, the reasons are sound since cooking destroys many of the nutrients in the egg. You can learn more by reading the raw food book, We Want to Live.

One of the arguments for not eating raw eggs is that raw egg whites can drive biotin out of your body. However, God saw fit to put loads of biotin in the egg yolk to overcome this challenge.

How do you guard against salmonella in raw eggs? Don’t eat any egg IF:

1. the shell is cracked;
2. the egg white is watery;
3. the egg yolk is not firm;
4. the egg has a peculiar smell; or if
5. you have any doubts about the freshness of the egg.

Some people say that salmonella occurs mostly on the outer shell of the egg. If this is true, then you should carefully wash and dry each egg before you place it into your fridge. It would also suggest that you not put the egg carton into your fridge, lest it contain salmonella.

What if you become infected with salmonella? Many healthy people can easily overcome an infection by taking a good probiotic every thirty minutes. If your immune system is already compromised, or if you have any other doubts, then you should use extreme caution in eating raw eggs. You can learn more about the health benefits of the egg by logging onto the American Health Board web site and the USDA web site.