Last week The Wellness Center hosted their first Annual Egg Hunt with over 1000 eggs for our local kids to hunt and it got us really egg-cited for all things spring and well… eggs! While national egg month isn’t until May, most stores are having major sales on eggs for the upcoming holidays, and we want to help you make the egg-cellent decision to enjoy them.
Eggs are sometimes thought of as a superfood! They are extremely versatile and offer a variety of nutritional benefits. According towww.healthline.com, eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. A whole egg contains all the nutrients required to turn a single cell into a baby chicken. A single large, boiled egg contains Vitamin A, B5, B12, B2, folate, phosphorus, and selenium. Eggs also contain decent amounts of vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B6, calcium, and zinc.
This comes with 77 calories, 6 grams of protein, and 5 grams of healthy fats. In fact, eggs are pretty much the perfect food. They contain a little bit of almost every nutrient you need.” In addition, their nutritional properties have been shown to help ward off heart disease, support increased eye health, and more! All that packed into a little shell of health!
When trying to add eggs into your diet, most people think of breakfast. Although there’s so much more you can do than scramble them with toast. When you think outside the shell, there may be some new ways to enjoy eggs for breakfast! Have you seen the new viral TikTok videos for hardboiled egg avocado toast? You take your toast, add your smashed avocado and then you use a cheese grater and grate on your hard-boiled egg. Don’t know it until you try it! It’s a viral sensation. Another great tip for eggs is to make them ahead. Mini omelets made in muffin tins freeze well and warm up in under two minutes! Add in all your favorite mixings and you’ll have breakfast ready in a pinch. Some people also crack several on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven. The possibilities are endless.
Eggs aren’t just for breakfast though! Lunch and supper are great times to get cracking on a nutritionally sound meal. Hard-boiled eggs can really build up a meal. Instead of a plain egg salad sandwich, try filling this comfort food into bell pepper boats, onto salads, or whatever you choose. If you don’t like them as “salad,” throw those hard-boiled eggs on to a green salad of their own or add to soups, like ramen. If hardboiled isn’t your style, try adding eggs to other regular recipes! Making a stir-fry? Add some protein by adding in an egg. Making turkey burgers? Put an egg on top. Crack a couple of eggs on your pizza, go wild, why not!
Eggs are a versatile food and if you don’t like them one way, you may like them the next. Some hate scrambled eggs but love a poached egg. Try them all and see what you prefer. If you have picky eaters around, let them play with the eggs, try mixing up their own omelets, or even just cracking them into the bowl. The more kids and picky eaters get to learn about food and/or prepare it, the more likely they are to try it! Don’t be afraid to add a little egg to their plates. Maybe they don’t try it the first few tries, but maybe one day they will. Exposure to new foods or differently prepared foods is good for all of us.
Most eggs last a good while in the fridge, some people freeze theirs too! Stores also offer egg whites or egg substitutes for those with different tastes or nutritional needs, therefore almost everyone can enjoy an egg – how fun is that? As we think spring, hunt for eggs, and think of new foods in this season, think about all the creativity, nutrition, and fun you can find in eggs. Let’s get egg-cited!
Mary Hoadley
Director of The Wellness Center