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Eggcellent Eggs

Posted on May 02 by
in Blog
It seems like eggs have been in the headlines for years. One story will tell you eggs are the new superfood. And, the next will tell you to avoid them at all costs. Information about eggs is everywhere-with all of this information also comes some confusion.

Are eggs healthy to eat? How much? How often? What type is best to buy? What does the label mean? This newsletter edition answers those burning questions you have about eggs.

Have an eggcellent day!

The Good Egg


According to the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) results, eggs are an affordable, accessible, nutrient-rich source of high-quality protein that can be eaten as part of a healthful diet. One large egg provides varying amounts of 21 essential vitamins and minerals, high-quality protein, and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.

Here is the complete nutrition breakdown:

Power of the Egg.
Despite the yolk being made out as a villain for years, it is the most nutritious part of the egg. The egg yolk contains half of the protein and contains higher amounts of vitamins A, D, E, K, B9, and B12 than the white. The yolks also contain more iron, phosphorous, calcium, selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, and choline than the white.

Whole eggs are a nutrition powerhouse and a valuable source of many important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

How Much and How Often Should You Eat Eggs?
You may be wondering about how eggs can be nutrition powerhouses since they contain cholesterol. On average, one large egg contains about 186 mg of cholesterol - all of it in the yolk.

The American Heart Association used to recommend no more than 300 milligrams a day of dietary cholesterol. We now understand that for most people, eating cholesterol does not raise cholesterol (hyperlipidemia). There is a very small percent of the population that is sensitive to dietary cholesterol.
Decoding the Egg Label
 
 
 
 

Gone are the days of just buying a dozen eggs. Now when you enter the grocery store the egg buying options are endless...and the variety of cartons and package styles is confusing. Here is the lowdown on the most common labeling terminology:

Certified Organic: Organic eggs are from hens that only eat feed certified organic-without most synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Hens must be cage-free and free to roam. The use of antibiotics and growth hormones is not allowed. It’s important to note, that all eggs, organic or not,  are hormone free.

Pasture-raised: “Pasture-raised” or “pastured” means the animal spent some time outdoors, feeding on grass, insects, and worms. Smaller farms and family-owned farms usually do pasture-raised eggs, however, there is also still no government regulation for this label considering how long those periods are.

Cage-free: The birds are not raised in cages, but are still subject to industrial farming techniques. The label gives no indication of any other living conditions.

Free-range eggs: Produced conventionally and industrially, but are exposed to outdoors for some part of their day. The time period is not regulated or monitored by the government and can be as little as one minute per day.

Barn Roaming: This is used to more accurately describe the source of eggs laid by hens that can not roam freely but are confined to a barn instead of a more restrictive cage.

Pasture-Raised: Each hen must be placed on a pasture, with at least 108 square feet of pasture, for at least six hours each day. The pasture must be covered mainly with living vegetation.

Grass-fed: Grass-fed means the chicken's primary source of food is grass or forage, not grain. There are no government standards for this label.

Omega 3 eggs: Generally these hens are given omega-3 food sources (e.g. flaxseed) in their diet in order to increase the omega-3 content in the egg. They are still subject to industrial farming techniques.

No added antibiotics: Hens were not given antibiotics in their feed or water.

Hormone-free: This label appears on some packages as a marketing tool since no lying hens are given hormones.

Vegetarian-fed: The hens were fed a vegetarian diet which is controversial since chickens are not naturally vegetarian. They normally eat an omnivore diet which is a mix of produce, grains, worms, snails, slugs, and insects.

Want more info including label icons you might see on egg cartons? Visit www.aeb.org/retail/defining-egg-types-labels to download a fact sheet.
Featured Recipe
Baked Egg & Tomato Cup

 

  • Oil for pan
  • 12 slices of nitrate-free ham
  • 12 large eggs
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400º and grease a 12-cup muffin with oil. Line each cup with a slice of ham. Crack an egg into each ham cup, add fresh tomato slices, and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks. Garnish with parsley and serve.

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Change ...

Posted on April 19 by
in Blog
One of the hardest dietary changes I ever had to make was admitting to myself that gluten was indeed wrecking my health.
 
I, like many, was trained to believe you need grains for fiber and to be healthy. At first, trying to stop eating most grains was like asking myself not to breathe. I was not happy through this transition as I understand dietary habits are very difficult to change.
 
I literally sat down and wrote out all of the of the issues gluten cause me (runny nose, itchy skin, bloating, irregularity and ANXIETY) and it became clear the bad outweighed the good. So over time as my gut healed so did my physical and mental health.
 
I do slip up once in awhile, but the symptoms come raging back to remind me!
 
Like anything in life, practice and patience are a must in order for change to become a new routine.
 
c
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Suja .... Uber Greens

Posted on April 14 by
in Blog
We all know juicing has many health benefits but can also be loaded with sugar. Some green juices on the market have 75 grams of sugar per bottle.
 
If you are not ready to start juicing yourself, this is a great alternative for a low sugar green juice.
 
suja
 
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5 WAYS TO CLEAN UP YOUR WELLNESS ROUTINE

Posted on April 04 by
in Blog
When life seems chaotic, getting into a routine can help tame the chaos and anxiety you feel. Routines are known to:
  • Reduce stress
  • Help you sleep better
  • Prioritize what's important to you
  • Open up mental space
I know you may bristle at having to stick to a schedule. However, the good news is that it is your routine! You get to make it work for you.

A wellness routine is tailored to you and your schedule and helps you work towards the life you want to create. I know that sounds like a tall order!

Don't worry, though. I've got you covered with five simple steps to help you spring clean your wellness routine, so the rest of 2022 will work better for you.

5 Ways to Clean Up Your Wellness Routine

Step 1: Decide what's important to you
Starting with an idea of what you'd like to create will help you then backfill the steps to get there. Spend no more than 5 minutes thinking about how you'd like your day to go from when you get up to when you go to bed. Are there tasks or activities that you want to do each day? Maybe you want a few minutes with your kids or pet. Or, you want time to read in the evenings. Take a few notes you can refer back to later.

Step 2: Schedule the essential things.
Take a look at a blank weekly calendar and decide where, ideally, you want to put those essential things you identified in step one. Include bedtime and what you need to do to shut down and get to bed on time.

Step 3: Start with one thing.
From all the things you've written on your ideal schedule, what is one thing you can start including in your plan this week? Starting small, with just one thing, can make getting it done easier. Schedule that one thing on your calendar.

Step 4: Honor your commitment to yourself.
When the time comes for the thing you scheduled, honor that commitment you made to yourself. It can be so easy to let it slide, decide you're too busy, or choose to do it next week. However, ask yourself what your future self will say about not doing what you promised yourself you'd do.

Step 5: Add in more
As the first thing you've added into your schedule becomes automatic, you can add another, then another, until you've got them all in your week.

Keeping it Real
This routine is one to help you get to a life where you balance your wellness with all of the other commitments you've got. There are times when your routine won't work. That is OK! When life gets in the way, commit to getting back on track as soon as you can.

There will be times when you need to adjust your routine. That's OK, too! You may start training for and running marathons. As times change, you may only have time for 5Ks or even decide you'll switch to walking. You can change the activities as your life changes so that your wellness routine always fits your life.
6 Things Worth Scheduling this Spring

Here are six ideas for things to include in your schedule while you're spring cleaning your wellness routine:
  1. Movement: How can you move throughout your day? Can you plan a 10-minute walk in the morning and afternoon? Walking several times through the day is more beneficial than having a one-hour workout than sitting the rest of the day.
  2. More Veggies: How can you add one or two vegetables to meals? Are there vegetables in season that you've been eagerly awaiting? If you find choosing and preparing vegetables a challenge, pick up Field Guide to Produce: How to Identify, Select, and Prepare Virtually Every Fruit and Vegetable at the Market. You'll know how to choose and prepare all that lovely produce at the market with it in hand.
  3. Meatless Monday: Commit to giving Meatless Monday a try. Meatless Monday is just that - a day where you don't include meat in your meals. The good news is that you get to decide what that means. Do you want all meals meatless or only dinner? Is this a day to focus on eating cold water fish or trying lentils? Whatever you choose is perfect!
  4. Gratitude: Taking a couple of minutes to acknowledge things you're grateful for has improved mood, increased happiness, and improved self-esteem. You can mentally note three things you're thankful for, start a gratitude journal, and note them in the morning or before going to bed.
  5. Personal Check-In: Rather than worrying about the future or the past, focus on what's happening at the moment. What are you feeling, hearing, seeing, smelling, touching? Taking time to slow down and tune in to the moment can help with depression, anxiety, and stress. To help you remember to do this, set the alarm once or twice a day and then honor the notice when it goes off.
  6. White space: Your calendar does not have to (actually should not) be filled with appointments, and "to-dos;" make sure you have open space to slow down and enjoy life!
Featured Recipe
Grain-Free Focaccia




This delicious focaccia is packed with flavor-without the grains! Make it in minutes with Bob Red Mill’s Grain-Free Flatbread Mix and top with garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley and olive oil.

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 package Grain Free Flatbread Mix
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus additional for brushing
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ¼ tsp coarse kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley


Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush oil on the inside of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan (or an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan for sandwiches).

Combine flatbread mix, eggs, ¼ cup olive oil, and water and mix thoroughly. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Scrape dough into the prepared pan and spread to fill using lightly wet or oiled hands. Use fingertips to generously dimple the top of the dough. Gently brush with olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with garlic, red pepper flakes and salt, pressing the toppings into the dough. Top with chopped parsley.

Bake until golden brown, 18–20 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately dab the top with additional olive oil. Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving (cool completely if making sandwiches).

Per serving: 190 calories, 11 grams fat, 280 mg sodium, 16 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams protein

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