E is for Eggs! Eggs are pretty incredible. Recommendations used to be to limit eggs due to the cholesterol content but they have actually found out that up to 6 eggs per week can increase your HDL (good cholesterol). The whole egg is amazing and the yoke shouldn’t be left out. It is chocked full of nutrients that are very beneficial especially during pregnancy. They are an excellent source of choline, B vitamins, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Did you know that if you eat a diet that includes plenty of eggs while you’re pregnant, it will increase your gestational period by about 6 days! When you are pregnant you should avoid eating undercooked eggs due to the risk of salmonella. If possible, the best eggs to eat are local, organic, free range eggs. Government labels for eggs don’t necessarily offer what the label implies. For example; free range eggs mean they must have access to the outdoors but they don’t have standards for when and how often hens go outside. Cage free eggs may mean that they are cage free indoors or outdoors, you may not know the details. USDA organic has strict guidelines on the feed but not to the living conditions or access to the outdoors. The eggs freshness also has an impact on the quality of the egg. The expiration date on a carton of eggs is from the date the eggs were packaged, not when the hens laid the eggs. In some situations, this may only be a matter of a few days but in other circumstances the eggs may be a few weeks old by the time they are in the store ready for purchase. You can tell if an egg is old if the yoke is flat and if the white is not cloudy. You can tell if your egg has bacterial spoilage if the white is tinged with pink or smells like sulfur. Bottom line: visit your local farm and eat an egg a day. They are good for your heart and good for your baby! #wellnesswednesday #eggs #pregnancy #hearthealth #superfood #dontfearfat
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