Are you an eggetarian? Here's the healthiest way of cooking and eating eggs

Eggs are a super nutritious food which come with a plethora of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats and other important nutrients. But whether your body is getting those nutrients properly depends on the way you prepare the eggs. Eggs can be cooked in various styles with different veggies as well. But you should know about the right way of preparing the eggs. According to research, cooking makes the nutrients in the eggs more digestible like protein. It also kills harmful bacteria in the eggs to make it safe for you. This also makes the vitamin biotin of eggs more available for your body to use.

On the other hand, cooking can also damage some nutrients of the eggs especially when cooked at a high temperature. A recent research said eggs when cooked lose their vitamin A content by around 17 to 20 percent. It also significantly reduces the amount of antioxidants of eggs. However, eggs are not linked to an increased risk of heart problems among healthy people.

Healthy way of cooking eggs: Find out the right way to cook and eat eggs

What are the nutrients you get from eggs?

Eggs are packed with lot of important nutrients like proteins, vitamins D, A, B12, iodine and folate.

How many eggs do we eat in a day?

There is no specific limit to eat eggs. But it should always be cooked without any salt or fat. For boiled eggs or poached, don’t add salt to it. And never take butter to make your scrambled eggs extra tasty.

Boiled eggs

Boiled eggs are cooked in their shells for 10-12 minutes. But it depends on how you want the yolks to be. The longer you will cook them, the harder they will become.

Sunny side-up

Poached eggs are cooked for a maximum of 3 minutes. In this cooking process, the yolks are generally left uncooked.

Scrambled eggs

Scrambled eggs are beaten in a bowl and poured into a pan and then stirred on low heat.

Omelette

Eggs are whisked and poured into a hot pan with oil and then cooked. It’s slightly different with scrambled eggs; they are not stirred on the pan.

Which one is better?

Eggs can be cooked in various ways, but when you cook it as omelette, it’s fully fried. So, most of the nutrients get burnt. So, try to have more boiled eggs to get the maximum amount of nutrients of it. But sometimes you can have an omelette in your snacking time as well.

There is another style of cooking egg, i.e. the microwave style. Try to avoid this, because pressure can be created inside the eggs and sometimes they may explode.

Ideas to cook eggs in a healthy way:

1-  If you are trying to cut down on your calories, then eat poached or boiled eggs.

2-  Mix a lot of veggies with them to increase the amount of nutrients in the food. Put some vegetables in omelette or scrambled eggs.

3-   When you cook eggs in high temperature, the cholesterol get oxidised in it which then form into harmful radicals. So, fry eggs in olive oil or coconut oil while preparing them on a high-heat.

4-  Try to have organic eggs for most of the time. They are considered to be more nutritious.

5-  Cooking eggs for a long time in high-heat damages most of the nutrients in it. So, avoid over-cooking them. This is mostly applicable while pan-frying the eggs.

Concept of raw eggs

Raw eggs are considered to cause food poisoning. So, try to avoid eating them along with foods containing raw eggs like homemade mayonnaise, tiramisu, salad dressings, mousse, etc. Babies, aged people, pregnant women and sick people are mainly considered to be vulnerable towards having raw eggs.  

Ways to store eggs properly to stay away from bacteria

1-  Store the eggs in the fridge and away from other foods. Bacteria in the eggs can spread quickly to other foods, hands and utensils.

2-  Wash your hands with water and soap properly after touching the eggs.