Eggs are a Healthy, Easy-to-Prepare High Protein Snack
You know those oval objects laid by female chickens, usually containing a developing embryo, enclosed in a chalky shell? Well, they’re called eggs and they make a nutritious snack.
Egg snack is a favorite food among many people. I hardly find one who doesn’t like eating or cooking them. When I mention eggs here, people would generally assume that I’m talking about chicken eggs. It is because chicken eggs are the most commonly used bird eggs for human consumption. Other eggs that are available in the marketplaces are a duck, goose, and quail eggs.
Egg snack is a food loved by many for it is affordable even for the poor, readily available and can be prepared in the simplest way yet taste so very delicious. Even one who’s not good at cooking is able to prepare it.
Egg snack is a very good source of proteins. It alone is able to supply all the essential amino acids needed by the human body. It also provides vitamin A, riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid (vitamin B9), vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.
The egg yolk contains all of the fat (but only 27% is saturated fat), slightly less than half of the protein, and all of the vitamin A, D, and E in the egg. A large yolk also supplies more than two-thirds of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg of cholesterol. Therefore, those who have to be on a low-cholesterol diet are best to reduce their egg consumption. The yolk also contains all of the choline in it. Choline is an important nutrient for brain development. The white contains mainly protein and water, no cholesterol at all and nearly fat-free.
Some people like to eat raw or half cooked eggs, thinking that they are more nutritious than fully cooked ones. The truth is only half of the protein of raw eggs are absorbable. Partially cooked eggs may provide our body with more protein than raw eggs but they’re still less than that of well-cooked eggs. In addition, eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Without cooking, contaminated raw eggs may lead to food poisoning. It’s safest and best not to consume raw eggs.
Regular commercial eggs nowadays are not as fresh as in the previous generations. They’re not fresh from the farm. Other than compromised freshness, there are problems of contamination with bacteria, excessive use of hormone in raising the hens etc. Therefore, whenever it is possible, it is best to get fresh organic eggs. In some places, eggs that are laid by home-raised hens are still available. egg snack, eggs, egg Same as consuming other snacks, always keep in mind that it is best for us to limit the portion size or the amount. Overeating is a common problem with most people of our days.
Healthy snacks have to be something easy to prepare. Unfortunately, not all delicious food is easy to prepare. A solution that I adopt is to prepare more of the yummy food I enjoy. I freeze or refrigerate the extra portions for later use. Freezing preserves food much longer than refrigeration. I would not allow my food to stay in the fridge for more than 2 days, for some other food you can only keep for a day max.
I have here divided the method of egg snack preparation into various categories for you to choose from.
Simple Preparation
- Boil with shell-This is the simplest way to cook eggs.
- Fry it whole – sunny side up.
- Fry yolk and white separately. This is to add variety to your egg snack.
You may eat them plain or dip it in some sauces such as soy sauce, hot sauce or season with salt and pepper etc.
- Fry after whisking.
- Scramble it whole.
- Scramble yolk and white separately.
- Scramble after whisking.
You may add vegetables, mushrooms, plant or regular milk and seasoning.
- Steam after whisking. Water or milk must be added to achieve a very smooth consistency. You may sad corn, sliced mushroom and other vegetables to it. Steam with medium and low heat to avoid a course consistency.
Longer Preparation Time
- Boil with shell, peels, and cook in a sauce or broth.
- Boil without shell by dropping it into savory or sweet soup.
- Fry after whisking into a thin layer and use as wraps.
- Boil with shell, peels, and stew with spices and other protein food.
Ready to Use forms
- Salted.
- Preserved. Eg. Century Egg.
They are good to go with whole grain porridge.
These are not very healthy food. If you like them, use sparingly. The longer they are preserved , the more oxidized the cholesterol in them will be. The most oxidized the cholesterol, the more harmful it is.