Health Alert 119
Many experts in the field of nutrition are now saying what athletes, body builders and long-lived people already know. Some raw foods offer far more and better nutrients. Case in point: eggs.
Today, I’ll share some new evidence about how eggs can keep you strong, fit, and provide you with nutrients you might otherwise not get. And I’ll give you some pointers for incorporating a little “raw” into your diet.
I know that some of you don’t relish the idea of guzzling raw eggs. But there is good reason to. Raw eggs can offer you something that cooked eggs can’t. And, it’s really much easier than you might think. I do it everyday.
* To Cook or Not To Cook *
Eggs may be the only 100% complete food. They have all the vitamins and minerals you need. They are the only protein source with a quality rating of 100 because they have every amino acid you need in exactly the ratios you need.
Eggs are the highest quality protein you can eat, cooked or raw. But -you will absorb a raw egg in as little as 30 minutes where it takes 2-4 hours to digest cooked eggs. But there is something more important. It seems that the cooking process may reduce other nutrients in your eggs.
Raw eggs are an excellent source of the essential fatty acid, DHA. Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA can ease:
• Hypertension
• Depression
• Brain function
• Heart disease
• Arthritis
• Diabetes
• Cancer 1
Dr. J. Mercola, the author of the No-Grain Diet is a strong proponent of eating raw eggs. He shares my concern that cooking eggs denatures their DHA. Along with DHA, other nutrients and proteins collapse in the cooking process.2
Raw eggs are safe to eat. I’ve done it myself and recommended it for 30 years. People are afraid of salmonella bacteria in modernly produced eggs. I have never seen a case from eggs and the US Department of Agriculture estimates that 0.00003% of eggs in the US have salmonella.3 That’s a very tiny percentage. But still, I recommend locally farmed organic eggs and washing the eggs well before cracking.
* The Quickest Meal Ever *
Adding raw eggs to your diet is very easy to do. The simplest way is to add a raw egg to a protein shake in the morning. If you are a little hesitant, add a small amount of the egg the first few days, then progressively add more as you get more comfortable.
You can also just drink the egg. This is the quickest way. My father liked to punch a hole in the egg shell and suck it dry. I prefer to crack them into a glass of water, stir and gulp it down. The texture may be a little intimidating at first. Just think of it as a an oyster. Eat one or two eggs each day to ensure a healthy brain and heart.
There are a few things you should look for before you eat any raw egg:
• Cage-free, no-hormone eggs are best.
• Don’t eat the egg if the shell is cracked.
• Only eat eggs that roll “wobbly”.
• Do not eat the egg if it smells at all.
• Only eat eggs that have a gel-like white and a firm, round yolk.
Al Sears, MD
1 Horrocks, L., et al. The benefits of docosahexaenoic acid. Pharmacol Res 1999 Sep; 40(3): 211-225.
2 Mercola, J. Raw eggs for Your Health—Major Update. Mercola.com
3 Hope B. et al., An overview of the salmonella enteritidis risk assessment for shell, egg, and egg products. Risk Anal 2002 Apr; 22(2): 203-218