The Good Egg

Eggs are good stuff. They’re nutritional, they’re easy to prepare, and they go with anything. Eggs get a bad rap because of the cholesterol scare of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but they’re not really all that full of the bad stuff.

Not only do they supply all the amino acids you need, they are high in vitamins, including A, B-complex, C and D. Changes in chicken diet have produced eggs that are higher in omega 3 fatty acids and lower in cholesterol and fats.

I usually have at least one egg for breakfast every day, supplemented by a one-equivalent of cholesterol-free egg substitute, which is basically egg whites. The ersatz product has improved tremendously over the years in both taste and substance (mouth-feel) since I first started consuming it in the mid-‘60s.

Here’s some interesting information about eggs that I found while reading the January-February 2011 issue of WebMD the Magazine in a doctor’s office recently:

·         Why is the egg the symbol of new life? Egyptians, Persians, Hindus and other ancient cultures believe the world began as a large egg.

·         In the U.S., the average hen lays between 250 and 300 eggs a year.

·         A New Jersey hen holds the record for the heaviest egg – about a pound.

·         You know that White House Easter Egg Hunt they hold each year on the lawn, right? It started in 1878 by Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes because a law had been passed that year forbidding kids from playing on the Capitol grounds. So there!

·         Eggs are good diet food, containing 17 grams of protein and only 72 calories apiece.

·         If you want more low-fat protein, have an egg-white omelet. Want more vitamins and minerals? Use the yolk as well.

·         The “devil” in deviled eggs derives from the spices, not the egg itself.

When I ran for president of the Honolulu Jaycees ‘way back when, my campaign slogan was “Craig is a Good Egg.”