Did you have eggs for breakfast this morning? Your brain function today just might have been affected due to your amount of morning egg cuisine instead of cereal.
Perhaps you should consider your child’s morning fare – went to school on cereal, poor comprehension, failed Math test, came home discouraged. Or was it like this – enjoyed breakfast-before casserole, scored well in Reading, mastered new Math facts, seemed very relaxed when arriving home and ready to assist with household chores. Perhaps eggs are not quite that magical, but studies do show a correlation between children eating eggs for breakfast and better grades in school.
Eggs are a brain-rich food, and brain-rich foods improve your child’s performance at school – increasing his memory and helping him to stay focused. Several valuable things are found in eggs which include Omega 3, protein, and choline, along with at least a dozen other vitamins and minerals. Yet there are only 70 calories in a large egg – another strong punch for healthful foods in a land of child obesity.
Nature’s Yoke’s November/December newsletter and January/February newsletter discussed Omega 3 essential fatty acids. With claims that a lack of the Omega 3 fats have been known to cause or increase depression, mood swings, anxiety, and even ADHD, school children should be given a sufficient amount of Omega 3. Consider Nature’s Yoke Omega 3 eggs the next time you are shopping for your morning breakfast foods. Omega 3 is certainly a worthwhile consideration for everyone and especially those who are heading back to the classroom!
And remember the hens that produce Nature’s Yoke Omega 3 eggs are cage free, on small, sustainable farms.
Choline Benefits
Further facts on brain health are found in the study of choline. This is an amino acid similar to the B-vitamins. An ample supply of choline is found in whole eggs and it is very important to healthy brain function. Choline is essential for brain development, especially in memory and learning.
The USDA information on sources of Choline points to eggs as an outstanding source of this brain-boosting nutrient. One scrambled egg could give you 115 mg of choline compared to a bowl of cereal with 18 mg at best but more often 10 mg and less.
According to a new study published in the May issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, two eggs contain 280 mg of choline which is half of the recommended daily supply. One source recommends choline intake for children and adolescents as follows (Daily Adequate Intake):
•Ages 4-8: 250 mg
•Ages 9-13: 375 mg
•Girls Ages 14-18: 440 mg
•Boys Ages 14-18: 550 mg
Eggs are indeed one of the best sources of the nutrient, and since choline is found in the yolk of the egg, it is important to eat the whole egg and not just the egg whites only (such as EggBeaters). You will be missing out on a very important nutrient!
Many of the important health benefits associated with eating eggs are made even better with eggs from hens fed better nutrition. Nature’s Yoke requires their farmers to maintain a veggie diet of grains and plant foliage for the hens that produce Nature’s Yoke eggs. Furthermore, we believe the cage free housing will increase the hens’ health and thereby egg quality should even be better.
Excellent Source of High-Quality Protein
Eggs are an excellent source of high-quality protein. An egg contains 10% of the protein needed daily. You should realize however that not all proteins are alike. The protein found in eggs is considered a “complete protein”, or of a composition which can supply all the body’s requirements (all the essential amino acids). Many experts believe that eggs are the best source of high-quality protein.
Protein is critical to the process of making body tissue during times of growth in childhood and adolescence. Along with enzymes and hormones, proteins are important to cause various chemical reactions in the body.
We all know how sickness can spread in school, but here’s another fact to crack on eggs. As antibodies, proteins help protect you from disease-carrying bacteria and viruses. Each Nature’s Yoke egg contains 6 grams of “complete protein”.
Now you must remember too that eggs provide many taste-tempting ways to get your youngsters to enjoy the protein that is needed to stay healthy and active! There are endless, delightful ways to fix eggs, so this is reason enough for you to enjoy delicious eggs every day! Cooks should check out the recipes offered by Nature’s Yoke.
Eggs are an easy-to-prepare protein even for a sleepy-eyed parent who chooses to care for the good of his/her child. And since an egg contains 10% of the protein needed daily, an egg for breakfast is a great way to start the day for any age.
Healthful school students should want to build healthy muscles for their exercise programs, which yields yet better brain function. Eggs support muscle strength and encourage continued muscle growth. Scramble up your child’s diet with eggs!
Lutein, An Important Antioxidant
And besides being delicious muscle builders, eggs are full of essential vitamins and minerals, even promoting eye health. Lutein is an important antioxidant that helps maintain healthy vision. Greater levels of Lutein are found in eggs where the hens are allowed to eat a richer diet of certain plant foliages. And like choline, Lutein is found in the yellow yolk of the egg. Why not get those fresh shell eggs from cage free hens, produced on small, sustainable farms – you want the yolks included in your breakfast and be sure to make it Nature’s Yolk.
This makes eggs the important way to start the day for those heading back-to-school!
With so many facts to prove that eating eggs daily is healthy and so many recipes to break the monotony of eating “plain” eggs, you had better stock the refrigerator! Such an economical and healthful way to live! Where else can you buy quality protein so conveniently and for so few cents?
Remember, Nature’s Yoke offers a variety of breakfast recipe ideas that can make egg dishes “tasty and tempting” even to the youngest pupil who is headed back-to-school!
Back-to-School with cage free eggs! “Hard cook” an Omega 3 egg for an after school snack besides. Yolks from Nature’s Yoke!