Eggs

Now I know TBT usually refers to throwback Thursday but I am going to bend the rules a little bit because it is Tuesday. For this week's blog, I wanted to throw it back to a pervious blog that I did on eggs. I mean with easter approaching, it just makes sense to refresh everyone's memory on eggs. Without further ado, I give you Beth's Egg Manifesto!

With this past weekend being Easter, the question of, “which is better for me egg whites or eggs,” emerged just as I was entering my happy place enjoying the delightful goodness that is Reese’s peanut butter eggs. I know what you are thinking, “GASP! You are a dietitian and you eat candy!” Yes, I eat candy, preferably dark chocolate, but I make sure its in the shape of fruits and veggies to make myself feel better about it. Anyways, back to the question at hand. Obviously, the answer here is false, Reese’s peanut butter eggs are better for you. 

I suppose there is no time like the present to talk about eggs. Now eggs tend to get a bad rap mainly because of their fat and cholesterol content. Case in point...

Headlines like this just make me roll my eyes. I mean come on! Eggs are almost as bad as smoking?!? Well, then I should just light up then, right? Then there is this guy...

You know what is bad for you? Steroids. Despite these "credible" sources, many leading health agencies can vouch for me on this one; eggs can be part of a healthy diet.

Types of Eggs
While Easter may have us thinking of Reese’s eggs, Snickers eggs, Cadbury eggs, and any other candy filled chocolate egg you can imagine, that’s not what I am going to write about today. While there are actually quite a few different types of animal eggs that you can eat, such as chicken, duck, quail, ostrich, and fish, for all purposes pertaining to this blog we are going to talk about chicken eggs.

Anatomy of an Egg
Since this is not a science class, I am going to simplify the anatomy of an egg for you to focus on what is pertinent for this topic. The three parts I am going to cover are…
Shell: I would hope that you could identify what part of the egg that the shell is.
White: The clear-ish liquid that surrounds the yolk, comprised mostly of protein and water.
Yolk: The yolk is the yellow part of the egg where all of the fat and cholesterol is, half of the protein is, and where other important vitamins and minerals are.

Egg Whites v. Whole Eggs
The ever so incredible edible egg is a great source of protein and various vitamins and minerals, but what happens when we separate the whites from the yolk, thus giving you egg whites? Below I have a chart for you that outlines the main differences between the two for you. (Info based on a large egg)

	Whole Egg	Egg White
Calories	72	17
Protein	6	3
Fat	5	0.6
Cholesterol	186	0

Other things that I noticed while looking this up but did not put on the chart to spare you having to look at any more of that number jibberish include: (All of these are higher in whole eggs)
• Calcium: helps your bones and muscles
• Choline: helps support the nervous system and important for pregnant women
• Fe: helps with fatigue
• Folate: important for pregnant women
• Vit A: helps your eyes
• Vit D: helps with bone health and mood
• Zinc: helps your immune system and wound healing

So you may have noticed that egg whites are a lot lower in fat and cholesterol. Does that mean we should all switch to egg whites since fat and cholesterol are "bad" for our heart? No. Eating foods with cholesterol does not raise your blood cholesterol. Additionally, research is starting to suggest that fat not only makes food taste good, but also helps with satiety.

What about Egg Beaters?

Egg Beaters and egg whites are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that Egg Beaters have a ton of things added to them such as coloring, thickeners, and some vitamins and minerals. 

“What about the color of eggs”
The color of the egg has no effect on the nutritional value of the egg or on the taste of the egg. Dorky fact of the day #1: You can tell what color of egg a chicken will produce by the color of its ear lobe. Dorky fact of the day #2: Chickens have ear lobes. For example, a chicken with a blue ear lobe will produce blue eggs. Dorky fact of the day #3: Yes, blue chicken eggs do exist. So next time you are at the store, don’t be duped into paying $1 more or whatever more they charge for the “healthier” brown eggs.

“What about the USDA Grading?”
The USDA grades eggs by the interior quality of an egg and the appearance and condition of the eggshell. The higher the letter (AA, A, and B) the better quality egg you are getting. Does this have any relevant bearing on nutrition? Nope. The size of the egg (Jumbo, Extra Large, Large, Medium, Small, and Peewee) does have some impact on the nutrition, but have you ever seen a weight loss tip telling you to select a smaller egg size? My guess would be no since there is not a huge difference in calories, protein, fat, etc.

Egg Buzz Words
Cage Free: This just means that the hen has not been confined to a cage for its whole life. They are able to walk around and stretch out, but this does not mean that they necessarily are outside chatting it up with Wilbur.
 

Free Range: This takes cage free a step further, by providing them access to the outdoors. To be labeled as free range, the USDA stipulates that the hens must be given continuous access to the outdoors. Yes, the hens can eat bugs and grass like they would in they would in the wild, but this does not mean that they are not fed grain. 

Omega-3: Usually this just means that the hens were fed grains/feed with omega-3s in them. Does this mean the resulting egg is magically super high in omega-3s? Does anybody love Kanye more than Kanye? No.

Organic: This just means that the hens were fed an organic feed, were not given antibiotics or growth hormones, lived in cage free environment, and had access to the outdoors. 

Bottom Line
Are you pregnant or breastfeeding? If you answered yes, then you should probably go for whole eggs. If you are unsure if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should probably figure that out before worrying about eggs. Breakfast wise, eggs are better than that pop tart, muffin, and sugar cereal you are eating. In the battle of whole eggs versus egg whites my thoughts are this.

1. Eggs contain fat and cholesterol just like every other animal product, so I am not so sure why eggs are being stigmatized to the extent that they are. Ounce for ounce, chicken contains more calories and fat than eggs.

2. Everybody needs fat in their diet, would you rather it come from a doughnut or eggs?

3. Eggs are not what caused the obesity epidemic.

4. Does anyone actually like the taste of egg whites over a whole egg?

If you are concerned with animal cruelty then go for free range and/or organic eggs, but be advised that does not ensure the hens have not faced some form of animal cruelty. If you are really concerned about animal cruelty, go to your local farmers market, get fresh eggs, and shake the hand of the person who raised the hens themselves. Now if you will excuse me, I have some Reese’s peanut butter eggs to tend to. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,
Keep it Green,

Beth
 

Organic

Without fail every time I meet someone new and disclose that I am a Registered Dietitian, I am always prompted for my thoughts on various nutrition topics, which I don’t mind; I just find it entertaining. The most recent topic that was brought up to me was organic, so I thought I would take this opportunity to enlighten you all. For the sake of this blog, I am only going to focus on organic fruits and vegetables.

Should you be buying organic? Are they more nutritious? Do you need to always shop at Whole Foods? Before we jump into those questions, let’s first take a look at what organic means.

What is organic?

Well, according to Jim Gaffigan,

Funny, yet true. Anyways, jokes aside, here is the USDA’s definition: “Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used.” Yeah…all of that doesn't really mean anything to you does it? Didn’t think so. The USDA has a huge guide if you are really interested in all of the details, but basically for fruits and vegetables it means...

• Land must have had none of the prohibited substances applied to it within the last 3 years
• Crops were never exposed to irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms were not used
• Crop pests, weeds, and diseases will be controlled primarily through physical, mechanical, and biological controls. When these practices are not sufficient, a biological, botanical, or synthetic substance approved for use on the National List may be used.

I know, I know, blah blah blah. Basically what I want you to take away from this section is that the term organic does not mean that no sprays were used.

Why do we use pesticides?

I am not trying to trick you on this one; pesticides are used to keep pests away to stop them from killing all of the plants. Case in point, last summer I found this little gem on one of my tomato plants…

…and proceeded to scream like a little girl until I could collect myself to hit it off the plant with a stick, which didn't work very well. Luckily for me, my roommate came home to save both me and my tomato plant. Imagine if you had a whole field of tomatoes and had an infestation of these little guys, it wouldn't be pretty.

Should I buy all organic?

Well, I am not sure about you, but I don’t make enough money to only buy organic fruits and vegetables. If you are trying to be a bit more budget conscious but still want to try to go the organic route, there are some fruits and vegetables that make more sense to buy organically than others. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out a yearly list of fruits and vegetables based on the amount of pesticides used in growing said crop.  EWG puts out two lists, one being the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen.

If you are ballin' on a budget...

but still want to go the organic route, you can spend your money more wisely by only purchasing the fruits and vegetables off of the Dirty Dozen list, that way you aren't paying extra for organic bananas that have such a thick peel (that you more than likely are not eating) and isn't really worth it in the long run.

Organic vs Local

To start with, organic and local are not mutually exclusive, meaning you could find some fruits and veggies that are both local and organic, but more often than not, that is not the case. So I am going to step on my soapbox for a hot second. Just because something it not labeled organic doesn’t necessarily mean that it is not. For example, if you visit a farmers market you may see some signage indicating that no sprays/herbicides/pesticides were used.  There is a good chance that this produce is organic, however becoming a certified organic farm is a very long and expensive process that small farmers may not be financially realistic. In this case, the best way to know is to ask them.

Another entire blog post could be about how you define local because there is not standard definition in terms of miles from where you live and what food products you count as local. For example,   we have a Coca-Cola bottling plant here in Charlotte, which uses local water in addition to whatever other flavorings and colorings they add to their beverages. Is that local? (Steps off soapbox)

Breaking it down

Do you HAVE to buy organic fruits and vegetables? Nope. Should you? It definitely won’t hurt you physically (maybe a little bit financially).  Are organic fruits and vegetables more nutritious? Nope. Coming from the perspective of a Registered Dietitian, I just care that you are actually eating fruits and vegetables. You may want to look all cool and all by buying only organic food, but what good is it doing you if it just sits in your fridge until you throw it out anyways? From the perspective of the pseudo hippy that I am, buying organic and/or local is better for the environment as well. Well, I am off to go tie dye some shirts while listening to Bob Dylan. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Keeping it Fresh: Farmers Markets

If this is what you think of when you think of farmers markets…

…you are only partially right. I have some breaking news for you though; farmers markets aren’t just for hippies anymore! Regular people go to them as well! To some people, farmers markets might be a little intimidating because it is a different experience than shopping at your local grocery store. Fear not though, I have decided to enlighten you all on farmers markets for this weeks blog! 

What is a farmers market?

In simple terms, a farmers market is a place where farmers sell their products directly to consumers. (Note: I said consumers not just hippies, but more on that later) At this point you might be envisioning a good ole boy farmer in a plaid shirt and overhauls with a straw hat on talking to you about his tomatoes and cows, but this is usually not the case. Given the explosion of local food business, its not just farmers selling their tomatoes or beef. Yes, there are obviously a lot of fruits and veggies to be found at farmers markets, but you can also find meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, jams, butter, peanut butter, salsa, mustard, honey, baked goods, pasta, ice cream, flowers, etc.     

Along with this increased variety of products, you will also find that sometimes the produce vendors are not the growers, but retailers. (Read: The people do not grow the fruits and veggies, they buy them and then resell them at the market). Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily but it can be a little tricky. Occasionally, the vendor will sell items that are not local, so if you want to ensure the food you get is local just ask them or look for signage indicating such. One easy way to spot a retailer is if they are selling items, such as pineapple and bananas, which do not grow in North Carolina or pretty much all other US states for that matter, they require a tropical environment to grow.

Why should I go to a farmers market?

Obviously to see the hippies and earn some hipster street cred! On a more serious note, by shopping at the farmers markets it helps support the local economy and not some huge factory farm in Mexico. Another reason is because the products are fresher and taste better; they weren’t grown in Mexico, shipped to the US, and sitting on a grocery store shelf for weeks. Case in point: tomatoes. You will only find tomatoes grown in North Carolina during the summer when they reach their peek ripeness. Typically, the produce is harvested a day or so before it is sold at the market and ends up on your table. Compare that to tomatoes found at grocery stores. To start with, they are picked before they are ripe so they are able to hold up from the journey to the field to the grocery store. This inhibits some of the flavor, vitamins, and minerals from fully developing. They than go through a ripening process that forces them to ripen, but it only really turns the green tomatoes red. Local tomatoes and grocery store tomatoes may look the same and all but the taste is night and day.

The last reason I will talk about as to why its beneficial to shop at farmers markets is that it is more environmentally friendly. Without getting on a soapbox on this one, there is less gas used to transport the products and carbon dioxide emissions and less packaging.

If you got bored halfway through reading the above section and skipped down to the picture, just check out the infographic below for a brief synopsis.

“You keep saying local, but what is local?”

This is where it gets a little ambiguous. There is no set definition of local. Some people say 100 miles, 300 miles, etc. Not that my thoughts rein supreme, in the case of Charlotte I would count local as anything grown in North or South Carolina since a lot of South Carolina farms are actually closer to Charlotte than some North Carolina ones.

“I went to the farmers market and there were no strawberries”

Well, I hate to break it to you but strawberries have a relatively short growing season that lasts from April till about late June. Yes, they may be available at the grocery store year round, but strawberries do not grow year ground in North Carolina. All crops have a season, so if you are not familiar with what’s in season for North Carolina, you might want to check out this chart  so you are not the goof asking the farmer where the watermelons are in February.

“Should I be eating all local food?”

Is Lebron the next Michael Jordan? No!  

Personally, I enjoy bananas, pineapple, coffee, etc and none of them are local. I try my best to hit up the farmers markets and grow some of my own vegetables. I may be a Dietitian but I am still human.

While I have the opportunity, just a PSA. Yes, you can find cookies, muffins, cupcakes, all other sorts of baked goods at farmers markets, but keep in mind that a cookie is still a cookie regardless of where it was made. Yes, it make taste better, but unfortunately it is not any healthier.

Breaking it Down

If this if your reaction to farmers markets...

I would suggest you give it a shot to check it out. Not sure where the closest farmers market is? No worries, I got you. Check out this list of farmers markets in the Charlotte area. 

My second suggestion would be this: Its one thing to go to the farmers market and buy all kinds of fruits and vegetables in your fancy reusable bag, but note that it doesn’t do you any actual good unless you eat them.

If you go check out a farmers market and find that its not your thing, at the very least you might get to listen to some of that “hippy” music and earn some hipster street cred. Well I am off to go stock up on local water at the farmers market. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth