Misconceptions about eating eggs

There are many taboos when eating eggs, but they are rarely eaten together and are not well known. For example, eating turtle meat after eating eggs can also cause food poisoning. Turtle meat itself is greasy and nourishing, so people with colds or dampness in the body generally should not eat it. In addition, it is salty and flat in nature, so pregnant women and people with poor digestive systems who have just given birth should not eat it.

There are still many misunderstandings about eggs.

Myth 1: Red-shelled eggs are more nutritious than white-shelled eggs. In the past, people believed that red-shelled eggs were more nutritious and were more expensive in the market. Tests have shown that the color of the eggshell is related to the breed of chicken and has nothing to do with nutrition.

Myth 2: Farm eggs are more nutritious. Real farm eggs (free-range eggs) may taste better. However, tests show that the nutrient content of farm eggs is not higher than that of ordinary eggs. In addition, the sanitation of the egg-laying environment of free-range chickens is difficult to control, and the eggs are more likely to be contaminated by feces.

Myth 3: "First-laid eggs" and "functional eggs" are more nutritious. Generally speaking, eggs produced by chickens within 130 to 160 days of growth are called first-laid eggs. There is no test evidence that first-laid eggs contain more nutrients than ordinary eggs. In fact, first-laid eggs are small, about 40 grams each, and are not allowed to be sold abroad because they do not meet the weight standard. Functional eggs refer to eggs that are enriched with nutrients such as zinc, iodine, selenium, and calcium through feed technology. This sounds good, but in fact, because there are no standards and it is difficult to test, many products are suspected of being over-promoted.

Myth 4: The yellower the egg yolk, the better the nutrition. The color of the egg yolk is related to the various pigments it contains, some of which, such as carotene, do have nutritional value. However, existing technical means can easily darken the color of the egg yolk, which is not only irrelevant to nutrition, but also poses a safety hazard.

Myth 5: Unhatched eggs are a tonic. Unhatched eggs are "dead eggs" and are embryos that have been hatched halfway. In many areas, they are often eaten as a tonic. In fact, unhatched eggs have low nutritional value and often contain many pathogens.

Myth 6: The longer you boil eggs, the better. The best state for eating eggs is when the egg white has solidified and the yolk is in a semi-solid or flowing state. This can ensure the digestion and absorption rate and avoid nutrient loss.

Myth 7: Eating raw eggs is more nutritious. Eating raw eggs will interfere with the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). Although occasionally eating raw eggs will not lead to biotin deficiency, eating raw eggs is prone to bacterial infection.

Myth 8: New mothers should eat more eggs. It is a custom in my country for new mothers to eat a lot of eggs during confinement, but this is no longer applicable today when food is abundant. New mothers should ensure food diversity. In addition to eating one or two eggs a day, they should also eat meat, milk, beans, grains, fruits and vegetables to achieve a balanced diet.

Myth 9: It is not appropriate to eat eggs with soy milk. Those who advocate this view believe that soybeans contain trypsin inhibitors, which will affect the digestion and absorption of protein in the body. However, after soybeans are made into soy milk, the trypsin inhibitors are destroyed during the heating process, so there is no problem eating them with eggs.

Myth 10: You can't eat eggs when you have a cold. When you have a cold or fever, your body consumes a lot of energy, your resistance will decrease, you can't eat anything, and you lack nutrition. Proper supplementation with foods high in protein such as eggs is good for your body's recovery. However, egg custard and egg drop soup are the first choice, while fried eggs or pan-fried eggs are not easy to digest.