"Top 10" -- Eggs

All of the news about egg recalls lately may be scaring you away from eating eggs.  However, eggs can be a very healthy food provided they come from organic, free range chickens that are fed a healthy diet high in omega-3 fatty acids.1  In fact, eggs obtained from organically-fed, cage free chickens are virtually free of salmonella.1 Most eggs in grocery stores come from chickens who live their entire lives in cramped, dirty spaces, never having seen the light of day, and who are fed antibiotics and growth hormones.1  These environments are breeding grounds for disease.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein and they provide all essential amino acids, as well as vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that help the heart, eyes, cells, and brain to function properly.1  One of these important nutrients is choline a precursor to the brain neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, which is essential for memory and thought processing.1  The Physician’s Desk Reference claims that without acetylcholine the brain may be more prone to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.1  Choline is also a key part of phosphatidylcholine, a lipid which helps to prevent cholesterol and fat from getting deposited in the liver.1

Eating eggs has other benefits. Eggs contain selenium, a mineral believed to aid in cancer prevention, and lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants believed to protect the eyes.1  According to one study, eggs may even protect against breast cancer.1 The study showed that women who ate six eggs per week versus two eggs per week were 44 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.1  In addition, according to the Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, it has never been proven that people who eat more eggs have more heart attacks than those who eat fewer.1  Elson Haas, M.D., provides a little more insight into the cholesterol connection.  He says that research shows that eating eggs "when not associated with a high-fat diet does not appreciably raise the serum cholesterol."2  So, what you eat with your eggs has quite a bit to do with how your cholesterol may be affected.

Johnny Bowden, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, suggests that the healthiest ways of cooking eggs are poaching and boiling.1  Dr. Haas warns against eating fried eggs because of the fats typically used to fry them.2

Here are a couple of things that you can look for on egg cartons to make sure you are buying healthy eggs:

- Certified Humane seal
- USDA Organic seal
- Omega-3 statement or language that indicates a vegetarian diet or a diet high in flaxseed
- No antibiotics

1Bowden, J. (2007). The 150 healthiest foods on earth: the suprising unbiased truth about what you should eat and why. Beverly, MA: Fair Winds Press.
2Haas, E. (2006). Staying healthy with nutrition: the complete guide to diet and nutritional medicine. Berkeley: Celestial Arts.

"Top 10" -- Spinach

There is a lot more to spinach than what meets the eye, though it certainly is good for the eyes.  Spinach contains lutein, a carotenoid that protects the eyes against vision loss and disease.1 Interestingly, lutein requires fat in order for the body to assimilate it, so some nutritionists recommend eating spinach with hard boiled eggs or a little olive oil.1

Spinach contains many other nutrients, as well, including high amounts of vitamin K, which is critical for bone health, because it helps the other minerals and substances get into the bones, one of which is osteocalcin.1 Other nutrients in spinach include vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, folic acid, quercitin, manganese, magnesium, and iron.1

The flavonoids in spinach have been shown to reduce the incidence of some types of cancer, such as stomach cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.1  In addition, the antioxidants in spinach have been linked to lower cholesterol and healthy blood vessels.1

The vitamins in spinach have been shown to be good for the brain by reducing inflammation which may protect the brain from mental decline.1 Spinach is high in the blood pressure lowering mineral, magnesium.1 Spinach is also high in iron.  A one cup serving contains almost 2 mg.2 The iron in spinach may be especially important for women in child bearing years, many of whom may be iron deficient.1

Spinach has lots of calcium, but it also contains oxalate which may bind with calcium, tending to decrease its absorption in the body.3 Thus, the body may actually only assimilate a very small amount of the calcium in spinach as compared to other sources of calcium like broccoli.3

Best of all, spinach is extremely low in calories, contains no fat or cholesterol, and tastes great!  According to one study, it doesn't require eating a lot of spinach to reap its protective benefits.1

Fresh spinach once it has been cooked, or canned spinach once it has been opened, should be eaten within a day and not stored.2  Lightly cooked spinach or steamed spinach is loaded with nutrients.2 To benefit from the folate in spinach, it is better to steam it than to boil it.3

Like apples, spinach is on the Environmental Working Group’s list of foods containing high amounts of pesticides so eating organic is recommended.1

1Bowden, J. (2007). The 150 healthiest foods on earth: the surprising, unbiased truth about what you should eat and why. Beverly, MA: Fair Winds Press.
2Haas, E. (2006). Staying healthy with nutrition: the complete guide to diet and nutritional medicine. Berkeley: Celestial Arts.
3Wikipedia. July 31, 2010. Spinach. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach on August 6, 2010.