Egg yolks have always received a flak from health enthusiasts for their high cholesterol content that can be harmful to the heart. But, researches have found that egg yolk can actually be a healthy option if consumed in a moderate amount. In fact studies say that you can have up to 4-5 egg yolks per week without any effect on the body’s cholesterol levels and heart.
Egg yolks are rich in seven essential vitamins needed for our body and contains 13 kinds of minerals that help in maintaining electrolyte balance in the body.
Here are some of the health benefits of egg yolks when consumed in moderation:
1. Keeps your eyes healthy: Egg yolk is rich in antioxidant, Carotenoid, which according a research, helps in lowering age related risks like macular degeneration and cataract. It helps protect the eye from free radicals that can affect different parts of the retina. Carotenoid in the egg yolk is also responsible for its bright yellow colour.
2. Prevents blood clots: Proteins found in egg yolks prolong the development of blood clots. If you smoke, lead a sedentary lifestyle, use birth control pills or at the risk of blood clots, you can add egg yolks to your diet to lead a healthy life.
3. Anti-inflammatory: Choline, which is present in the egg yolk has anti-inflammatory properties and it also helps in regulating cardiovascular function. If you are suffering from arthritis and endometriosis, then you should add egg yolk to your diet.
4. Contains essential fatty acid: Egg yolks contain essential long chain fatty acids like omega 3 and omega 6, which are necessary for functioning of the brain and retina. Moderate consumption of egg yolk also provides healthy hair, improves body’s reproductive system and body’s response to injury.
5. Good Source of vitamins and minerals: Egg is an excellent source of vitamins like B6, folate, a B vitamin, B-12, A, D, E and K. Of those, vitamins A, D, E and K are found only in egg yolks and not in egg whites. Egg yolks and egg whites each have 13 varieties of minerals that primarily include calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, sodium and selenium. It has been proved that the yolk has larger amounts of most of the minerals found in egg. For example, 90 percent of an egg's calcium is in its yolk; 93 percent of its iron content is in the yolk, with just 7 percent in the white.
Make whole eggs a part of your daily diet and benefit from them. Think twice before throwing away the egg yolks the next time you cook eggs. And even for those who consume egg whites just for the protein content, you should know that 40% of the egg’s protein is in the egg yolk, apart from 90% of the essential nutrients found in egg.