We’ve talked a lot about things you don’t need to eat — expensive “diet” foods that don’t really help your waistline or your health.  You can also save money for the “good stuff” by bypassing the expensive, pre-processed convenience foods and the soda aisle of the supermarket.

But what are some good, low glycemic options that are inexpensive and good for you? We’ll be looking at those in the next few posts.For today, let’s looks at a simple, quick-to-fix protein with a glycemic number of 0.  You can’t get any lower than that!  They are cheap and you can get pick them up anywhere.  Eggs.

For a long time eggs had a bad rap.  People were warned that they were carriers of the evil cholesterol and bad for your heart.  Further research has shown that eggs aren’t that bad.  A new government study showed they are 14 percent lower in cholesterol and 64 percent higher in vitamin D than was previously thought.  Studies also shows that for most people only a small amount of cholesterol in food passes into the blood.  Saturated fats and trans fats have much bigger effects on blood cholesterol levels.  While eggs do have about 185 gm. of cholesterol, they are very low in saturated fat.

Also, a major study that looked at egg consumption and heart disease found no connection between the two.  Still, you probably don’t want to go on the egg diet, which consists of nothing but eggs all day every day.   For one thing, fad diets don’t work long term. For another, too much of anything, including eggs, can have a negative effect on your health.

But it’s fine to make eggs part of your food staples.  In addition to having a low G.I. number, which means it won’t cause an insulin spike, one egg provides six grams of protein — 12% of the recommended daily allowance.  That protein is high quality, because it provides all the essential amino acids our bodies need in a nearly perfect pattern. That protein also means that you won’t get hungry as quickly, and it will help you maintain muscle strength.  It’s important to get protein in your system after exercise.  Eating an egg after working out could give your muscles the building materials they need.

In addition to other important nutrients, eggs contain choline which helps with memory and lutein, which may protect against vision loss.

So, if you like them, put eggs on your grocery list and make them a part of your low glycemic eating plan.  I keep boiled eggs on hand for snacks and often have them poached in the microwave and spiced up with a bit of salsa for lunch.

Do you have any tried and true egg recipes?  I’m always looking for easy, tasty recipes, so please share and I’ll post them.

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown