You are what you eat

has given free-range eggs top grades when it comes to vitamin A and E content and polyunsaturated fatty acids. This “superfood” status is achieved without any artificial feed additives – simply by providing a species-appropriate habitat for the hens. Each and every one of Toni’s free-range eggs is thus a perfect, natural source of health and energy.

"Qualität von Eiern unterschiedlicher Fütterungs- und Haltungsbedingungen ", Studie des Institutes für Ernährungswissenschaften der Uni Wien, o. Univ. Prof. Dr. I. Elmadfa
(Survey carried out by the 'Department for Nutritional Science' of the University Vienna)

One egg provides approximately 15% of our daily protein requirement, in addition to supplying us with the “building blocks” of protein, the essential amino acids. The egg yolk contains more protein than the egg white.

To keep our immune system in perfect working order, it is important that we consume a sufficient amount of high-quality protein and essential amino acids. When we do get sick, our body needs even more protein in order to rebuild the damaged cells. In order for our body to produce protein, we also need the trace element sulphur, which is also found in eggs.

Lecithin is a special fat compound and a classic “brainfood”.  The name lecithin derives from the ancient Greek word for egg yolk. We need lecithin as the elementary building block for cell membranes and nervous tissue. Egg yolk is among the most precious natural sources of lecithin.

Unsaturated fatty acids such as Omega 3 fatty acids are vital for the brain, the nervous system and our metabolism. Free-range eggs contain more fatty acids than conventionally farmed eggs – as proven in a study carried out by the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Vienna University – for the simple reason that hens get the necessary ingredients from different herbs and grasses.

Vitamin A is particularly beneficial for our eyesight – this may also be the reasons why sometimes even a blind chicken will find the corn… Free-range eggs contain more vitamin A than any other eggs, especially in the yolk. In fact, only fresh liver contains more vitamin A than eggs! Vitamin A also strengthens the immune system and aids cell generation.

Vitamin E promotes vitality, improves blood circulation, offers protection against heart disease and slows down the aging process. This makes free-range eggs, which are particularly important sources of vitamin E, natural anti-aging tools!

The best stress busters are the anti-stress hormones produced from protein by our body. Eggs are thus the ideal food to combat or even prevent stress!

As a trace element, zinc strengthens the immune system, improves mental performance as well as potency and is also an effective way to treat colds.

True to its reputation as a fertility symbol, the egg contains plenty of folic acid, which is particularly important at the beginning of a pregnancy. Folic acid is essential for the healthy development of the embryo’s nervous system and brain. One egg provides up to 26% of our daily folic acid requirement.

Our body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium and phosphor, making it a prerequisite for healthy teeth and bone development. In summer, the sun helps our skin to produce vitamin D; in winter, we can rely on the best eggs under the sun – one egg provides approximately 30% of our daily vitamin D requirement.

Eggs, and free-range eggs in particular, are wholesome foods with a high nutritional value. Only a few years ago, some nutritional experts were sceptical about the nutritional value of eggs, due to their cholesterol content. Today, medical science draws a very different picture of the interrelation between cholesterol levels and nutrition: if you generally stick to a healthy diet and lifestyle, you are allowed to have your egg and eat it! The following recent cholesterol study sheds more light on the subject:

“How many eggs am I allowed to eat per week?” “Can I enjoy an egg for breakfast every day?” “How do eggs affect my cholesterol levels?” In fact, healthy consumers do not need to worry about any of those questions, as shown by the results of a recent study. Eggs are much better than their reputation – that is the conclusion that the scientists of Kansas State University (USA) have come to. 

Lecithin contained in eggs inhibit blood cholesterol levels

Starting from the phenomenon that many people do not suffer from high cholesterol levels although they frequently consume eggs, the scientists took a closer look at the eggs and its components. The result: the lecithin contained in the egg yolks inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. There is thus no reason to worry about egg consumption and no reason to feel guilty about eating them on a regular basis. 

Phosphatidylcholine: a tongue-twister for a healthy diet

Due to its performance-boosting properties for the nerves and the brain, lecithin as an emulsifier is currently being used to prevent age-related problems with orientation and memory. American scientists have now found out that phosphatidylchotine, better known as lecithin, is the very substance that makes egg consumption completely safe. It inhibits the mechanism that is responsible for absorbing cholesterol into the body via the intestinal wall.  The cholesterol not absorbed by the body is simply eliminated.

A natural protection against cholesterol

The results of this study provide important answers to the question of why there seems to be a paradoxical connection between egg consumption and blood cholesterol.

However, the conclusion that cholesterol intake through food does not necessarily cause an increase of blood cholesterol is not new: various studies have shown that after the absorption of cholesterol through the intestine, when it is processed by the body, a substance is produced that inhibits the body’s own cholesterol synthesis, meaning that it will produce less cholesterol.
 
Furthermore, the body activates resorption mechanisms if the food-based cholesterol intake exceeds the body’s synthesis rate, showing that the body regulates its cholesterol householf naturally.

Fancy an egg?

Of course, genetic dispositions differ and people will react in different ways to food cholesterol. However, 80 to 85 percent of the population have intact mechanisms that regulate the reaction to food cholesterol and the adjustment of the body’s own cholesterol synthesis, thus maintaining the body’s natural balance.
 
Study: Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS 66506

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