I’m committing nutrition heresy this week by posting about deviled eggs – high fat, high cholesterol snacks that even contain processed meat. You may be wondering, what is she thinking?
One of the things that I learned in my nutrition consultant training is how much conventional wisdom about nutrition is outdated or just wrong. The more I studied and dug into the research, the more curious I got about how and why recommendations are made and what the science really says. More importantly, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to advise people to make wise nutritional choices amid the swirl of conflicting information.
That journey is the reason why I adopted a ‘Real Food’ philosophy. If you’ve given up trying to make sense of the latest nutrition information, or keeping up with fad diets and super foods that seem to change every day, you can’t go wrong with eating real food – food that isn’t sold with a label; food that humans have evolved to eat.
The Incredible Edible Egg - Why the Bad Rap?
Eggs are a perfect example of a real food that got a bad rap once upon a time, all because they contain cholesterol – about 200mg – as much as in an 8-oz steak.
When the first dietary guidelines were released in 1980, eating cholesterol-containing food was thought to raise blood cholesterol and cause heart disease. A reanalysis of the data and numerous studies since then have disproven this theory. The US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee quietly removed its limit on cholesterol in 2015, but by then the switch to oatmeal and egg-white omelets had taken hold.
Health Benefits of Eggs
Not only are eggs NOT BAD for you, but they are also really GOOD for you!
They contain many beneficial nutrients, including:
7g of protein and 5g of fat – the most satiating macronutrients, which have a small effect on your blood sugar and help to keep you full
Carotenoids -including lutein and zeaxanthin which are important for eye health
Choline – this newly-discovered essential nutrient is important for liver, brain, and muscle function as well as your nervous system and metabolism. Eggs are one of the richest sources of choline.
Vitamin D – this hard-to-obtain nutrient is critical for bone health and may play a positive role in immunity, cancer prevention, and mental health. Eggs, along with fish, liver, and fortified foods are the only food sources, although your body also makes it when exposed to the sun.
Minerals – eggs contain significant amounts of iodine, important for thyroid function and selenium, a powerful antioxidant, as well as small amounts of many other trace minerals
Eggs play a starring role at breakfast, and feature in some dinners, but I like to recommend hard-boiled or deviled eggs for snacks. Besides their hunger-stabilizing quality and all the nutrients mentioned above, they're portable, and you can buy them in grocery and convenience stores anywhere. But don't do like I used to do and throw away the yolk - that's where most of the nutrients are!
This is my favorite recipe for deviled eggs, featuring the salty richness of bacon and the kick of horseradish. It's really easy to swap out the flavors to suit your own taste. You can add mustard, or hot peppers, or wasabi and pickled ginger. . .
If you're having a hard time sorting through conflicting nutrition information to achieve the results that you want, even if you think you're doing everything right, I would love to help you develop a plan that works best for you. Sign up for a free consultation with me today!
Bacon Horseradish Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
12 large eggs
6 slices bacon
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. sour cream, whole milk yogurt, or creme fraiche (you can omit this to make them dairy-free and add additional mayo)
2 tablespoons cream-style, or 1 tablespoon grated, horseradish
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
Instructions
Place eggs in a single layer in a large sauce pan. Cover with cold water. Place over high heat until water comes to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 12 minutes.
When eggs have finished cooking, carefully pour out the hot water and fill with cold, letting the cold water run for a few minutes to cool the pan. Allow eggs to cool to room temperature in the water and peel.
While eggs are cooking, cook bacon until crisp and drain.
Cut peeled eggs in half and scoop yolk into a small mixing bowl; set whites aside.
Add mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, or creme fraiche, horseradish, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper to yolks. Smash together with a fork until smooth, adding extra mayo if needed for a creamy texture.
Finely chop the cooled bacon and mix into the yolk mixture.
Pipe or spoon filling into egg white halves, mounding the filling above the level of the white
Chill until ready to serve.
Just before serving, garnish with chives, or cook an extra slice of bacon and use coarsely chopped pieces for garnish.