Is the egg a superfood? Will it make my list of the top twenty? Let's take a look at the egg.
Nutrient Content of a Large Egg
| Nutrient (unit) | Whole Egg | Egg White | Egg Yolk |
| Calories (kcal) | 72 | 17 | 55 |
| Protein (g) | 6.29 | 3.60 | 2.70 |
| Total lipid (g) | 4.97 | 0 | 4.51 |
| Total carbohydrate (g) | 0.39 | 0.24 | 0.61 |
| Fatty acids (g) | 4.13 | 0 | 4.32 |
| Saturated fat (g) | 1.55 | 0 | 1.62 |
| Monounsaturated fat (g) | 1.91 | 0 | 1.99 |
| Polyunsaturated fat (g) | 0.68 | 0 | 0.71 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 212 | 0 | 210 |
| Thiamin (mg) | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.03 |
| Riboflavin (mg) | 0.24 | 0.15 | 0.09 |
| Niacin (mg) | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.00 |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.06 |
| Folate (mcg) | 24 | 1.0 | 25 |
| Vitamin B12 (mcg) | 0.65 | 0.03 | 0.33 |
| Vitamin A (IU) | 244 | 0 | 245 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 0.48 | 0 | 0.44 |
| Vitamin D (IU) | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Choline (mg) | 125.6 | ||
| Betaine (mg) | 0.3 | ||
| Calcium, Ca (mg) | 27 | 2 | 22 |
| Iron, Fe (mg) | 0.92 | 0.03 | 0.46 |
| Magnesium, Mg (mg) | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| Copper, Cu (mg) | 0.05 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Zinc, Zn (mg) | 0.56 | 0.01 | 0.39 |
| Sodium, Na (mg) | 70 | 55 | 8 |
| Manganese, Mn (mg) | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19
The main concern about the egg is the cholesterol. Here are the facts as I understand them from an expert in cholesterol from the Mayo clinic. An egg has about 212 mg. of cholesterol most of which is in the yolk. The recommended amount of daily cholesterol for an adult is about 300, unless the adult has high LDL or bad cholesterol and had to bring that down. For those people you would want to stay under or at 200mg per day. So even someone who needs to cut down can have one large egg per day as long as they avoid other sources of cholesterol all day.
What makes eggs a superfood is that the egg is the highest source of protein. It is even much higher than milk and beef. The cost is another consideration. I can still get a dozen eggs for 99 cents which breaks down to a little over 8 cents each. I would say one whole egg and an egg white would easily make a great scrambled egg meal with maybe a half cup of oatmeal and some juice and a piece of toast.
In addition the egg yolk also contains choline which keeps cholesterol from accumulating in the liver and contains all nine amino acids and many important nutrients.
Don't skip your eggs folks, it seems to me they really are a superfood!
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