Saturday, July 12, 2008

The Incredible Edible Egg

Get thin, get smart. One little oval package helps you make both happen, and you don't even have to get a prescription for it (yes, it's legal).

Eggs were reinstated as a health food a while back, when major studies cleared them of increasing heart attack and stroke risk. Now there's evidence that people who scramble, boil or poach one for breakfast -- versus eating a bagel with the same number of calories -- bypass junk-food cravings and eat fewer calories for at least 24 hours. Without even trying.

While eggs are a good source of nutrients and protein, it turns out that they make your body feel fuller longer, for reasons that aren't completely clear.

Not only are you smart, as far as your waist is concerned, for eating them, but they're good brain food, too. Eggs are packed with selenium, a nutrient that can help keep your memory sharp and your thinking fast. In fact, people who get at least 55 micrograms (mcg) a day of selenium have cognitive test scores that put them in a league with people 10 years younger.

An egg (14 mcg) on whole-grain toast (10 mcg) gets you almost halfway there. Round out your day with some albacore tuna (63 mcg for 3 ounces and no mercury), turkey (27 mcg for 3 ounces) or Brazil nuts (a mother lode at 270 mcg per half-ounce). Repeat the next morning.

You know that line about "the incredible, edible ..."? Looks like the jingle writer had a clue.

Healthy Trust Immediate Medical Care serves the Chicago North Shore Communities of Lake County, Wheeling, Prospect Heights, Lincolnshire, Deerfield, Buffalo Grove, Northbrook, Highland Park, Long Grove, Riverwoods, Des Plaines, Palatine, Glenview, Highwood, Northfield, Libertyville, Winnetka, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Mundelein, and Bannockburn.

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