9 Secrets to Live a Long & Healthy Life

So, what is the secret to a long, healthy life? Well, it turns out that there isn’t just one, but 9 secrets to living a long and healthy life. These secrets come from many studies and research done in areas around the world where people live the longest lives. There are five blue zones across the world, and in each of these places people living to 90 or even 100 years is common. The best part is they aren’t just living long either – these people are living healthy – without medication or disability. They may not be close on a map, but they share many similarities when it comes to their day to day lives. The five Blue Zones are: Loma Linda, California; Nicova, Costa Rica; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Griekenland; and Okinawa, Japan. 

So what is the secret to longevity and health underlying these communities? Do they own modern technology? Do they take an abundance of supplements? Do they run for miles? Or do they have special genes? Surprisingly, none of these are the answer.   

Here are the nine secrets of the world’s healthiest people:

1. Move naturally. Don't do marathons or pump iron; work around the house, garden, walk, cycle, walk when talking on the phone.

2. Know your purpose. Have a reason for waking up in the morning. If you are healthy and feel valued, 100 can feel like 70.

3. Kick back. Find ways to shed stress, whether it's praying, napping or going to happy hour.

4. Eat less. Stop eating when you are 80% full.

5. Eat less meat. Beans are a cornerstone of most centenarians' diets.

6. Drink in moderation. Only the Seventh-day Adventists in California didn't have one to two glasses of red wine a day.

7. Have faith. Denomination doesn't seem to matter, but attending faith-based services (4 times a month) does.

8. Power of love. 
Put families first, including committing to a partner and keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby.

9. Stay social. Build a social network that supports healthy behaviors.

The key to living on long healthy life is rather simple. There is no special medicine or expensive therapy required to live a long and healthy life.  Maintaining a healthy diet, daily exercise, and a low stress life while incorporating family, purpose, religion and meaning is the key.

These five Blue Zones have created a movement known as the Blue Zones Project in cities and businesses across America. Blue Zone Project communities have experienced double digit drops in obesity, smoking, and BMI, millions of dollars of savings in healthcare costs, as well as measurable drops in employee absenteeism. To see if your community is a Blue Zones Project visit: http://explore.bluezonesproject.com/.

Interested in knowing what a meal may look like in the 5 Blue Zones regions of the world? Check out the recipes below and find others at https://bluezones.com/recipes/.

Savory Oatmeal

Serves 2.

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 carrot or small beet, peeled and shredded

1 ½ cups water

1 cup stemmed and chopped kale or chopped spinach

¼ cup salsa or marinara sauce

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

½ avocado, chopped

2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds

Smoked paprika and/or crushed red pepper, optional

Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Combine the oats and carrot in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the water. (Use more or less to achieve the consistency you prefer; 1½ cups/360 ml yields a fairly thick oatmeal.)

2.  Heat until simmering, then cook, stirring often, until everything is tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the kale, salsa, and nutritional yeast.

4. Pour into a bowl and top with the avocado and pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and crushed red pepper, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

*Variation: Swap in different flavors of salsas or pasta sauces to turn this into a whole new dish.

Easy Lentil and Veggie Soup

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1¼ cups green, black, or brown lentils

7 cups vegetable broth

2 large red globe, beefsteak, or heirloom tomatoes, chopped (about 1½ cups)

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2⁄3 cup)

2 medium red potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 2⁄3 cup)

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon salt

Finely chopped scallions, for garnish

Extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish

Directions

1. Spread the lentils on a large baking sheet and pick them over for any bits of stone.

2. Stir the lentils, broth, tomatoes, onion, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, and salt in a large saucepan or soup pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, set a lid askew over the pan or pot, and cook until the lentils are soft, for 45 minutes.

3. Discard the bay leaves. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish each with scallions and up to 1 teaspoon olive oil.

*Variation: Change the recipe a little by adding up to 1 cup packed baby spinach, baby kale, baby arugula, stemmed watercress, or a mixture of any to the soup after it has simmered for 35 minutes. Continue cooking with the lid askew for 10 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the greens have wilted.

-West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitian Team

Balance Magazine January Highlights: Part Two

Another issue of the Hy-Vee Balance Magazine came out the beginning of January and will be available at your West Lakes Hy-Vee until the end of January. We have the highlights for you right here but consider picking up a free copy next time you are out and about shopping for groceries. This month features a woman known as “America’s toughest personal trainer”, business woman, author and television professional from The Biggest Loser: Jillian Michaels! Besides detailing Jillian’s active lifestyle, this article in Balance highlights Jillian’s motivational guidance as a personal trainer, her goals in life and of course a few workout examples that you can try next time you are working out. Although Jillian is a great highlight of the magazine, there are various articles on health and wellness, nutrition, working out, recipes, healthy mindsets and much more!

Because there is so much great content in this month’s edition, we have split the highlights for the blog in two: Part 1 was last week’s blog that focused on nutrition (if you haven’t read it yet, you can take a look at it below this blog post). Meanwhile, this blog is Part 2 of the January Balance Magazine highlights that focuses more on physical activity. Continue reading to find out more!

Significance of Physical Activity

In addition to nutrition, physical activity plays a large role in a healthy lifestyle. While intense workouts every once in a while can be beneficial if you are able to do so, just moving around and getting a little amount of physical activity each day can contribute to overall health. Aim for a balance of cardio exercise, strength training and lifestyle activity- taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from work or the store, etc.

Below, we highlight the importance of a strong core, some workout ideas to help you get started with a few simple moves or get a quick workout in, the importance of stretching before and after physical activity and more recipes that were featured in this month’s Balance magazine.

Working Out

At The Core (P. 53-55)

This article details the importance of a strong core to help eliminate back pain, spinal issues and physical limitations. While some people think of the ‘visible abs’ as the core, the core section is actually made up of muscles on all sides of the midsection. According to the American Council of Exercise, 29 muscles attach to the hips, spinal column and ribs, all which are key components of the core. Some are deep tissue muscles (internal oblique and transverse abdominis) and help with spinal stability and rotation. As you can see, with an abundance of different muscles, your core is an important part of your body that when strong, can increase quality of life and functionality. It is not only important to focus on strengthening some muscles of your midsection, but all of the muscles that make up your core in order to increase the ability and overall functionality of your body.

This three- page article also contains a few workout moves to aid in the performance of your core, such as the bicycle, superman, plank/side plank and Russian twists (all pictured below).

3 Moves with Jillian Michaels (P. 36)

Try these three effective moves pictured above:

Figure 1: Side lunge to knee lift

Figure 2: Push-up to plank

Figure 3: Jumping jack squats

Stretching

Rock and Roll (P. 19)

Working out your muscles is a great thing, but you can’t forget to stretch before and after each workout to keep your muscles feeling well and to avoid injury! Stretching can relieve tight muscles, improve flexibility and prevent injury of over worked muscles. You can either do old fashioned stretching that you can find online or in books and articles or use helpful equipment, such as a foam roller.

The Rock and Roll article in Balance highlights a few moves to try using a therapeutic foam roll, which is one way to relieve those tight muscles and provide benefits to your body. Get a foam roller today at the store or use one at your gym (most have them by the balance balls and mats) and try out these examples after your workout (pictures above).

-Foot: place the sole of your foot on top of a foam roller. Move foot back and forth, allowing the roller to massage the whole sole. To increase pressure, slowly press your sole into the roller.

-Calves: from a seated position, place a foam roller under your calves. Lift rear and gradually massage all sides of the calf muscles, using hands to move. To increase pressure, cross ankles and shift weight to either side.

-Glutes: carefully sit on a foam roller with legs stretched out, bracing with both arms from behind. Slowly move up and down the muscle. To increase pressure, cross ankles and tilt to either side as you gradually massage all sides of the glutes.

-Midsection/upper body: from a seated position, place a foam roller horizontally under you lower back. Lift rear and gradually roll back and forth. To increase pressure, lean to either side. Cross non-weight bearing leg over the grounded leg.

-Groin: lie face down with forearms bent and one leg at a right angle, on top of the foam roller. Gradually shift weight back and forth, massaging inner thigh.

Recipes

Strawberry Cherry Workout Smoothie (P. 50)

Note: If desired, add Performance Inspired Whey Protein to smoothie according to your weight, workout level and instructions on manufacturer’s label.

Total Time: 5 minutes| Serves 2

All you need:

1 cup plain coconut yogurt or other dairy-free yogurt

1 cup Hy-Vee unsweetened frozen strawberries

1 frozen peeled banana, cut into pieces

½ cup Hy-Vee unsweetened frozen red tart cherries

¼ cup cooked quinoa, cooled

¼ cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk

 ½ cup of ice cubes

Hy-Vee honey, to taste

Fresh strawberry slices, for garnish

All you do:

1. Place coconut yogurt, strawberries, cherries, banana, quinoa and coconut milk in a blender. Cover and blend until combined. Add ice cubes. Cover and blend until nearly smooth (smoothie will be thick). Add honey to taste.

2. Serve in tall glasses. Garnish with strawberry slices, if desired.

Break It Down- Feta Chicken with Veggies and Farro (P. 47)

Total Time: 50 minutes| Serves 4

All you need:

1 cup uncooked Hy-Vee select faro

3 Tbsp. Hy-Vee select extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic

1 Tbsp. Hy-Vee Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary  

1 tsp. Hy-Vee crushed red pepper

Kosher salt

3 (5-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and sliced 1-in. thick

2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 medium red onion, cut into wedges

Hy-Vee black pepper

¼ cup Hy-Vee crumbled fat-free feta cheese

2 medium baking apples, such as Braeburn, cut into ½-in.-thick slices

Lemon slices, for garnish

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil; set aside. Prepare faro according to package directions; keep warm.

2. Whisk together 2 Tbsp. olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning, rosemary, crushed red pepper, and if desired, ½ tsp. kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature while preparing and roasting the vegetables.

3. Toss together squash, Brussels sprouts and red onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and toss to coat. Spread vegetable mixture on prepared pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Roast 15 minutes.

4. Remove baking pan from oven and carefully slide vegetable mixture to one side of pan. Drain chicken; discard liquid. Arrange chicken aside vegetables in pan. Top chicken with feta crumbles. Place apple slices on top of vegetables. Roast 15 more minutes or until chicken is done (165F) and vegetables are crisp-tender. Cut chicken into slices.

5. Serve chicken with faro, vegetables and apples. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Dukkah-Crusted Salmon (P. 61)

Note: Dukkah, an Egyptian spice blend with toasted nuts and seeds, ramps up the flavor of salmon in this one=pan meal!

Total Time: 30 minutes| Serves 4

All you need:

1 recipe *Pistachio Spinach (below)

1 Tbsp. raw unsalted pistachios, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. unsalted cashews, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

1 ½ tsp. coriander seeds

1 ½ tsp. cumin seeds

 ¼ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. Hy-Vee cayenne pepper

4 (5-to 6-oz.) Hy-Vee Fish Market boneless, skinless salmon fillets

Hy-Vee nonstick olive oil cooking spray

Lime halves, optional

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare *Pistachio Spinach. Remove to a serving bowl; cover and keep warm. Wipe skillet with paper towels.

2. Toast pistachios, cashews, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds in same skillet over medium heat 1 minute or until aromatic, stirring constantly. Transfer to a shallow dish. Stir in salt and cayenne pepper. Wipe skillet with paper towels.

3. Coat salmon with cooking spray and roll in pistachio mixture, until well-coated. Coat same skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add salmon; cook 2 minutes. Carefully turn salmon over and transfer skillet to oven. Bake 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork (145 F). Serve salmon over pistachio spinach. Serve with lime halves, if desired.

***Pistachio Spinach: Coat a large ovenproof skillet with Hy-Vee nonstick olive spray. Add 1 (50oz.) pkg. baby spinach to skillet. Cook and stir until spinach begins to wilt. Add 1/3 cup chopped raw pistachios, 1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic and ¼ tsp. Hy-Vee crushed red pepper. Cook and stir one minute. 

-West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitian Team

Balance Magazine January Highlights: Part One

Another issue of Hy-Vee Balance magazine came out the beginning of January and will be available at your West Lakes Hy-Vee for a couple more weeks. We have the highlights for you right here, but consider picking up a free copy next time you are out and about shopping for groceries. This month features a woman known as “America’s toughest personal trainer” — businesswoman, author and television professional from The Biggest Loser — Jillian Michaels. Besides detailing Jillian’s active lifestyle, this article in Balance highlights Jillian’s motivational guidance as a personal trainer, her goals in life and, of course, a few workout examples that you can try yourself. Although Jillian is a great highlight of the magazine, there are various articles on health and wellness, nutrition, working out, recipes, healthy mindsets and much more! Because there is so much great content in this month’s edition, we have split the highlights for the blog in two: This is Part 1 and next week we are releasing Part 2 on the blog. Continue reading below for more highlights in Part 1!

Importance of Nutrition

Part 1 is going to focus primarily on the importance of nutrition. There are various articles on the internet these days that highlight diets such as the Paleo diet, ketogenic diet, Mediterranean and many others that promise fast weight loss. Before attempting certain diets, you should always check with a primary health care provider or registered dietitian because some of those popular diets can affect the body in a negative way, such as the case with “fad diets.”  “Fad diets” are considered short-term, quick fixes that are typically restrictive and not supported by scientific evidence. Rather than focusing on these diets that can be considered a “fad,” focus on feeding your body with healthy nutrients instead. Nutrients such as vegetables, fruits, proteins, whole grains and healthy fats will provide your body with the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Taking in healthy nutrients will overall make your diet more well-rounded, help you eat to fuel your body and become healthier in response — rather than dropping fat instantly due to a restrictive fad diet that can negatively affect your health. Overall, a healthy diet should correlate into a healthy lifestyle.

As Jillian Michaels says in Balance magazine, “A healthy lifestyle is about having more happy days than sad days. It’s about being more fulfilled than being stressed. It’s about having meaning in the things you do” (P. 30).

Energy Boost Nutrition Tips

Energy Alternatives to Coffee (P. 11)

Want to find healthier alternatives to coffee that will keep you energized and feeling good? This article features 5 different products that will give you energy.

1. Water- plays a major role in your energy, since dehydration can lead to fatigue.

2. Almonds- contain protein and magnesium, so a handful of this healthy fat for a snack will keep you going during the afternoon.

3. Chia seeds- these small seeds contain B vitamins, fiber and protein, all of which help your body maintain energy. Add these seeds to yogurt, a salad, smoothie, oatmeal and much more to boost your meal/snack with more nutrients and energy!

4. Dairy milk- contains vitamin D, which affects energy and muscles. You often lack this vitamin in the winter when you’re less likely to be outdoors, so dairy milk is a good energy source.

5. Fish- has omega-3 fatty acids which can provide your body with a boost in energy and help you focus.

In addition to these 5 items, Hy-Vee has energy bites, which are snack bites (containing chia seeds) that provide energy and are great paired with a fruit. Look for a variety of flavors at your West Lakes Hy-Vee in the HealthMarket, at the front of the store, by the dietitian’s office, and at other locations in the store!

Healthy and Happy Life

Happiness: Control the Clock (P. 49)

A healthy diet is not the only factor you need for a healthy lifestyle. Balancing your mental health, personal time, productivity and more will contribute to your overall health also. This article contains tips to balance work and personal time to help you live a healthier life, plus it includes 5 healthy resolutions, such as quitting smoking and sleeping more to increase productivity.

Begin Program at Hy-Vee (P. 107)

Another tool to help you live a healthier lifestyle besides working on balance and productivity can be Hy-Vee’s Begin healthy lifestyle and weight management program. This can be either a group class or one-on-one class with a registered dietitian who will help you navigate making smart everyday health decisions. This program lasts 10 weeks; you start with an hour-long session to measure your weight, blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol and glucose levels, and to discuss your goals. Then you will have shorter classes or sessions that cover portion control, exercise and smart food shopping.

For more information on this program, see your West-Lakes dietitians Amanda or Melissa today!

Healthy Recipes

Caramelized Grapefruit Parfaits (P. 22)

Total Time: 25 minutes | Serves 4

All you need:

1/3 cup Hy-Vee sweetened coconut flakes

2 large grapefruits, peeled and cut crosswise into ½-in.-thick slices

½ cup packaged Hy-Vee dark brown sugar, divided

2 cups Hy-Vee Greek plain strained nonfat yogurt

2 Tbsp. Hy-Vee HealthMarket chia seeds

1 Tbsp. Hy-Vee honey plus additional for drizzling, if desired

1 Tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger, optional

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Spread coconut flakes on a rimmed baking pan. Bake 5 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.

2. Place half of the grapefruit slices in a large skillet. Sprinkle with ¼ cup brown sugar. Cook over medium heat 4 minutes or until browned, turning once. Remove grapefruit from skillet and cool. Repeat with remaining grapefruit slices.

3. Combine yogurt, chia seeds and honey in a small bowl. Place some of the grapefruit slices in the bottoms of four 8-oz. glasses. Top each with ¼ cup yogurt mixture. Repeat with remaining grapefruit and yogurt mixture. Serve with toasted coconut and, if desired, ginger. Drizzle with additional honey, if desired.

Totally Takeout (P. 15)

Total Time: 25 minutes plus marinating time | Serves 4

All you need:

1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak

2 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce

1 Tbsp. Hy-Vee light soy sauce

1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic

1½ tsp. grated fresh ginger

1½ tsp. packaged Hy-Vee dark brown sugar

Hy-Vee nonstick cooking spray

3 green onions, trimmed

½ to ¾ cup Hy-Vee reduced-sodium beef broth

1½ tsp. Hy-Vee cornstarch

1 Tbsp. water

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 cups Hy-Vee instant brown rice, optional

Roasted white sesame seeds for garnish

All you do:

1. Trim fat from steak. Thinly slice steak across the grain into bite-size strips. Whisk together chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add streak strips; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Coat a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over high heat. Add green onions and cook 1 minute or until tops begin to wilt. Remove to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1-in. pieces; set aside.

3. Drain steak strips; reserve marinade. Cook half of the steak strips in the grill pan over medium-high heat 1 minute per side or until grill marks form. Remove steak strips from pan and repeat with remaining strips. Set steak strips aside and keep warm.

4. Place reserved marinade and enough beef broth to make 1 cup in saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced to 2/3 cup. Combine cornstarch and water; stir into reduced mixture until thickened and bubbly. Stir in sesame oil.

5. Serve steak strips and green onions with sauce over rice, if desired. Garnish with sesame seeds. 

Stay tuned for part 2 highlights next week!

-West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitian Team

New Year, New You, New Behaviors

Hi, friends! Dietitian Melissa here. At the start of each new year, many of us set out with good intentions to improve ourselves. And what is at the top of the list almost every year? WEIGHT LOSS. How many times has it been at the top of your list? We have this goal that we want to achieve, and for a while work really hard at it. But after a few days, weeks, or maybe even a few good months, it falls to the wayside, and we’re left wondering: What went wrong?

I know we’ve heard time and time again: Start small, make SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals, it just takes willpower, etc. But why don’t these logical tips help us stay on the path? I can’t speak about all goals, but as far as weight loss goals go, I am a bit of an expert (see the RD, LD after my name J). As a registered dietitian, I have heard all of these tips and tricks and then some, as well as advised others on them. Over time, however, I’ve noticed a constant: We, as humans, lose weight, and we’re happy; we don’t lose weight, or possibly even gain weight, and we feel like we failed and, consequently, give up.

What if I told you it doesn’t have to be like that? You don’t have to feel like you failed because you haven’t lost weight. You don’t have to feel like you’re doing something wrong if the scale doesn’t say what you want it to. In fact, it actually would be good for our health, physically and mentally, if we stopped letting something so small dictate how we feel about ourselves. I know this may go against most things you may have heard before, but you actually don’t need to focus on your weight. I have something better.

This year, instead of focusing on the scale, a more beneficial use of your time would be to focus on healthful BEHAVIORS. When we focus on the scale, we end up feeling either good or bad about ourselves, and then let that feeling make or break our entire day/week/year. However, when we focus on behaviors, we can learn from things other than the scale, including how we feel, how much energy we have, how clearly we are able to think and focus, how happy we are and how well we are sleeping.

Here are my Top 5 Healthful Behaviors to focus on in 2018:

1. Stop weighing yourself first thing in the morning (or any time). Your day does not need to revolve around what a tiny plastic/metal/glass square tells you. You are worth so much more than that.

2. Enjoy wholesome foods that YOU ACTUALLY LIKE. Eat a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, beans/legumes, etc. This will ensure you are getting the nutrients your body needs, and eating healthfully won’t feel like a chore because you won’t be forcing yourself to eat things you don’t truly enjoy. You can even dress up your vegetables and put olive oil, butter, spices or cheese on them if that allows your taste buds to enjoy them. J

3.  Let go of guilt surrounding foods that aren’t so “wholesome.” All foods really are allowed. If you love ice cream and can’t live without it, why restrict it? It’s OK to enjoy it. Food does not have moral value. It is not “good” or “bad.” Just be mindful of your choices, and work on nourishing your body (and mind).

4. Get in touch with your body - specifically, its hunger and fullness signals. If you’ve never heard of intuitive eating, I encourage you to look it up on the Google (or your search engine of choice). In a nutshell, intuitive eating is eating in a way in which you respect your body by listening to it and eating the foods it is craving. Our bodies were born with the wisdom to know what we need to eat to survive and thrive. We just stopped listening to it along the way. There’s even a whole book about it called “Intuitive Eating” by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch that is a great read.

5. Finally, move your body in ways you enjoy and that feel good to you. Physical activity is so important to our health and well-being, both physically and mentally. It doesn’t have to be “exercise,” and I don’t want it to feel like a chore that you despise but feel you “should” do. Anything from walking to yoga to spin class (the list is infinite) can be a great healthful behavior to adopt this year. I challenge you to find some form of movement - joyful movement - that you enjoy so much you actually look forward to doing it!

Give these 5 behaviors a try, and let me know what you think, and how you feel! I wish you all the happiness and health in the world in 2018. J

-Dietitian Melissa

All About Eggs!

Are you looking to get healthier this New Year? Well, look no further than the humble egg. The gold standard of protein, loaded with healthy fats and also containing essential micronutrients, the egg is hard to beat in nutritional value. Cost-effective and versatile, the unique nutritional composition of eggs can help meet a variety of nutrient needs of children through older adults. Plus, eggs can play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more.  

Did you know that Iowa is the #1 egg-producing state in the United States? There are many reasons to love being in the state that produces the most eggs. Eggs are full of nutrients, are easy to make for meals and can be prepared in dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Eggs are a great source of protein, vitamins and healthy fats that make a great breakfast or snack to help you maintain your goal of eating healthy this year. Continue reading to learn what nutritional value eggs bring to the table.

Health Benefits of Eggs

1. High source of protein (6 grams)

2. Variety of nutrients that are essential for your health: Choline, vitamin A, folate, vitamin B5, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, phosphorus

3. Eggs are one of the few foods that contain a naturally good source of vitamin D, with one egg providing 10% of the DV.

4. Good source of healthy fat (5 grams)

High in Cholesterol?

Eggs are high in cholesterol, but the effect of egg cholesterol on blood cholesterol is minimal when compared to the effect of trans fats and saturated fats. According to a cholesterol article on healthline.com, the liver produces large amounts of cholesterol every day and when we intake more dietary cholesterol, the liver just produces less cholesterol instead. Eggs do contain cholesterol, but eating eggs does not have adverse effects on cholesterol in the blood for the majority of people.

If you have diabetes, high cholesterol or heart disease, you may want to use an egg white substitute which contains zero cholesterol. Consult with your doctor for more individualized guidance.

Egg Recipes

Ham, Egg and Cheese Muffins (from The Lemon Bowl)

These muffins can be made ahead of time and reheated on busy mornings for a good protein breakfast; add in tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and other veggies for extra nutrition and flavor.

All you need:

1 dozen large eggs

1/2 cup of whole milk

6 slices of Canadian bacon, diced

1/4 cup minced scallions

4 ounces of shredded sharp low-fat cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. 

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk until light and fluffy. Stir in the Canadian bacon, scallions and salt/pepper. Divide egg mixture into each tin evenly and sprinkle the tops with cheese.

3. Bake until eggs are set, 25 to 30 minutes.

Healthy Eggnog (From SparkRecipes)

For 100 calories and 9 grams of protein in each serving, this healthy eggnog is a delicious addition to the season.

All you need:

3 tbsp of egg substitute

1/2 cup of non-fat or skim vanilla soymilk

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

2 tbsp of sugar substitute 

1 tbsp of fat-free vanilla creamer

All you do:

Pour all ingredients together into a container, mixing until thickened. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

Proper Hard-Boiled Eggs

Have you ever boiled eggs and the result was a yolk with a “green” colored ring around the yolk? Well, that is due to the sulfur in the white part of the eggs moving to the yolk and forming ferrous sulfide under high heat when you “boil” them (boiling water and then placing eggs in to boil for 15 minutes or so). The color is harmless, but the hard-boiled eggs just don’t look as appealing with a greenish ring. To avoid an unpleasing coloring, the correct way to cook eggs is to “hard-cook” them.

All you do:

1. Arrange a single layer of eggs in the bottom of a sauce pan and cover with 1 to 2 inches of cold water.

2. Bring the water to a boil on high heat.

3. Turn off the heat and cover the pan when it reaches a full rolling boil.

4. Let the eggs sit in the covered saucepan for 12 minutes, drain the water, and run the eggs under cold water. 

-West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitian Team