Throw out your protein powder and put some eggs in the blender.
Want to be healthy? Get some chickens. It has been well known for over 100 years that ounce for ounce, eggs are the healthiest food on the planet. In fact, they are the perfect food. They contain high amounts of vitamins, minerals, fat and protein and are the gold standard by which all other protein is measured. Nearly every culture in the world consumes eggs and the world's oldest woman, Emma Morano, age 117, credits her long life to eating 3 raw eggs every day since she was a teenager.
Whites or Yolks?
With the unsubstantiated fear of cholesterol in the 1960's, came the fear of egg yolks. I remember meeting my mom at Sunny's Cafe n West Bloomfield, Michigan every Sunday for our fluffy egg-white veggie omelet. Although I was getting high doses of vitamin B-3 and protein in the egg whites, little did I know I was depriving my body of valuable Omega 3's, Vitamin's A,D,E & K, as well as the B vitamins, Carotenoids, Selenium, Biotin, Manganese, Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc and Copper. It has since been well documented that there is no know link to cholesterol and heart disease and in fact, "in a 1999 study of 118,000 men and women, people who ate five to six eggs a week actually decreased their risk for heat disease compared to those who ate less than one egg each week".
"The Protein In Eggs Is The Gold Standard By Which All Other Protein Is Measured"
What the Fat?
Our brain is made up of 60% fat and cholesterol and is designed that way intentionally to protect the 100 billion neurons and electro-chemical connections happening on a 24 hour basis. Scientists and physicians have known for decades that toxins store in fat. The brain, being one of the most vital organs in the body for survival, desperately needs fat and cholesterol to coat each of these nerve cells. When we are exposed to environmental poisons that enter our blood stream and travel to the brain, the fat protects these nerve cells from being damaged by the toxins. Not enough fat in our brain means not enough protection. It is vital that we consume healthy fats daily and even better to consume them throughout the day each day. Having healthy fats in our bloodstream is like having little pac-men floating around eating up toxins. The toxins are still inside the fat, but they cannot get to organs to store in them and do damage. You can read my blog on detoxification and how to remove the toxins from the fat that is both stored and circulating in the body.
Raw, Poached or Fried....Oh My
Most of you know that my personal diet is based on the Primal Diet, which includes raw meats such as Sushi, Italian Carpaccio, and Ceviche', as well as raw eggs and raw unpasteurized dairy products. My reasoning for eating animal products raw is because a study conducted by the National Institute of Health concluded that the cooking of all animal protein creates a cancerous byproduct called Heterocyclic Amines (HCA's), which in-turn causes mutagenic activity in the body. The longer the animal product is cooked and the higher the temperatures, the greater the carcinogenic HCA's. Raw animal protein, on the other hand, has absolutely zero HCA's. I distinctly remember working out on a stair-master at a gym in Michigan, with a German female bodybuilder next to me. She told me stories of how she would eat nothing but raw eggs for a week straight before competition to reduce water weight and gain muscle tone. Then there were the stories from the sushi chef in Aspen, Colorado who spoke of eating the fresh raw eggs right out from under the hens on the family farm. Eggs being an animal protein, I assumed they would have HCA's so I started putting 3 raw eggs in my daily smoothies. I realized that I had the perfect protein shake. Although there is a time and place for protein powder, such as when someone is traveling and does not have access to fresh eggs, all protein powder is processed food combined and designed to replicate the perfect protein in the egg. For the last 16 years I have been making milkshakes and smoothies with 2-6 fresh raw farm eggs in each one. My milkshake consists of 3 raw eggs, about 16 ounces of raw unpasteurized milk, and half a tablespoon raw unheated honey. A smoothie would include 3 raw eggs, some fresh juice (such as fresh squeezed orange juice or fresh coconut milk or raw hand-made almond milk), and the frozen fruit of my choosing.
Here is the good news! Unlike all other animal protein, eggs have a special quality about them having the lowest level of HCA's and in fact unlike other animal proteins that produce HCA's when any amount of heat is added, poached eggs have none unless the poaching begins to go on too long hardening the yolk. In addition, Biotin in eggs becomes active with a small amount of cooking so go ahead and poach your eggs...or you can eat them raw like I do.
Organic, Free-Range or Pasture Raised?
"The Best Eggs Are From Your Own Backyard. Second Best Are Pasture Raised."
Organic, free-range or pasture raised? Here is what you need to know. The standard grocery store eggs are from farms that pack chickens into huge facilities with no room to move. These are the facilities that most of us have seen the horrible photos of with sick chickens forced to produce in unfit circumstances. They are fed genetically modified soy and corn and do not receive the protein that is necessary for their health or the health of the eggs. The "Free Range" label means that chickens must have a small patch of grass to access as they please. However, they can still be crammed into large structures with one small door that allows them to go out onto a small patch of grass. Pasture-raised means that the chickens are raised on a pasture as opposed to being kept in the close quarters of a hen house. This also means they eat what they are naturally designed to eat...bugs and grass and are most often supplemented with leftovers from the garden and kitchen. One would naturally believe pasture-raised is best and in theory it is. But take into consideration that there are some "free-range" hen farmers who do not cram their coops with chickens, allowing each hen to have plenty of room to roam in the house, and they give them plenty of outside access at their free will. This would be a conscious farmer that falls under the label of "free-range" maybe because he does not make the outdoor square-footage cut off. The lesson here is to do your research. Call the farmers and ask the questions. The very best option is to get your own hens! I had 4 chickens at my home in Colorado and loved these girls. You know exactly what they are eating and thus what you will be eating in your eggs. And if you have kids, it is a great way to teach them about responsibility and where their food comes from. I am a huge advocate for backyard bees, backyard chickens and organic gardens.