PRIMALOCITY

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oopsie rolls

Eat More Whole Eggs and you’ll be Golden.

In a facebook comment yesterday regarding my post on coconut oil, a friend indicated that he had been frying his egg whites in coconut oil for years and was glad to read about the benefits of coconut oil.  My partner pointed out to him that he needed to be eating the whole egg, yolk included. He told him that “They are very good for you. Don’t be afraid of fat. Be afraid of carbs. You need all the good vitamins and minerals in those egg yolks. Eggs are a very balanced food. When you remove a part you disturb that balance. Eating the whites only actually can make you vitamin deficient and less able to absorb the protein that it sounds like you want.” I couldn’t have said it better. My partner eats about 2 1/2 dozen eggs a week.  I don’t eat nearly that much but I am not afraid of eggs.  I guess this friend is not different that a lot of folks out there who have fell victim to the incorrect but conventional wisdom that eggs are high in cholesterol and should only be enjoyed occasionally.

In Fact Eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have a high proportion of nutrients to calories. One large egg has 70 calories and provides 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts. eggs are an excellent source of choline and a good source of the highest quality protein and riboflavin. Many of the egg’s incredible nutrients are found in the egg yolk, including choline, folate, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin D. The yolk also includes healthy monosaturated  fats and almost half of the high-quality protein found in eggs.  According to the Harvard Health Publications, the only large study to look at the impact of egg consumption on heart disease—not on cholesterol levels or other intermediaries—found no connection between the two.

In a 2008 study at the University of Connecticut, a team of doctors set out to determine the effects of putting several overweight individuals (some of whom suffered from metabolic syndrome) on carbohydrate restricted diets that included 3 eggs a day.  A separate group of overweight individuals were given an equivalent amount of egg substitute (0 cholesterol). Both groups after 12 weeks lost weight and decreased their waist sizes.  Both groups had lower plasma triglyceride levels, but more importantly, the group who consumed 3 real eggs a day had marked increases in HDL.   These results suggest that including eggs in a carbohydrate restricted diet results in increased HDL-C while decreasing the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.  In fact, 18 subjects were classified as having metabolic syndrome (MetS) at the beginning of the study, whereas 3 subjects had that classification at the end.  Finally,both systolic and diastolic BP were significantly reduced in these subjects.

My conclusion: You’ll be golden if you eat more whole eggs.  Don’t be afraid of the fat or cholesterol.  It will do you good.

I have been trying to add more eggs into my daily diet.  Recently I came across a recipe for “Oopsie” rolls.  I don’t know why they are called this but they are a good bread substitute and hold up well for sandwiches.  I’ve used them for chicken salad sandwiches and pulled pork sandwiches.  I’ll be trying them with hamburgers soon.  They are pretty easy to make and you’ll be suprised after seeing the recipe that these could actually end up like a bun.  I’ve seen pictures on the internet of much fluffier rolls than mine.  This could be due to the high humidity here in St. Louis.  In any event when mine don’t rise very much I just use 2 of them for the sandwich.

Open Face Pulled Pork on "Ooopsie" Rolls

Curried Chicken Salad on "Oopsie" Rolls

“Oopsie” Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 oz. cream cheese
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/8 tsp. of cream of tarter
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder

Preparation:

Separate the yolks from the eggs in separate bowls being careful not to ge3 any yolk in the whites.  Use a clean stainless steel mixing bowl and make sure your beaters are clean and oil free.  Add the cream of tarter and whip the egg whites until they are stiff (stiff peaks).  In a separate bowl mix the egg yolks, cream cheese, pinch of salt and garlic powder and blend until smooth.  Fold the egg yolk/cream cheese mixture into the stiff whites gently so as not to lose volume.  Drop 1/2 cup of mixture onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.  If they are really fluffy, flatten them a bit.  You should get about 6 rolls.  Bake in a 300° oven for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove them from the oven and let cool for a moment and then transfer to a  rack to cool completely.  Eat them immediately or store them in a zip-loc bag.  If they turn out fluffy you can cut them in half. Since mine sometimes turn out pretty flat I just use 2 to make a sandwich.  I hope you enjoy them and eat more eggs.

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Friday, July 23rd, 2010 Uncategorized 5 Comments