Medical experts have formally acknowledged the importance of choline during pregnancy – This is a nutrient found in significant quantities in EGGS!
It is known that choline is important for liver function, normal brain development, nerve function, muscle movement, supporting energy levels and maintaining a healthy metabolism.
A study at the University of Rochester Medical Centre in the US concluded that consuming greater amounts of choline during pregnancy could lower an infant’s vulnerability to stress-related illnesses, such as mental health disturbances and chronic conditions, like hypertension, later in life. It is known that adequate levels of choline – an important nutrient that helps a baby’s brain and spinal cord to develop properly – are necessary to maintain normal pregnancy including the neural development of the foetus.
Choline is not found naturally in high levels in many foods. However, eggs are rich in the nutrient. Two large eggs contain more than half of the recommended intake for pregnant women.
It is not only the unborn child that could benefit from consuming more choline. It has been found that eating a diet rich in choline could help protect the brain from the effects of ageing.
Choline is just one of the vital nutrients provided by eating eggs, which are increasingly seen as a health-protecting superfood. One large egg provides varying amounts of 13 essential vitamins and minerals, including nutrients that are not found abundantly in other foods, including vitamin D, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are present in egg yolk, and which are antioxidants that may prevent macular degeneration and consequent age-related blindness.