SUNSHINE BOWLS WITH OLIVE OIL HERB DRESSING + NEW DIETARY GUIDELINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EGGS

 

These sunshine buddha bowls featuring roasted veggies, an olive oil herb sauce, and topped with scrambled or fried eggs, make a perfect customizable and filling meal for any time of day.

 

This post is sponsored by Egg Nutrition Center. As always, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

Hi, friends!  

I’m so excited to share with you this delicious eggtastic recipe today because it’s a big month in the world of egg nutrition and nutrition overall. The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) released its final scientific report that will serve as the foundation for the development of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

And there is good news for egg enthusiasts like you and me! Eggs are a good or excellent source of eight essential nutrients, and are a nourishing and satisfying part of all healthy dietary patterns recommended in the report. Plus, the Advisory Committee noted eggs as a source of choline and vitamin D, both nutrients under-consumed by Americans, and reinforced that dietary cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern.

Eggs As An Important Food For Pregnant and Lactating Mothers

For the first time, separate recommendations were made for pregnant and lactating women.  The Advisory Committee identified that pregnant women, babies, and toddlers do not meet the recommendation for choline, which is an important nutrient for brain development and health. Most Americans, including 92% of pregnant women, are not consuming enough. Eggs are one of the most concentrated sources of choline in the American diet with 150mg per large egg.

Eggs As A First Food For Babies 

The Advisory Committee also made recommendations for babies and toddlers for the first time. They recommended eggs as an important first food for babies as a rich source of choline and because the early introduction of eggs can help reduce the risk of developing an egg allergy. My Instant Pot Sous Vide Egg Bites would be great finger food (cut up) for older babies and toddlers. Plus, I have included a ton more information about choline in regards to brain health and development in that post as well.  

Feeding your little one eggs has many key benefits including:

• Eggs are a nutrient-rich choice providing a good or excellent source of eight essential nutrients including protein, choline, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12, biotin (B7), pantothenic acid (B5), iodine and selenium.
• Introducing eggs early and often may help reduce the risk of developing an allergy.
• Eggs are an affordable source of high-quality protein.
• Eggs are versatile and can be used to make a wide variety of dishes and can be adjusted to fit various developmental stages and age-appropriate textures.

Read more about Why Eggs Are An Important First Food, on the Egg Nutrition Center website.

Choline & Cognition Throughout The Lifespan

The benefits of choline do not stop after toddlerhood, though.  Choline is part of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is involved in muscle control, memory, and mood. It’s also an important component of cell membranes that surround every cell in your body, as well as the transportation of fats throughout the body and for liver health.  Research is currently exploring how choline throughout life may have lasting effects on cognition and the prevention of cognitive decline.  To find out more about how much choline you need throughout your life span, check out this article on the Egg Nutrition Center website. 

Eggs and Heart Health

With research indicating that eggs as a source of choline are important throughout our lives, you may be wondering about eggs and heart health.  Rejoice, my friends!  The Advisory Committee reinforced that dietary cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern. In fact, leading health organizations such as the American Heart Association also state that eggs can be part of heart-healthy dietary patterns. I could dedicate an entire post just to the topic of eggs and heart health. 

But the key points are:

• Healthy individuals can include up to a whole egg daily in heart-healthy dietary patterns.
• For older healthy individuals, given the nutritional benefits and convenience of eggs, consumption of up to 2 eggs per day is acceptable within the context of a heart-healthy dietary pattern.
• Vegetarians who do not consume meat-based cholesterol-containing foods may include more eggs in their diets within the context of moderation.
• Egg consumption of one egg per day on average is not associated with cardiovascular disease risk overall (Results were similar for coronary heart disease and stroke)
• Egg consumption seems to be associated with a slightly lower cardiovascular disease risk among Asian cohorts.

You may remember the main concern with eggs used to be their cholesterol content.  In 2015, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) removed dietary cholesterol from the list of nutrients of public health concern, and this conclusion remained unchanged in the 2020 DGAC report.  

 

 

So, lot’s of exciting stuff happening in the world of eggs and egg nutrition, but, most excitingly is this new sunshine buddha bowl egg recipe! It’s super customizable so you can swap out the veggies for whatever veggies you have on hand for a delicious and nutritious meal at any time of the day. I’m obsessed with soft scrambled eggs and runny egg yolks, but you could also do hard-boiled eggs as well! These bowls are a great way to eat more of what many of us don’t eat enough of – vegetables! Plus, the eggs can help you better absorb nutrients found in veggies, too. Let me know if you try these delicious bowls, I’ve made them about a hundred times already, they are my new obsession!