Stakeholders list health benefits of eating eggs

Stakeholders have said nutritional contents of eggs are too compelling to be ignored, and Nigerians should be encouraged to consume them.The fight against malnutrition and stunting, they argued, could be tackled by consumption of eggs either at home or in the home-grown school feeding programme of the Federal and state governments.

Eggs are sources of high quality protein, amino acids, calcium, sodium, iodine, selenium, choline and vitamins A, B, D & E; described by nutritionists, as a large vitamin pill – a mineral cocktail for a healthy diet.

Dr Lere Olajide, a public health physician working with a development organization in Ibadan, Oyo State, said there are a lot of controversies about the adults taking eggs.
One school of thought, he added, thinks that eggs contain a lot of protein but it has cholesterol which is believed to be bad for adults.

“While another school of thought believes that there are variants of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) which are good for the body.“Concerning children, they need a lot of protein for energy and cells growth. At their early age, they need to eat eggs regularly for virtually all organs in the body to develop adequately,” he explained.

Available literature claim eggs help protect against heart disease, right through to choline, vital for nerves and muscles to function correctly, and proven to lower the risk of heart disease, prevent age related memory loss and reduce the risk of breast cancer by as much as 40 per cent.
October 11 is World Egg Day every year when events are held around the world to celebrate the egg and the incredible role it plays in people’s diets.

The Poultry Associations of Nigeria in different states are committed to celebrating the goodness of the egg with the support of organisations like Norgem Nigeria Ltd and ultimately correct the sometimes imperfect perception of the egg that the Nigerian populace believe.