Animation has built quite a following, but is anyone lining up to watch asparagus clad in bikinis marching through enemy towns firing semi-automatic sub-machine guns? I’m not aware of any leading vegetables, but some of it is really worth seeing and geared toward adults and children alike sans the asparagus. The Clone Wars (and Rebels), Toy Story and Inside Out are all some of my favorites with excellent story telling and fantastic characterization. Puss in Boots was one that I ran to the theater to see and I felt it was engaging, entertaining and fun. A stand alone story extrapolated from Italian author Giovanni Francesco Straparola with some interplay from a few other fables. I prefer real-life acting, but I admit I’ve re-watched Puss In Boots a couple times.
If you haven’t seen it, I won’t give anything away, but just know that Humpty Alexander Dumpty is not what he seems.
He is one intelligent egg. Little did I know that all eggs are not created equal.
Researchers have made estimates that eggs have been eaten by humans for thousands of years. From the Indian and Asian subcontinent to Egypt and Rome and then to the European continent, egg have provided subsistence in the diet for a long time.
Egg cartons were invented in 1911 to keep eggs from breaking during distribution. Dried eggs were used during WWII in the Allied troops’ rations. Frozen eggs were also an option.
First, the good news. Eggs contain all kinds of super nutritional benefits. Whole eggs contain protein, vitamin A, vitamin 12, iron, riboflavin (B2), zinc, calcium and my favorite—and most underrated—choline. Specifically, the protein in eggs is linked to immune boosting properties due to the peptides that contain anti-microbial, antioxidant and anti-cancerous attributes. Moreover, the proteins within the antioxidant and anti-cancerous each can lower inflammatory intestinal conditions.
Next to beef or chicken liver, egg yolks are the highest in choline concentration. Derived from the phospholipids (a good class of fatty acids) in egg yolk, choline is important in quite a few ways. All of the functions of choline are vital, but the one that garners a lot of attention is its ability to act as a neurotransmitter. Muscle contractions, memory and neural development are all dependent on neurotransmitters. There is also recent research suggesting choline’s ability to lessen cognitive decline as we age.
The bad news is that eggs are sometimes not tolerated by some children. But most kids who have an allergy to eggs usually outgrow that allergy by age 16.
And eggs—like all foods these days—can vary with levels of nutrition based on the actual care of the hen.
- —Caged are not good. If there is no label describing the quality of care of the chickens on the carton, assume it’s in this category and do not buy it.
- —Cage-free is ok, but only if there are no other options on your store shelf as these hens only have to be given less than 1 square foot to roam and are given a poor diet.
- —Free-range is a step up. Free range allows for 2 square feet for the lady chick. Better than the cage-free, but still not very humane and their diet is pretty much the same soy and corn that cage-free get.
- —Pasture Raised. Ok, now we’re talking. This group gets free run of about 108 square feet and eat all kinds of bugs, worms and insects. Plus, in order to have this kind of diet the grounds they are running around on has to be suitable to allow these little critters to be food—ie a farm that is inspected and up to pasture raised standards. Grab these, as I do, when you can find them. If your store doesn’t have them, find a food store that does. End of story.
The beauty about eggs are that they are portable (hard-boiled ones) so they can go to your place of work. They’re also easy to cook and prepare and can pretty much go with anything on your table. They take very little time to cook and can even be done the evening before a work day. Lastly, they’re a pretty inexpensive source of egg-cellent (ok, ok, I had to include just one corny word allowance) nutrients and round out a healthy, lean diet.
Integrating eggs into your diet regularly can have an impressive list of rewards. Just be mindful of where your eggs are harvested and created. And perhaps eggs themselves are not as thoughtful, manipulative or cunning as Sir Humpty Alexander Dumpty (sorry, I couldn’t resist just a little insight into that splendid little adversary/friend of Puss In Boots), but they can help make you smarter, stronger and more resilient.
And forget about any death defying vegetables ransacking small villages.
