Eggs – the more the merrier!

The below article was issued for the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) by Protactic Strategic Communications

When it comes to eggs, the more the merrier! South Africans eat 146 eggs per person a year, but for optimal health, we should eat more of them. Compared with countries like Mexico (380 eggs per person), our egg consumption lags well behind.

The Department of Health’s dietary guidelines encourages us to eat eggs in moderation every day. This is because eggs offer a lot of nutritional bang for your buck when it comes to a healthy and balanced diet. They are an excellent source of high-quality protein, as well as nutrients like choline, zinc, vitamin A, phosphorous, iodine, and some B vitamins.

The good news is that South Africans recognise the benefits of eggs. In interviews with 110 rural households in KZN, participants recognised that eggs are an important and nutritious food.¹  Another study found that South African egg consumption has increased a whopping 24% from 1999 to 2021.²

Eggs are a wise choice in the diet of pregnant women especially, as they contain choline, a nutrient essential for a baby’s brain development. Yet despite the well-known benefits of choline in pregnancy, a Bloemfontein study found that more than 8 in 10 pregnant moms eat less than the recommended amounts of choline each day.³ The egg yolk is where much of the choline is contained, so it’s important to not toss the yellow.

Eggs are great for babies, too. One study found that 148 babies (6 – 9 months old) from a low-income community, who were fed one egg a day for six months, had higher intakes of protein, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, cholesterol, phosphorous, vitamin B5, B7, B12, vitamin D, vitamin E and iron, compared with babies in the study who didn’t eat eggs. And none of these babies developed an egg allergy.⁴

Young babies from poorer households are especially susceptible to a slowdown in growth as nutrient-poor solid foods are introduced. This so-called stunting affects 1 in 4 children under five in South Africa. With eggs being one of the cheapest sources of high-quality animal protein, they are an ideal complementary food for babies, especially in low- and middle-income communities.

Whether cooked up on the skottle with some boeries, or served with baked peppers and leftover rice or samp (recipe below), let’s say howzit to eggs and keep them local, lekker and a regular feature in the proudly South African diet.

Like EGGcellentFood on Facebook and follow us on Instagram eggcellentfoodsa, for further information and recipes visit www.sapoultry.co.za.

References

1. Ntila, S., Kolanisi, U. and Siwela, M., 2017. Egg utilisation and consumer acceptability of egg dishes prepared with commercial egg powder in rural Mkhambathini, South Africa. International Journal of Consumer Studies. 41, 87–94.
2. Ronquest-Ross, L.C., Vink, N. and Sigge, G.O., 2015. Food consumption changes in South Africa since 1994. South African Journal of Science. Volume 111, issue 9/10, Article #2014-0354, 12 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/ sajs.2015/20140354
3. Robb, L., Joubert, G., Jordaan, E.M., Ngounda, J. and Walsh, C.M., 2021. Choline intake and associations with egg and dairy consumption among pregnant women attending a high-risk antenatal clinic in South Africa: the NuEMI study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 21, 833. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-021-04314-2
4. Faber, M., Malan, M., Kruger, H.S., Asare, H., Visser, M., Mukwevho, T., Ricci, C. and Smuts, C.M., 2022. Potential of Egg as Complementary Food to Improve Nutrient Intake and Dietary Diversity. Nutrients. 14, 3396. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14163396

 

Egg & Rice Baked Peppers

Leftover rice, samp or other small grains can be used as a filling in this recipe.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 large peppers, halved and deseeded
• 15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 500ml (2 cups) cooked rice
• 4 eggs
• 1 x 400g can spicy tomato onion mix or Shebo
• Fresh chopped herbs, to garnish

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the pepper halves in a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil. Spoon the cooked rice into the pepper halves.
2. Pour 125ml (½ cup) water into the bottom of the dish, cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until the peppers are soft and the rice is heated through, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Using the back of a spoon make an indentation into the rice and crack an egg into each indentation. Spoon tomato onion mix around the peppers.
4. Bake uncovered until the eggs are cooked to your liking and the sauce is heated through, about 5-8 minutes. Serve immediately.