aps

I will send a scrambled egg to the day care for him, but it never occurred to me to send a hard-boiled egg. Great idea! My husband and I both have very low cholesterol, so I am hoping my little guy has inherited those good genes.

tryreading

I disagree with you on eggs. They have too much protein, fat, cholesterol, and other ingredients for human intake, and overdoing consumption of nutrients and fats is dangerous, at least long term.

Humans are supposed to get about 5% of their calories from protein, but an egg contains much more than that. More isn't better in this case.

Also, your link is the 'Egg Board,' or 'Egg Nutrition Center,' a government entity which exists to promote the egg. They are 100% biased.

OKgrannie

Here's another source for egg nutrition. Recommended daily allowances for protein are between 42 and 50+ grams per day. One egg contains about 6 grams, hardly enough to damage anyone.

Protein Info - How Much Protein Do You Need
"Is it OK to eat a lot more protein than the minimum recommendations?
This is the crucial question for people on diets which are higher in protein than usual, as low carb diets tend to be. In a review of the research, the National Academy of Sciences reported that the only known danger from high protein diets is for individuals with kidney disease. After careful study, they recommend that 10 percent to 35 percent of daily calories come from protein. They point out that increased protein could be helpful in treating obesity. There is also accumulating evidence that extra protein may help prevent osteoporosis.

Extra protein can be broken down into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. On low carb diets, this happens continually. One benefit of obtaining glucose from protein is that it is absorbed into the bloodstream very slowly, so it doesn’t cause a rapid blood sugar increase. "



Eggs Really ARE Incredible - Egg Nutrition - Ways to Cook Eggs - Egg Recipes


"Eggs Are Loaded with Nutrients
Eggs have lots of vitamins. They are rich in the B vitamin family, and also contribute vitamins A and D. In particular, egg yolks are one of the greatest sources of riboflavin, B12, and choline, which may well not only help developing brains in utero, but protect us from age-related memory loss. In the mineral department, eggs are especially rich in selenium. Eggs are also abundant in lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids which protect our eyes from macular degeneration, among other benefits. And the lutein in eggs seems to be better absorbed than when it comes from vegetable sources. Almost all these nutrients are in the yolk of the egg.

Some eggs even have significant amounts of omega-3 fats. So-calleed "Omega-3 eggs" have usually been been fed flax seeds to raise the level of omega-3 fat in the eggs. Also, hens that have been allowed to feed on a variety of natural food for them (greens, grubs, etc) produce eggs with more omega-3 fat. "Pastured eggs" are one name for these hens, though note that "free range" hens usually don't share this diet. (More on different egg designations.) One egg provides 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat (1.5 saturated and 2 monounsaturated), and about half a gram of carbohydrate.
But Isn’t it Bad to Eat Too Many Eggs?
Eggs have a lot of cholesterol, so for a long time it was considered unhealthy to eat too many. However, advice is changing on this as more research comes out. To my knowledge, no evidence shows that eggs are in any way harmful to our health. In fact, some studies show an improvement in blood lipids from eating eggs. It seems that this high-cholesterol food raises our "good" cholesterol rather than the "bad."
Eggs in a Low-Carb Diet
Not only are eggs a low-cost and low-carb source of protein and other nutrients, but they have uses specific to low-carb diets. Egg whites can provide structure to baked goods made with nontraditional ingredients such as nut flours and flax seed meal, as in this flax meal focaccia bread, and can provide the basis for desserts such as snow pudding or sugar-free macaroons. "

__________________
The greatest danger to liberty lurks in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.---Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

tryreading

Says above the only known danger from high protein diets is kidney disease. They forgot about heart disease, I guess, because you also get that from the high protein foods. And heart disease is what we should worry about, not lack of protein. Over a million heart attacks a year in this country, hundreds of thousands a year die from heart disease. You can read about that in the paper every day. Don't ever see any articles about hundreds of thousands dying from protein difficiency, though.

Human breast milk is about 7% protein, from what I've read. So, if we need 10% to 35% of our calories in protein, like your post says, human babies shouldn't live very long if they depend on their mother's milk for food.

OKgrannie

Breast milk actually changes in protein content, the protein content becomes higher as the baby grows to meet the baby's needs because the baby's need for more protein grows as the baby does. You don't read in the paper about anyone dying from a protein surplus either. Heart disease is more likely to be caused by a surplus of fat, or at least the wrong kind of fat, or a lack of exercise.


WHFoods: Newborns and Infants

DRI recommendations for protein and calories are not dramatically high for infants and young children. During the first year of life, protein recommendations range between 9-14 grams per day. Between the ages of 1-8 years, they range from 13-19 grams. The protein content of human milk varies greatly, but averages approximately 1/3rd gram per ounce. An nursing infant who consumes 15-30 ounces of milk will average 5-10 grams of protein and fall right in line with the DRI recommendations. While excess protein intake is unlikely when it comes to breastfeeding, formula feeding is another matter. Infant formulas often contain as much as 1 gram of protein per ounce, and an infant consuming 30 ounces of formula may be getting as much as 30 grams of protein. This amount of protein is 2-3 times the DRI recommendation, and may be too much from the perspective of optimal health.

Travelsonic

... that IIRC mostly comes from the yolk.

__________________
Nationalism in high dosages may be hazardous to your health. Please consult a psychiatrist before beginning a regular regimen, and if feelings of elitism and douchbaggery continue, discontinue immediately before you become unable to do so on your own.

metreon

Although it has already been stated in a casual way, combining grains with beans will give you a complete protein source. Most confuse the issue with numerous specific recommendations, but if you simply remember grains + beans, you can choose your own combos of food items.

Proteins that humans eat are broken down into little pieces called amino acids which your body then uses to make its own proteins. There are about 20 of those amino acid building blocks that are used by humans to make new proteins that they need. Eight (8) of those building blocks can only be gotten from your food. The rest your body can make from other stuff and you don't have to worry about usually.

Those 8 "essential amino acids" are fully provided by any meat, egg or dairy product, but can also be obtained by combining grains with beans in a person's diet. That is why much of the third world subsists on beans and rice. It is one of the most nutritious meals you can make for the least amount of money.

There are a few grains that provide complete sources of essential amino acids, and are therefore complete protein sources, but they are rare in most western diets (and supermarkets): quinoa, buckwheat, hempseed, and amaranth. I can get quinoa from a nearby health food store, and I like it, but it is not as cost effective as beans and rice.

I also thought tofu was a complete protein, but I was just reading in wikipedia that it's contested as a complete source. Regardless, if you add any grain to that, it definitely is a complete source.

tryreading

What is the range of protein content in human breast milk?

Whatever the amount of protein in breast milk, it is the right amount. And it is a fraction of the amount that a child would get from any other 'recommended' food, like artificial formula, which your own linked source says.

My point is people are thinking about food from the wrong perspective. They shouldn't be worried they aren't getting enough protein, they should be worried they are getting too much fat from the high protein foods.

The thing is, the foods that supply high amounts of protein are not necessary for a healthy diet.

tryreading

You're right. The problem is so many people have been taught that they have to have eggs in the morning, and beef, pork, chicken, or fish every day to get enough protein. Of course it isn't true, but people are programmed to eat those foods. Its what they know, what they're used to. Hard to change that mindset.

tryreading

But the white has a high excess of protein, which is unnecessary.