Eggs-tra Good for You

Everyone loves colorful decorated eggs at Easter, but there's more reason to enjoy the unadorned kind all year long. Eggs are a high-quality protein, and eating them has significant health benefits, says Claudia Gonzalez, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. In fact, recent research shows that eating eggs may build your memory, guard against certain eye diseases, and reduce your chances of breast cancer and heart disease.

Brain Booster: Eggs are a great source of choline, a nutrient that aids in developing fetal brains during pregnancy and that may protect against memory loss later in life. Gonzalez suggests getting at least 425 to 450 mg of choline a day if you are pregnant and at least 110 mg if you're not -- just one egg yolk can have as much as 280 mg.

Eye Enhancer: Egg yolks contain antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which may prevent free radicals from breaking down cells and tissue in the eyes and causing cataracts and macular degeneration, a condition that can lead to blindness. Bonus: Lipids found in egg yolks make it easier for the body to absorb both lutein and zeaxanthin, says Gonzalez.

Heart Helper: In the past, eggs have gotten a bad rap for being high in cholesterol, but as it turns out, they actually contain very little saturated fat -- the dangerous kind -- and can actually enhance your heart health because the lutein in eggs doesn't just benefit your eyes, it can keep your arteries healthy too. In a recent study at the University of Southern California, people with high levels of lutein in their blood experienced less thickening of their arteries than those who had lower levels.

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal magazine, April 2004.