Greek-style Egg Lemon Soup with Chicken and Greens

This week we are shining a spotlight on one of my favourite ‘superfoods’ - eggs! They are so
delicious and incredibly good for you and there’s really not too many people who could pass
up a perfect poachie or a plate of silky scramble! Not only are eggs delicious, they are little
powerhouses of nutrition with 11 different vitamins, minerals and nutrients jammed into
one tiny shell. They can be enjoyed sweet or savoury, are the ultimate binding agent in
baking and they help to evenly leaven breads and cakes alike. Their uses in the kitchen are
endless really! Think pancakes, meringues, custards, boiled, omelettes, chiffon cake…the list
goes on!

They are such a versatile pantry staple in many Australian households, with families from all
backgrounds and cultures enjoying them. Eggs are readily available at any supermarket,
greengrocer or market and you can choose the type that suits you best according to your
budget (I’m always on the lookout for local double-yokers!)

As a nutritionist, I base my professional practice and the dietary advice I give on the most up
to date scientific evidence. Which is why I love talking about eggs, because there’s one
pesky myth that hangs around about them. Back in the day, it was thought that eggs
contributed to a person having high cholesterol, however, it has since been confirmed that
this is not the case at all! Eggs are absolutely OK every single day and I think I’d be hard
pressed to find a day where I go without one!

Eggs do contain fat though, omega-3 fatty
acids that is. You might have heard of these referred to as ‘good fats’ or PUFAs
(polyunsaturated fatty acids). These good fats are essential in protecting us against heart
disease as well as inflammatory and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
Eggs are also the perfect little package of protein containing all nine of the essential amino
acids that our bodies can’t produce themselves, as well as being a good-source of high-
quality protein that is compact and portable.

It’s important to mention that protein is not
something that we only really need if we are body builders or gym junkies, it’s something
that our bodies use for many ‘everyday’ processes like building healthy hair, nails, and
muscle.

One of my favourite things about eggs is that they contain vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is
crucial in building and maintaining the fatty myelin sheath coating around every single one
of our nerves. Vitamin B12 is critical in synthesising, maintaining and repairing our myelin
sheath which is key to a healthy and fully-functioning nervous system.

Eggs are jam-packed with antioxidants too. Namely lutein and zeaxanthin, which work
together to protect our eyes. It is actually thought that they are able to slow the progression
of age-related macular degeneration, which you may have heard or seen some public health
campaigns about. Without a healthy macular, we will eventually lose our vision completely
so it’s important we eat foods including these antioxidants to protect against that.

Eggs contain Vitamin E as well, which is not only a vitamin but an antioxidant too that is fabulous
for your skin. Lots of face creams and body lotions contain Vitamin E to protect skin against damage from environmental exposure. Vitamin E contained and consumed in eggs works in
a similar way to protect tissues within our body from disease.

An important nutrient to highlight having lived in Melbourne my whole life, is that eggs
contain vitamin D! We Melburnians as a population are generally quite vitamin D deficient
thanks to our overcast and cloudy weather most of the time. Eggs are a super convenient
way to get your vitamin D intake regardless of whether the sun is shining or not!

So as you can see, eggs really are nutrition powerhouses. They are easy to enjoy in SO many
ways that they will never get boring. They are quite low in kilojoules (energy) too and heart
healthy so you can include them on the daily without any worries.

To celebrate eggs and to warm you all up in the middle of Winter, I’ve whipped up a new
recipe using eggs to create a deliciously silky broth spiked with bay leaves, risoni and silver
beet and served with chicken and herbs. It’s a spin on the traditional Greek-style egg and
lemon soup and it’s absolutely incredible. Nourishing, warming and so super easy to
prepare, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Happy cooking!