Naughty or nice? Other proteins

Cholesterol and eggs, farmed salmon and sustainability, spirulina - what's the real deal?

Are eggs so high in cholesterol that I have to limit how many I eat?

Eggs are great to include in the diet because they are a good quality protein source; they provide iodine and selenium, which many of us don’t get enough of; and they contain two antioxidants which are particularly important for maintaining eye health. When US researchers compared a breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast to one of equal kilojoules of bagels, cream cheese and yoghurt, the egg breakfast had significantly higher satiety: people felt fuller and ate less at lunch. Other academics suggest because of eggs’ high satiety, they could play an important role in weight-loss and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Our verdict: Eat eggs – they’re a nutritious and filling food. The most important advice for people with high cholesterol is to limit saturated fat. But because the way they metabolise cholesterol may be different, they are advised to limit eggs to three a week. For everyone else, one egg a day is fine.

Is farmed salmon raised in unhealthy and unsustainable ways?

Overseas, concerns have been raised about unsustainable and unhealthy fish-farming practices. But we know salmon is one of the richest sources of long-chain omega-3, which has many health benefits. So should we be eating more salmon, or should we be worried about fish farms?

The fresh salmon we buy in New Zealand is farmed in the South Island. Fortunately, our fish-farming practices are a million miles away from the types of farms causing controversy. New Zealand King Salmon, who market the Regal Salmon brand, have five salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds, and the salmon raised in these farms are completely disease-free. Antibiotics, vaccines and chemical treatments are never used.

Our verdict: Salmon farming in New Zealand is a sustainable way of providing a food which is beneficial to our diets (and tastes great, too). Eat it regularly – it’s more affordable than you think because you only need a small amount to get your omega-3, and it’s filling.

Is spirulina really a super food?

In the 1940s, the people of Chad were observed to collect and sun-dry these microscopic blue-green algae for food. In many parts of Africa protein sources are scarce and it was subsequently found spirulina was over 60% protein. In the intervening years, spirulina has somehow acquired the tag of a miracle food which will prevent and even reverse a wide range of diseases.

Our verdict: Spirulina contains a range of good nutrients. If you like the taste, enjoy it. But scientific evidence doesn’t support the claims of it being a ‘super food’.

http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/articles/searchcategories?vocabulary_name=hfm.categories.foodandnutrients&catalog_index=foodandnutrients_categories&vocabulary_term=protein