Everybody loves eggs and they can be prepared in so many different ways and eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch. You can fry, boil, bake, scramble, or combine them with countless other ingredients. Eggs are popular for their versatility and taste but many people avoid them because they have a bad rap due to the cholesterol content.

The truth is that eggs have far more benefits than you would imagine and they can even have a positive effect on cholesterol levels. Below we’ve explored a few facts about eggs so that you can learn just how beneficial they can be for you.

They are full of useful nutrients

In just a single egg you can find a staggering number of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that can help your body to function to the best of its ability. It contains vitamin A, B5, B2, B6, B12, D, E, and K, as well as zinc, calcium, selenium, folate, and phosphorus.

It can also help keep your brain healthy since it is a rich source of choline which is a chemical compound that is essential to keeping the brain cells healthy. It’s a good idea to incorporate some eggs into your meals if you’re planning to do some hard thinking at work, school, or at home.

The nutrients in eggs can also help keep your vision sharp since each egg contain zeaxanthin and lutein which are two antioxidants that are known to help prevent eye issues like macular degeneration and cataracts.

Organic eggs are worth the price

Even to this day, organic production represents only a tiny fraction of agricultural sales, and while organic may mean healthier it doesn’t always mean more nutritious. As far as eggs are concerned, organic options contain more micronutrients than conventional eggs.

They contain three times more omega-3 fatty acids, and around 40% more vitamin A and twice the amount of vitamin E. Hens that lay organic eggs are also usually cage-free and use comfortable nesting boxes such as those recommended by Silverlakefarms.com.

They can help manage your weight

Eggs are very filling which means that you don’t need to eat a lot of them to feel satisfied. If you want to manage your weight, incorporating eggs in your diet is a good idea since you can eat less and feel full without having to rely on empty calories.

Since this food is so versatile, you won’t have to worry that you’ll soon get sick of eating eggs since there are plenty of recipes available that can help you discover just how delicious this food can be.

They can make LDL cholesterol less harmful

There are two types of cholesterol, HDL which is the good kind of cholesterol and DLD which is the bad one. Eggs can raise the level of LDL cholesterol in your body which can help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Furthermore, eggs can also help your body convert LDL cholesterol which comes in the form of small and dense particles in your blood into larger ones which are less likely to cause heart health problems.

How can you tell if an egg is still good?

The easiest way to tell if an egg is good is by using the float test. You need to place the uncooked egg while still in its shell in a bowl of water and if the egg lies on its side, it is a sign that it is still fresh.

If it stands up, it means that some oxygen has managed to infiltrate the shell and get inside the egg. It will still be good for baking and once boiled, it will be much easier to remove the shell. If the egg floats, then this means that it most certainly is bad.

While these methods are useful to help you get an idea of how fresh an egg is, it is still recommended to crack it open and see if the appearance is off or if there is a bad smell.

They have a great shelf life

In the refrigerator, raw eggs that are still in the shell are still good to eat for 3 to 5 weeks. The sell-by dates on the carton must be within 30 days of packing and that means that the eggs are still good to eat for at least a week after the sell-by date.