E

Today's post is brought to you by the letter "E."

Eggs can be a low-carber's good friend. I was never particularly fond of eggs before, unless they were scrambled with tons of cheese and milk. There was just something icky about the texture of egg whites that I couldn't seem to get past. I still cannot eat a boiled egg white, so my daughter takes care of them for me. I'm a fan of the yolks.

Am I concerned about the cholesterol in an egg? Not particularly. Why? Well because dietary cholesterol doesn't necessarily have a great impact upon your blood cholesterol.

Eggs have many health benefits, but mainly are a good way to get in a source of protein relatively inexpensively. Eggs are good sources of choline, which is important to brain health, cellular functioning and certain neurotransmitters. Choline also has an anti-inflammatory effect. The choline and B vitamins found in eggs contribute to good heart health because of how they can help alter homocysteine levels. Those benefits really just skim the surface.

Having eggs for breakfast occasionally (or even dinner!) has been an integral part of my low carb lifestyle. I still like to eat them scrambled, but I make a variation of sweet eggs for my family. I like to call them "Scramcakes." I soften some real cream cheese, beat in the eggs, and add a little bit of my favorite vanilla bean protein powder. I scramble and cook the mixture in some real butter. This concoction has a pancake-like flavor, with the looks of scrambled eggs. I came up with this not-so-new idea while trying to make pancakes using these ingredients. I simply grew tired of waiting for the pancakes to set, and just mixed it all up. I'm a bit lazy like that.

I know not all eggs are created equal, but if you have the opportunity to get farm fresh eggs, I encourage you to do so. I'm happy we have a local source for our eggs, because they really do taste much better to me than store-bought. Oh, I still buy eggs at the store off and on, but it's just not my preference.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll venture into raising chickens myself. I think I hear my husband chuckling from the next room. . .