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We all grew up hearing how healthy eggs were. They are packed with protein and you can make them in so many ways. However, now that we are older, our beliefs in eggs may have changed for some reason. Maybe we decided a vegan lifestyle was better for our health, maybe our cholesterol is too high so we have to find ways to lower it.
Eggs seem to be an obvious choice for removing. After all those yellow yolks, which some of us absolutely love the taste of, also carry a lot of the cholesterol that we are trying to avoid.
So what can be done for those who love eggs, but are either choosing a vegan lifestyle or those who need to remove eggs from our diets? Well, as the popularity for plant based foods begin to hit the market in full force, even eggs are taking their place in the list. What are plant based eggs? Do they taste like eggs? How is it possible to have an egg made from plants?
What Are Plant Based Eggs?
You can purchase plant based eggs in liquid form as well as powder form. However, each brand that makes these plant based eggs has their own list of ingredients. These lists do vary one from another. The ingredients could include soymilk powder, mung bean, and in some it is potato starch.
Seasonings in the various brands also vary. In one you may find turmeric, in another you might see black salt and nutritional yeast. Of course each of these brands will include emulsifiers and chemicals that will increase the volume of the product as it is made. These ingredients are added to create the fluffy resemblance of eggs as we know them.
Two Forms
Deciding which form is best for you to use, is ultimately a choice you make. The liquid form is most often used to replace scrambled eggs in a meal. These are convenient to use as a liquid, and they will include some form of emulsifier for the fluffy texture.
For those that just want to replace eggs in baking products, the powder form is the easiest to work with. For the record, the powdered plant based egg products can also be mixed with liquid to replicate the scrambled eggs or an egg cup.
Make Your Own
It is possible to make an egg substitute yourself, if it is needed in a pinch. This would only take a couple ingredients. Ground Flax Seeds make a great healthy substitute. One tablespoon of ground flax seed mixed with three tablespoons of water will replace one egg. Aquafaba is the liquid that you get when you drain a can of chickpeas. Three tablespoons of this aquafaba will equal one egg white.
Are Plant Based Eggs Healthy?
An actual chicken egg, or duck egg or other types of animal eggs that are commonly eaten are considered to be a whole food. Plant based eggs are egg substitutes made with stabilizers and preservatives. Plant based eggs are also considered to be processed products. One large conventional egg will contain 70 calories, 6 grams of protein and 65 milligrams of sodium.
A two tablespoon serving of plant based eggs will have 35 calories, 3 grams of protein and 150 milligrams of sodium. When you hear that plant based eggs are made from plants, this does not mean that they are far superior for your health.
If your decision to switch to plant based eggs is due to cholesterol, two egg whites will replace one egg with zero cholesterol. Plant based egg products also have zero grams of cholesterol. The thought process concerning eggs and cholesterol has changed over the years. We now know that one egg eaten a day is not going to cause your cholesterol to go wild.
Medical personnel always speak the same thing. Moderation is the key. For some of us with high cholesterol, who have given up our eggs, this is good news. When compared with a whole egg, the conventional egg has more nutrition also.
When choosing a plant based egg substitute, be sure to read the labels thoroughly, so that you can adhere to the diet type of your choice. Plant based egg products work as a good choice for vegans or if you have an egg allergy.
Top seven facts that you should know about plant based eggs
- Plant based eggs have less protein, fewer calories and more than double the sodium level versus a conventional whole egg.
- Plant based eggs are just as healthy as a whole egg.
- Versus a whole egg, there are very few if any of the same nutrients in plant based eggs. Plant based eggs will not provide a nutritional boost for your health.
- Plant based eggs are considered a processed food product that contains additives to preserve it.
- Plant based egg products cost more than organic whole eggs.
- There is absolutely ZERO cholesterol in [plant based eggs, this is beneficial to those that are trying to reduce cholesterol. Although it needs to be said that it has been shown that eating eggs in moderation is not going to have an impact on cholesterol as previously believed.
- Plant based eggs are actually better for the climate. There are no greenhouse gases being released from plants.
Where does all this information bring us? Nowhere further than we were previously. For allergies, to help with your earth footprint, consuming plant based eggs is good. However, there is always a slight taste difference, a bad aftertaste, additives, preservatives in plant based eggs. Some of the available plant based egg products may include up to 16 different ingredients in them versus the conventional Whole egg.
Eggs have long since been portrayed as one of the bad foods in life. The one that causes our cholesterol to climb. As we have learned, that is not really the case. The key to eggs being a part of a good diet is moderation in everything.
There has also been way too much news in regards to Salmonella and Bird Flu. These can all have a negative effect on humans. These can both cause diarrhea , vomiting, headaches, cramping to name a few. Will eating plant based eggs eliminate the risk of these two diseases? No, the Bird flu will continue, the Salmonella will continue.
What needs to be done to prevent these issues from happening in your health is to wash your hands before touching foods, wash them after touching the foods, and cook your foods thoroughly. Raw foods have the greatest chance of causing illness in humans.
Plant based eggs have another benefit of sorts over the whole egg. There is so much discussion about animal abuse, the cramped conditions that chickens are housed in, the greenhouse gases emitted by these chickens. There is also talk of the antibiotics that are put into the chicken feed, which could ultimately end up in the egg.
Some will also defend the chicken farms and such that are loading the chickens with hormones so that they grow faster. These hormones, as we have learned with beef, are making their way into our bodies. The thought is that this is another chemical that is hurting humans, creating chaos within the bodies of our children.
Is that enough for people to change their minds and switch to a vegan plan, who knows. There are also those who argue the opposite for each of those points. Maybe that is the way the world is meant to be. Opposing sides to every aspect of life. Each person is to be able to choose for themselves what they choose to eat, what form, with chemicals and additives, without the preservatives.
The point is simple. Plant based eggs are here, It is not as though this is a whole new grocery item to see. There have been egg substitutes for quite some time now. What makes plant based eggs a huge deal to the world now is that they are pretty close to the look, taste and aftertaste of the real thing.
Plant based products are everywhere and it is not just with the eggs. Consumers will need to experiment, if they are considering a change. They need to look at nutrition, at need, versatility and all other factors.
Recall when fast food places came out with the plant based burgers, there was a mad rush of people buying and tasting them. Well, for some people this was all good. However, in some others, they were left with digestive tract issues that kept them near the facilities for the better part of a full day.
Many dieticians and Physicians will also tell you that too much of a good thing, is not a good thing. As a result, in many areas, the plant based burgers were removed from those menus.