Eggs are great for growing kids, but here’s why parents should add them to their diets too. 

Eggs aren’t just good for kids—they are a nutritional powerhouse for parents, too. Delicious and versatile, eggs are packed with nutrition that offer health benefits for the whole family. We’re here to share some of the many reasons to include eggs in your family meals. 

a yellow sign with black text

Eggs are very nutritious  

You might be surprised at how many nutrients are in the humble egg. As Mother Nature’s original superfood, eggs are loaded with 13 essential vitamins and minerals, along with tons of protein and healthy fats. Two large eggs contain 13 grams of high-quality protein, which is important for building and maintaining muscle mass, fighting infection and encouraging strong hair and nail growth. Eggs also provide a wide range of micronutrients, such as B vitamins, vitamins A, D, E, K, choline, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and more.  

Eggs can support your mental heath 

Being a parent isn’t always easy. Balancing work and taking care of your little ones can leave you feeling tired and overwhelmed at times. We have some good news for you: With a combination of omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, B vitamins and iodide, eggs can help improve mood and fight fatigue. In addition, eggs are high in choline and tryptophan, which can contribute to better sleep and help to reduce anxiety and depression1,2. 

Eggs are good for your eyes 

Eggs contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that support eye health and prevent age-related vision decline, including vitamins A, vitamin E and selenium. The antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are abundant in eggs, serve to reduce the risk of certain eye diseases, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Research also shows that the body absorbs these antioxidants from eggs more effectively than from plant sources3. 

Eggs offer the highest-quality protein 

Our bodies need 20 amino acids, the building blocks of protein, to function properly. There are 9 amino acids that our bodies can’t make on their own, so we need to get them from the food we eat, these are known as essential amino acids. Luckily, eggs contain all 9 of these essential amino acids, and in fact eggs provide the highest quality protein of all protein sources, both animal and plant based. This is because the body can digest 97% of the protein from eggs, compared to 94% for meat, 95% for dairy and 45-80% for plant based proteins.

Eggs are vital during pregnancy 

An expectant mother’s nutrition before and during pregnancy is essential to ensuring optimal fetal growth, as well as for her own health and wellbeing. Eggs are a great food choice during pregnancy to help meet the extra nutritional demands of the mother and baby during this time of life.5 In fact, eggs provide a range of important nutrients that benefit pregnant women and improve birth outcomes, such as vitamins A, D, B12, folate, choline and zinc.6 As long as the eggs are fully cooked, it is safe and encouraged for pregnant women to eat eggs.5  

brownies with sprinkles and eggs on a marble surface
  • Réhault-Godbert, S., Guyot, N., & Nys, Y. (2019). The golden egg: nutritional value, bioactivities, and emerging benefits for human health. Nutrients, 11(3), 684. 
  • Zhang, H., & Mine, Y. (2023). Egg and Brain Health. In Handbook of Egg Science and Technology (pp. 667-680). CRC Press. 
  • Naris, S. (2022). Brief Note on Antioxidant Compounds in Eggs. Oxidants and Antioxidants in Medical Science, 11(5), 1. 
  • Qin, C., Lv, J., Guo, Y., Bian, Z., Si, J., Yang, L., Chen, Y., Zhou, Y., Zhang, H., Liu, J., Chen, J., Chen, Z., Yu, C., Li, L., et al. (2018). Associations of egg consumption with cardiovascular disease in a cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults. Heart (British Cardiac Society), 104(21), 1756–1763. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312651 
  • Lutter, C. K., Iannotti, L. L., & Stewart, C. P. (2016). Cracking the egg potential during pregnancy and lactation. Sight Life, 30, 75-81. 
  • Lutter, C. K., Iannotti, L. L., & Stewart, C. P. (2018). The potential of a simple egg to improve maternal and child nutrition. Maternal & child nutrition, 14 Suppl 3(Suppl 3), e12678. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12678