Monday 8 April 2013

New research on eggs during pregnancy and weaning

I remember when I was pregnant, there were a selection of foods that I was suspicious of and avoided to be on the safe side - pâté, seafood and soft cheeses, in particular - but I was never too sure about eggs. I always figured they'd be OK if I cooked them well but avoided runny yolks. Apparently, I am not alone in being suspicious, but British Lion Eggs have commissioned a survey to try and "unscramble" the facts. Read on for more information :

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Top tips on eggs for pregnant women and young children

British Lion Eggs has teamed up with Annabel Karmel MBE, mum of three and the UK’s best-selling author on baby and children’s food and nutrition, and Dr Carrie Ruxton, dietitian and mum of two, to help dispel some of the myths surrounding eggs, and to highlight the many nutritional benefits they can offer pregnant women and growing children.

Annabel is an expert in devising tasty and nutritious meals for children without the need for parents to spend hours in the kitchen, and eggs are a perfect ingredient which can form the basis of many healthy meals.

Carrie is an award-winning dietitian who has published widely in academic journals and has held senior posts in the NHS and at the Nutrition Society. She is passionate about helping mums feed their families healthy food without a fuss.


Dr Carrie Ruxton, dietitian, gives her key advice on eggs and their nutritional benefits...

1. Eggs are an excellent food for pregnant women as they contain many important nutrients: vitamin D, folate, iodine, selenium, choline, long chain n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and of course they are an excellent source of good quality protein.

2. Some women are concerned about gaining too much weight during their pregnancy - cutting down on foods high in fat and calories and switching to lower fat, high protein foods such as eggs can help manage your weight in a healthy way.

3. Pregnant women and mothers should look for the British Lion mark when buying eggs as they are amongst the safest in Europe. Eggs should be kept in the fridge, best before dates should be observed and hands should be washed before and after handling eggs.

4. Egg allergy affects around 0.5-2.5% of infants, although most children ‘outgrow’ the allergy before school age. To minimise the risk of allergy, the ideal time for introducing eggs is 6-7 months of age once babies are happily taking solids. Waiting longer to introduce eggs appears to offer no benefit and may even increase the risk of egg allergy.

5. If you can only get your baby to eat a small amount, feeding eggs means they can benefit from getting a wide range of nutrients in a small portion of food, including vitamin A, vitamin D, phosphorus and long-chain n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

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Annabel Karmel’s top tips for weaning with eggs...

1. One of the benefits of eggs is their versatility. As well as boiling, scrambling and making omelettes; French toast, pancakes and egg fried rice are all egg recipes that small children enjoy and they can help kids to get used to different textures and flavours from a young age.

2. Eggs can be combined easily with vegetables, which all mums are keen to make sure their child is getting enough of. Add diced onion, courgette, sweet pepper and tomato to omelettes or make tasty vegetable fritters with sweetcorn, grated cheese and spring onion. Recipes like these are a great way to use up leftovers and a tasty way to get your child to enjoy healthy meals.

3. Eggs are a perfect food for growing babies from 6 months. They can be introduced to babies as scrambled eggs or eggy bread, which should be well cooked to break down the proteins and make them more digestible.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Is your toddler getting enough vitamin D in his diet?

2 comments:

  1. I was unsure about eggs too, and all the other things you mentioned plus of course peanuts, it can get a bit confusing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I give my son egg occasionally but I may increase it as they are so good for you.

    ReplyDelete

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