Eggs, A High Nutrition Source: The Prepper's Complete Guide to Raising Chickens
An exert from the upcoming eBook "The Prepper's Complete Guide to Raising Chickens"
It shouldn’t be news to you that eating chicken babies (eggs) is very good for you. While there has been some back in forth over the years about nutrition due to the high level of cholesterol contained in an egg, the final ruling with all of our grand, modern science practices has found that eggs are a complete protein source containing all amino acids necessary for your body’s muscle-building functions and the cholesterol contained does not equal higher levels of cholesterol in the blood. You’re welcome to check this with your doctor or with the USDA’s public information dispelling this eggy cholesterol myth.
Now on to the rest of the wonderful characteristics of the incredible edible egg. An egg is easy to cook and is it’s own self-contained, sealed container [its shell]. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one large grade A egg on average will weigh 50.3 grams, not including the shell, and contains the following nutritional values:
Basic components of an egg
Water 38.1 g
Protein 6.24 g
Total fat 5.01 g
Total sugars 0.101 g
An egg consists of approximately (6.24 g / 50.3 g = 12.4%) protein and (5.01 g / 50.3 g = 9.97%) fats. When you are surviving without your usual luxuries of life, your body will need more energy to keep up with the demands of your increased physical activity and stress. If your family ends up needing to leave your home and bug out, you could end up walking or biking several miles a day until exhaustion. The egg’s protein, fats, and carbohydrates give your body the essential energy to continue surviving and since this small meal can be prepared on the go, in its own shell, it’s an easy prepper meal wherever you may find yourself.
Minerals and vitamins in an egg
Believe us when we say there are too many vitamins and minerals contained in a single egg to list them here. You are welcome to visit the USDA website for the full vitamins and minerals breakdown. Some of the highlight minerals and vitamins include 24.1 mg of calcium, 0.84 mg of iron, 5.73 mg of magnesium, 66.4 mg of potassium, 90.5 units of Vitamin A, and 49.5 units of Vitamin D.
Amino acids in an egg
Tryptophan 0.083 g
Threonine 0.299 g
Isoleucine 0.31 g
Leucine 0.528 g
Lysine 0.418 g
Methionine 0.21 g
Phenylalanine 0.332 g
Tyrosine 0.258 g
Valine 0.369 g
Arginine 0.396 g
Histidine 0.142 g
Alanine 0.336 g
Aspartic acid 0.639 g
Glutamic acid 0.82 g
Glycine 0.205 g
Proline 0.282 g
Serine 0.462 g
Cydrosyproline <0.01 g
Cysteine 0.194 g
Wow, that’s a lot of amino acids! Why are amino acids important in your survival foods? Amino acids are essential building blocks of the human body mostly used to build and maintain muscle tissue. Vegetables and fruits don’t really provide amino acids in large quantities. Animal products are the main food sources where we get amino acids, but eggs are really one of the best.
If you are planning for an unforeseen disaster with a savvy prepper mindset, then this egg nutrition data should speak volumes to your family’s survival plan and whether you should keep chickens or not. Protein and the other nutrition contained in animals products are necessary to keeping yourself healthy when regular food sources are scarce.
Egg nutritional data is from the United States Department of Agriculture FoodData Central Search tool on their website (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/748967/nutrients).
