什么使得鸡蛋对于一个人的健康无例外地重要？每个鸡蛋都含有在健身活动之后协助恢复肌肉的必要的营养素和丰富的蛋白质来源。必要的营养素是正常的身体机能所需要的营养物质，但这些特殊的营养物质不是身体所产生的，因而是从食物中得到的、“必要的”营养素。

鸡蛋含有总共 13 种必要的营养素。根据大小，一个鸡蛋大约有 75 卡路里的热量：45 卡路里来自脂肪，25 卡路里来自蛋白质、剩下的 5 卡路里来自碳水化合物。因为这样的脂肪比例被包含在蛋黄之内，如果你关注你的腰围和胆固醇的话，你可以从你准备的任何鸡蛋中轻松地去掉蛋黄。美国餐饮协会在许多食谱中建议用两个蛋白替代一个全蛋。如果你没有准备去掉蛋黄，你可以使用四个蛋白和两个蛋黄制备一个煎蛋卷或者搅炒鸡蛋。它会节省你 120 卡路里和 10 克的脂肪。随着你的味蕾适应新的味道，你可以去掉另一个蛋黄。因为在一个人的膳食中少量的脂肪是必要的，你可以每周若干次在你制备任何一盘菜中保留一个蛋黄。拉斯维加斯的健身教练蒂埃里·托马斯解释说,“蛋白中的蛋白质是生物体可利用的和同化作用的以及保养和恢复肌肉所需要的蛋白质来源。平均一个鸡蛋含有 7-8 克蛋白质。如果你试图降低你的脂肪摄入，可以去掉整个蛋黄或者部份蛋黄，因为蛋黄几乎是 100% 的脂质。”在getinshapebfit@hotmail.com 上能够找到托马斯。

许多名人例如杰西卡·阿尔芭和詹尼弗·加纳已经知道在关注他们体重的时候吃蛋白鸡蛋饼。可以采取各种方式制作鸡蛋：魔鬼蛋，双面煎的，煎蛋卷风格的，以及煮透的。你可以在这些制做方法的每一种方法中开发几个品种，这样你就不会让你的菜单变得单调。例如，你可以利用红/绿辣椒、蘑菇、红葱头、西红柿和一个小花椰菜作为装饰，以及低脂奶酪、低脂酸奶油和沙司来制作煎蛋卷。你也可以用菠菜、太阳晒干的西红柿和一点点小山羊奶酪制作煎蛋卷——完全不同的味道。甚至在你匆匆忙忙的时候还有更好的，试着用 3 个炒蛋白和 1 个带有黄色柿子椒、新鲜菠菜、低脂羊乳酪的蛋黄混合——另一盘低脂的美味。将煮熟的鸡蛋大量保持在冰箱里，家庭成员可以零食它们。还可以用低脂的油炸面包丁、一把培根片、低脂的菠菜沙拉酱、少量的向日葵的种子和几个煮熟的蛋白与一个蛋黄制作菠菜沙拉——美味和新鲜的沙拉。

最后，鸡蛋含有比其他食物还便宜一些的高营养价值。通常，你可以花 0.99 - 1.25 美元买一打鸡蛋，大约每餐 0.25 到 0.31 美元（在一次消费三个鸡蛋时）。

What makes an egg important to one's fitness routine? Each egg contains essential nutrients and an excellent source of protein to assist in repairing and building muscle after workouts and fitness activities. Essential nutrients are nutrients that are required for normal body functioning but these particular nutrients are not produced by the body therefore it is “essential” that they are obtained from food.

An egg contains all 13 essential nutrients. Depending on the size, an egg is roughly 75 calories; 45 calories come from fat, 25 calories from protein, and 5 calories from carbohydrates. Because the percentage of fat is contained within the egg yolk you can easily eliminate the yolk from any eggs you are preparing if you’re watching your waistline or cholesterol. The American Dietetic Association suggests substituting two egg whites for one whole egg in many recipes. If you’re not ready to eliminate the yolks you can prepare an omelet or egg scramble using four whites and two yolks. It will save you 120 calories and 10 grams of fat. As your taste buds become acclimated you can eliminate another yolk. Since a small amount of fat is needed in one’s diet you can retain one yolk in any dish you’re preparing a couple of times per week. Las Vegas fitness trainer, Thierry Thomas, explains, "The protein in egg whites is the most bio-available and assimilative sources of protein and necessary in maintaining and building muscle. An average egg contains 7-8 grams of protein. Discard the yolk or a portion of it if you're trying to lower your fat intake, as the yolk is almost 100% lipid." Thomas can be reached at getinshapebfit@hotmail.com.

Celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Jennifer Garner have been known to eat egg white omelets when watching their weight. Eggs can be prepared in a variety of ways: deviled eggs, over-easy, omelet style, scrambled, and hard-boiled. Within each of these preparation methods you can develop several varieties so you won’t become bored with your menu. For example, you can prepare an omelet using red/green pepper, mushrooms, red onion, tomatoes, and a little broccoli - garnish with low fat cheese, low fat sour cream, and salsa. You can also prepare an omelet with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and a little goat cheese - totally different flavor. Even better yet when you’re in a hurry, try 3 scrambled egg whites and 1 yolk mixed with yellow bell pepper, fresh spinach, and low fat feta cheese - another tasty low fat dish. Hard-boiled eggs are great to keep in the refrigerator so family members can snack on them. Spinach salads can be prepared with low fat croutons, a handful of bacon bits, low-fat spinach salad dressing, a small handful of sunflower seeds, and a couple of hardboiled egg whites with 1 yolk – a tasty fresh salad.

Lastly, eggs contain a high nutrient value yet inexpensive compared to other foods. Often, you can purchase eggs for $.99 – $1.25 per dozen which is approximately .25 – .31 per meal (when consuming three eggs at one time).