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By DIANE HENDERIKS

The egg is used around the world as a symbol of the start of new life and they are given to celebrate Easter or springtime.  Eggs are so much a part of our everyday lives that some of us might have forgotten their many benefits: nutrition powerhouse, economic protein, culinary necessity and delicious taste.  Here's some fun and helpful info about this wonderful little ellipsoid.

Nutrition

• Eggs contain the highest quality protein with just the right mix of essential amino acids needed by humans to build tissues,  second only to mother's milk for human nutrition.

• Eggs have 13 essential vitamins and minerals.  The yolk is the major source of  most of them, including naturally occurring Vitamin D.

• One large egg contains only 70 calories and 5 grams of fat and one egg white has just 17 calories and zero fat.

• Eggs are good for your eyes because of the high quantity of  lutein,  a caroteniod that might help prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

• Eggs are rich in choline, a nutrient that helps to boost brain health and one large egg contains more than one-half of a woman's daily requirement for this essential nutrient.

• Eggs are rich in B vitamins, especially riboflavin and vitamin B12.

Cooking

• Replace one whole egg with two egg whites in most recipes to save some calories and fat.

• Whipped egg whites contain tiny air bubbles. When whipped egg whites are added to other ingredients, they make the dishes light and fluffy.

• The best breading takes three steps:    1. dip in flour   2. dip in mix of whipped milk, whole eggs and egg whites    3. breadcrumbs

• Beaten whole egg or yolk brushed onto food items before baking will give it a gloss or glazed finish.

• Whipped egg yolks can hold other ingredients together that do not normally mix, like oil does with vinegar

Fun Facts

• The most expensive egg ever sold was the Faberge "Winter Egg" sold in 1994 for $5.6 million.

• In France, the bride breaks an egg on the threshold of their new home before stepping in,  for luck and healthy babies.

• At the time of the French Revolution, the French already knew 685 different ways of preparing eggs, including, of course, the omelet.

• In the Guiness World Records for omelet making, 427 two-egg omelets were made in 30 minutes by Howard Helmer.

 Try Diane Henderiks' Simple Spinach and Feta Frittata

Henderiks is a registered dietitian, founder of  Dianehenderiks.com and a "Good Morning America" health contributor.