Eggs are a winner for brinner!

The ‘brinner’ trend began in the USA and now eating breakfast for dinner has travelled across the pond. Undeniably eggs are the brinner star, the basis for a light, healthy but tasty and filling evening meal, as well as a breakfast favourite.

With brinner, we can allow ourselves the time to truly enjoy the meal and not rush through it as is often the case at breakfast. Many of us now eat breakfast for dinner and we’re spoilt for choice with brinner options.

Celebs such as fitness entrepreneur and glam TV star, Lucy Mecklenburgh are also big fans of Brinner, “I’ll often eat eggs for dinner when I get home from a work out in the evening. They are quick, nutritious and not to mention tasty!”

Why not try some of our favourite eggy brinners:

  • English breakfast tortilla
  • Huevos rancheros
  • New York buttermilk pancakes
  • Salmon scrambled eggs
  • Eggs Benedict

Not only do eggs make a tasty brinner, they are a nutritional powerhouse, so there are even more reasons to eat them for your evening meal:

  • Eggs are a great source of natural protein (needed for muscle and bone maintenance) as well as excellent value when compared to other high-protein foods such as meat. On average, a medium-size egg contains around 6.2 grams of protein. Although protein can also be found in the yolk, it is the egg white that has the most.
  • Research[i], shows that eggs now contain more than 70% more vitamin D than when they were last officially analysed in the 1980s. 
  • The research shows eggs also contain double the amount of selenium than in the 1980s. 
  • Two medium eggs contribute nearly two-thirds of the RDA (Recommended Daily Amount) of vitamin D (which helps to keep bones, teeth, muscle and the immune system healthy) and more than 40% of the RDA for selenium (helps maintain the immune system, as well as hair and nails).
  • Today’s eggs contain around 20% less fat, more than 20% less saturated fat and around 13% fewer calories than previous surveys suggested.  An average medium egg now contains 66 calories and an average large egg 78 calories.
  • Levels of choline (needed for fat metabolism and liver function) and omega 3 fatty acids (contributes to maintenance of a healthy heart and brain) in UK eggs have been measured for the first time – and eggs are a significant source of both nutrients.
  • Eggs also contain more than 100% of the RDA (Recommended Daily Amount) for vitamin B₁₂ (that keep the immune system, nerve and blood cells healthy) as well as vitamin A (needed for skin, vision and immune system), vitamin B₂ (riboflavin – needed for skin, vision, blood cells and the nervous system), folate (needed for blood formation and immune system), iodine (for thyroid function, nervous system, cognitive function and skin health) and phosphorus (helps with healthy bones and teeth).

 

[i] Paper published online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2012.01993.x/abs… and in the December 2012 issue of Nutrition Bulletin.