Eggs and Yogurt for Breakfast

Breakfast has often been touted as the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, many people often resort to unhealthful choices such as sugar-laden cereal for breakfast. For those looking to start their day off by eating healthily, one beneficial breakfast is eggs and yogurt.

One reason that eggs and yogurt are particularly healthful for breakfast is that this combination is high in beneficial protein. The protein in eggs and yogurt have a perfect protein digestibility corrected amino acid score of 1.0, meaning unlike many plant proteins, both foods are high in all of the essential amino acids. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, those who exercise should seek to consume roughly 1 g of protein per pound of body weight, which is more than most people consume. By consuming eggs and yogurt for breakfast, you can become much closer to achieving your daily protein needs.

Another reason that eggs and yogurt make a healthful breakfast is that yogurt is particularly high in beneficial bacteria called probiotics. Research in both the International Journal of Molecular Science in 2009 and the journal Revista Espanola de Enfermedades Digestivas in 2009 has shown that these bacteria can have many beneficial effects on digestive system health, blood pressure, lipid profiles, and many other health markers. For those who wish to maximize these benefits, seek yogurts high in the bacteria strain acidophilus lactobacilli.

Not only are eggs and yogurt high in protein and probiotics, they also contain numerous other beneficial nutrients. According to nutritionist Dr. Johnny Bowden in his book "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth," eggs are high in the beneficial compound choline, which acts as a precursor to the important neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and are also one of the best natural sources of vitamin E. Compared with traditional breakfasts such as cereal, eggs and yogurt will provide significantly higher amounts of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial compounds.

One additional reason that eggs and yogurt are a particularly healthful breakfast is due to the favorable effects of egg consumption on lipid profiles. It was once theorized that the cholesterol in eggs was harmful to one's cardiovascular health, and it was recommended to avoid the yolk. Research in the past few decades, however, has shown that this theory was unsubstantiated. In fact, studies in the Journal of Nutrition in 2008 and the Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand in 2008 have shown that consuming eggs increases levels of high-density lipoproteins without affecting LDL, suggesting that eggs would likely have a positive effect on cardiovascular health.