A Baker's Dozen Facts About Eggs

13 Health Fact About Eggs

- Courtney Shea

1 WHICH CAME first, the chicken or the egg? The scientific answer to this age-old question is ... the egg! Chickens are a domesticated version of the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), a tropical bird still common in forests and jungles across Asia. Selectively breeding the tamest of the birds created a new species about 8,000 years ago. The first-ever chicken (Gallus domesticus) came from the egg of its wild ancestor.

2 MORE THAN 99% of earth's animal species reproduce by laying eggs, with mammals being the notable outliers. Even then, there are two egg-ceptions: the echidna (spiny anteater) and the platypus.

3 WE'VE ALL seen white and brown eggs in the dairy case. But, contrary to what some people say, the white eggs have not been bleached. Chicken eggs come in an array of shades, including cream, pink, blue and even green. So, green eggs aren't just the imaginings of Dr. Seuss-though in real life, only the shells appear green. The color of an egg's shell makes no difference to the nutrition or taste.

4 EGGS ARE a great source of protein and vitamins A, D and B12. But they're also high in dietary cholesterol, which has led to some confusing guidelines. In the 1960s and '70s, the American Heart Association warned against eating more than three eggs per week. But current research has debunked this, concluding that there's no definitive link between eating eggs and an increase in blood cholesterol.

5 CHOCOLATE EGGS don't have the same nutritional benefits, which is a shame considering Americans 90 million of them eat roughly each spring. Easter is the highest-earning holiday for chocolate.