Just like every morning, i started my day with two glasses of water on an empty stomach then had my cup of coffee (1 tsp of Nescafe, 3 tsp of fat free coffee mate, 2 tsp of sugar).I decided to have two boiled eggs with the remaining fresh asparagus that I had yesterday for lunch. The idea of having asparagus with boiled eggs in the morning might sound a bit weird but those asparagus are just like any green leafy vegetable (spinach) that would happily accompany your morning omelette!

Nowadays, the egg only connotes a fattening food item that increases the cholesterol levels in the blood and that should be avoided in all its forms. Contrary to people’s beliefs, the egg is a very nutritious food.It has 13 essential vitamins and minerals.A medium size egg has 75 calories of which 60 are provided by the yolk and only 15 by the whites.

The egg yolk has all the fat soluble vitamins(A,D,E) in addition to all the fat and a little proteins. In fact, it encloses 230mg of Cholesterol which is the 2/3 of the daily recommended intake of Cholesterol(300mg/day).It also contains, ½ the the daily requirement of Choline which is an essential substance needed for the fetal growth in pregnant women and for a proper brain development and functioning in normal individuals.

Eating an egg per day has long been a controversial issue.However, a recent study conducted by scientists at Harvard, didn’t find a relevant link between eating an egg per day and developing cardiovascular diseases. On the contrary, it has been proven that the egg yolk encloses a substance called Lukine that protects against heart diseases. Therefore, healthy adults can enjoy eating an egg everyday.

Fish wasn’t only on the lunch menu but also … (check picture below)

Don’t ask about the number of pussycats that gathered under the balcony!!

Those small fishes in addition to their remaining brothers and sisters have been deep fried; Although my family knows how harmful it is to consume fried foods and how frying decreases the healthy benefits of fish they still do it! I personally dislike the taste of fried fish and prefer to consume it baked with tomatoes, green onions, fresh ginger,coarse salt, oregano and olive oil!  That’s how i prepared my dish, starting with tabbouleh salad, 3 tbsp of baba ghannouj (cooked aubergine with tehini and lemon juice) and 150 g of baked fish!

As an afternoon snack i had a small bag of Maltesers chocolate balls with a glass of cold skimmed milk!

And for dinner i was still craving for something sweet and thus decided to have three rice cakes with a teaspoon of peanut butter and two teaspoons of strawberry jam spread evenly!

Dietitian Nicole Maftoum