This Easter Sunday has me thinking about eggs, and just how wonderful they are!

Cheap, easy, complete sources of nutrition, the egg packs a lot of goodness in its small shell.

Here are some of the health benefits you can get from adding eggs to your diet. Just keep in mind that eggs are one of the most important foods to buy organic, and worth spending  a couple of extra dollars on. In fact, the health benefits listed below apply even more to high quality, organic eggs so be sure to splurge on the good eggs for the biggest bang for your buck!

1. Eggs can help promote weight loss. A recent study had overweight men and women consume 2 different breakfasts containing the same amount of calories. Breakfast #1 included 2 eggs, while breakfast #2 was just a bagel. The participants who ate the eggy breakfast lost almost twice as much weight over an 8 week period verses the bagel eaters. The egg folk lost an average of 6lbs, while the bagel eaters lost 3.5lbs on average. In addition, the egg eaters reported an increase in their energy levels.

2. Eggs are good for your eyes. Packed with lutein and zeaxanthin, eggs may help prevent macular degeneration from their high carotenoid content.

3. Eggs are high in the nutrient choline, which can help reduce inflammation in the body. Choline helps regulate our brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system.

4. While many people fear eating eggs due to cholesterol concerns, studies have shown that eggs don’t significantly affect cholesterol levels. In fact, there is new research that suggests that eating whole eggs can actually reduce your cholesterol levels. According to a study by The Harvard School of Public Health, there is no significant link between egg consumption and heart disease. And according to another study, regular consumption of eggs may actually help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks.

5. One single egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids.

6. Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin” that many of us are severely deficient in.

7. Do you have soft nails and brittle hair? Try whole eggs. Eggs can help promote healthy hair and nails due toe  their high sulfur content and variety of vitamins and minerals. You may find your hair and nails growing faster after upping your egg consumption, and this is especially the case in people who are deficient in vitamin B12.

8. Lastly, eggs are a good source of selenium, iodine, vitamin B2, B5, & B12, phosphorus, and protein. And that’s egg-cellent news.