About Us “The American Egg Board (AEB) was created by an Act of Congress in 1976 at the request of America’s egg farmers, who desired to pool resources for national category-level egg marketing. Home to The Incredible Egg and Egg Nutrition Center, AEB is dedicated to increasing demand for all U.S. eggs and egg products. For more than 40 years, America’s egg farmers have supported this mission by funding the AEB. The AEB is 100 percent farmer-funded, and those funds directly support the research, education and promotion necessary to market eggs. We are honored to serve America’s egg farmers.” Questions concerning specific products or the supply sources for U.S. eggs and egg products should be directed to the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council at below office: USA Poultry & Egg Export Council Hong Kong Office (covers China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) Room 1310, Olympia Plaza 243-255 King’s Road North Point, Hong Kong Tel: 852-2890-2908 Fax: 852-2895-5546 E-mail: hkoffice@usapeec.com.hk Related Links ​ American Egg Board / The Incredible Egg https://www.incredibleegg.org/ ​ ​ USA Poultry & Egg Export Council www.usapeec.org

Senior Wisdom Maturity should bring wisdom and when considering adequate nutrition, each of us has life experiences that have guided us toward making suitable food choices. Women are often the special keepers of that accumulated health knowledge which has proven itself to be tried and true over a lifetime. ​ Gradually over time however, changes occur within our bodies that require some new considerations and practices. After age 40, women begin to replace some muscle tissue with fat tissue leading to a reduction in the number of calories one needs as they age. Hormones that once protected women from the risk of heart disease now decline and after menopause women are more likely to put on weight in the dangerous abdominal area. Bone mineral density may also decline as a result of carefree consumption during earlier stages in a woman’s life and a declining ability to absorb valuable nutrients. ​ A lifetime of healthy eating and exercise should prevent some of the more devastating changes that accompany aging. A healthy intake for the adult woman should include adequate amounts of all nutrients known to be essential. Although nutrient needs are the same throughout adulthood, this must be offset by a diminished requirement for calories as one ages. Foods consumed should contain the most nutrients one can get for the number of calories the food supplies. This is what nutrition experts mean by nutrient density, which has growing importance as we age. ​ Nutritional concerns for mature women include adequate protein, fluid, vitamin and mineral intake. Animal protein intake has been shown to be beneficial in preserving a women’s bone mineral density. Vitamin and mineral intakes play a large role in preserving a woman’s health and immunity since resistance to infection is often one of the first defenses to be lost when dietary intake is inadequate. As we ages, some of our natural defenses to foodborne illness diminishes including sight, taste and smell as well as stomach acid output that kills bacteria after it reaches the stomach. This makes women more susceptible to foodborne illness as they age. ​ Consuming enough vitamins and minerals can also help avoid gum disease which makes chewing food a burdensome challenge. For those women who have difficulty chewing food due to medical problems or poor dentition, eggs are soft and easily chewed yet packed with easily digestible nutrients.

Specifications U.S. egg products contain food processing specifications, which generally include type of product, packaging, USDA inspection, and various lab analyses for physical, bacteriological, and chemical information. For a few egg products, there are typical USDA specifications or you can obtain exact egg product specifications from your supplier. ​ ​ Egg product suppliers will work with food manufacturers to meet their special needs. Other ingredients may be added to egg products to complement its functional properties such as carbohydrates to whole egg and yolk products used in baked goods, salt to frozen yolks used in mayonnaise and salad dressings, or skim milk solids and vegetable oils to scrambled egg mixes. You can obtain the specifications for such blends from your U.S. egg product supplier.

Registered Dietitian/Nutrition Today’s retail environment is full of nutrition labels, claims, profiling systems and much more. Helping consumers navigate their way through grocery aisles is an important job, and according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, many Americans are overweight and undernourished. They get too many calories but not enough nutrients each day. The Guidelines further state that the prevalence of obesity in the United States has doubled and in some cases tripled between the 1970s and 2008. What's in an egg? The Yolk: A Nutrient Goldmine

What the Numbers Reveal Studies have looked at the effect of egg consumption on blood cholesterol levels and have found a small impact. This is important because newer research has identified the LDL:HDL ratio ("good" cholesterol to "bad" cholesterol) and the Total:HDL ratio (the sum of all cholesterol components to "good" cholesterol) to be better indicators of heart disease risk than either indicator alone. A review of more than 30 studies published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2008 argues that the LDL:HDL ratio is a much better indicator of heart disease risk than either indicator alone because the ratio reflects the "two-way traffic" of cholesterol entering and leaving the blood system. (1) ​ The Journal of Nutrition published a study in 2008 that found that overweight men who ate eggs while on a carbohydrate-restricted diet have a significant increase in their HDL levels (the "good" cholesterol) compared to men who did not eat eggs. (2) A 2008 study from the journal Ateriosclerosis, Thrombosis, Vascular Biology found low HDL is associated with poor memory and a decline in memory in middle-aged adults. (3) A 2008 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that a diet rich in choline and betaine is associated with lower concentrations of homocysteine, a marker of inflammation. High levels of homocysteine or inflammation have been associated with cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's and dementia. (4) ​ In 2005 researchers at the University of Connecticut found that healthy, elderly adults who ate three eggs a day for one month did not experience an increase to their LDL:HDL ratio or to their Total:HDL ratio, which are two major indicators for heart disease risk. (5) ​ ​ REFERENCES Fernandez ML and Webb D. The LDL to HDL Cholesterol Ratio as a Valuable Tool to Evaluate Coronary Heart Disease Risk. JACN (in press). Mutungi G, et al. Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases plasma HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate restricted diet. J Nutr. 2008;138:272-276. Sing-Manoux, et al. Low HDL Is a Risk Factor for Deficit and Decline in Memory in Midlife. The Whitehall II Study. Arterioscler, Thromb, Vasc, Biol. 2008; 28:1557-1563. Detopoulou, Paraskevi et al. Dietary choline and betaine intakes in relation to concentrations of inflammatory markers in healthy adults: the ATTICA study. AJCN 2008; 87:424-430. Greene CM, et al. Maintenance of the LDL cholesterol: HDL cholesterol ratio in an elderly population given a dietary cholesterol challenge. J Nutr. 2005; 135:2799-2804.

Iron: Not Just for Pressing the Clothes Function : Iron plays an important role in many body functions including proper immune function, brain development, temperature regulation, energy metabolism and work performance. ​ Bioavailability : Iron in foods occurs in different forms and therefore differs in its ability to be absorbed and used by the body. The most readily absorbable form of iron is found in animal protein sources such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs. Heme iron is assisted in its absorption into the body by a protein factor in the animal sources that also facilitates the absorption of the non-heme form of iron found in vegetable and grain products. ​ Deficiency : Many people with mild iron deficiency experience no obvious problems other than vague symptoms of tiredness, headache, irritability, and depression. Iron is the carrier of oxygen in the blood and transports carbon dioxide wastes to the lunges for removal from the body. ​ Iron in Food : Because iron in meat, fish, poultry and eggs is mostly in the heme form, it is most easily absorbed and used by the body. Non-heme iron sources such as grains and vegetables often supply greater quantities of iron but only about 5% of this iron is absorbed. Vitamin C rich foods assist in the absorption of iron in food sources while calcium rich foods and supplements interfere with iron absorption. Polyphenols found in coffee and tea are also known to interfere with iron absorption.

Export Packing & Shipping Export Packing Fiber flats or trays hold 30 eggs. Filled flats are packed into cases that hold 360 eggs. The W-5-C used to be the premier export case; however, now the U.S. industry is moving toward 200-lb. test cases for small eggs, and 275-lb. test cases for medium and larger eggs. These cases are fitted with liners and conform to U.S. specifications for egg export shipments. The case top and bottom is sealed with reinforced gum tape. Shipment Eggs are shipped either by refrigerated trucks or aboard ocean vessels, in refrigerated ocean containers. The number of cases that can be shipped in a container or trailer truck is limited due to road weight restrictions in the United States. ​ The carrying temperature in an ocean container is normally set at 3.36°C (38°F).

Eggs Across The Lifespan Eggs contain a number of nutrients that are essential throughout the lifespan: ​ High-quality protein contains building blocks needed to support healthy bones and muscles. Research suggests that exercise, along with optimal protein intake, can slow the effects of sarcopenia or chronic age-related muscle loss. Choline is essential for normal liver function and brain health. It is especially important during pregnancy to support normal fetal growth and development, and most pregnant women do not consume adequate amounts of choline. Consuming eggs during pregnancy is one solution to choline consumption issues. Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants that are believed to reduce the risk of developing cataracts and slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration, a disease that develops with age.

An Expert's POV on Gluten-Free and Soy Allergens A t the American Egg Board/Egg Nutrition Center, we are often asked if eggs should be considered gluten-free. With the incidence of gluten allergies on the rise, this is an important question that can have great health implications for many Americans. Gluten-Free According to Dr. Steven Taylor from The Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) at the University of Nebraska, eggs should be considered gluten-free. Dr. Taylor points out that many gluten-free products contain eggs and they do not test positive for gluten. Although it is likely that egg-laying chickens eat wheat grain containing gluten it is also likely that the birds digest the gluten and break it down to it's constituent amino acids, which in turn are used to build chicken and egg proteins. Little if any of the gluten appears to make it to the egg in an intact form. ​ Soy Allergens This appears to be the case regarding soy allergenicity and eggs as well. Although one recent study indicated that small amounts of isoflavones from the soy in chicken feed apparently is transferred to the egg, protein fractions from soy are broken down during the digestive process and are not likely transferred to the egg or meat of the chicken. So folks with soy allergies can enjoy eggs without worrying about a potential allergic reaction. ​ Baked Egg Ingredients May Improve Tolerances Egg allergy affects around 2% of children younger than 5 years old. While studies show that 80% of children eventually outgrow egg allergy, and most in the general population do so by school age, there are still many children retaining egg allergy into their teenage years. It appears that the longer the egg allergy persists, the less likely tolerance develops. This makes eating a variety of foods, in particular outside the home, very challenging, as eggs are present in many prepared foods. ​ According to a study published in the August 2012 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, research indicates that some egg-allergic individuals can tolerate baked egg (as in a muffin), as heating decreases allergenicity by altering the protein structure responsible for triggering an allergic reaction. Recognizing this, researchers characterized the immunologic changes associated with ingestion of baked egg and evaluated the role that baked egg diets play in the development of tolerance to regular egg. Results indicated that the majority of subjects with egg allergy can tolerate baked egg. Long-term ingestion of baked egg is well tolerated and accelerates the development of tolerance to regular egg. These findings present an important shift in the treatment paradigm for egg allergy, as clinical management can improve the quality of life of egg-allergic children and ideally, promote earlier tolerance development.

Control Appetite to Control Weight If there’s one concern that has been associated with women throughout history, it surely must be weight control. Unlike the hunter, women have been the gathers of society, concerned with preparing the food for the family. Whereas men historically performed hard labor in securing food, women have had lives that required less physical exertion. Accompanying this role, a women’s weight was controlled by hormones that were programmed to provide nourishment for suckling infants as well as stored energy to protect them from starvation when the hunter returned unsuccessful. ​ How does the modern woman meet this goal when food is plentiful and time is short? By using the same strategies that have brought us into this technological age, today’s woman can be successful in controlling her weight. The goal is to follow a plan that includes a routine intake of nutrient dense foods consumed throughout the day which is balanced with activities to provide an outlet for her energy intake. ​ Starting the day with a nutrient dense breakfast has been shown to help children focus and perform better in school. Similarly, studies have found breakfast is important for adult cognition and memory as well. Other studies have shown that eating a nutrient dense breakfast helps to reduce snacking on less nutritious and more calorie laden foods throughout the day. ​ Eggs, when eaten at the start of the day, provide a satisfying meal that can keep the stomach from emptying too quickly thereby providing a long period of satiety. ​ At 75 calories per large egg, eggs actually contribute few calories for all the nutrients that they provide. When teamed up with whole grains and vegetables they are a complete meal that is easily prepared, widely available and inexpensive making them a useful tool when planning a “women’s weight control” program.