Baked eggs make any breakfast special.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—There's a lot of goodness packed into a chicken egg. Eggs are not only a great source of easily absorbed protein; they're also loaded with riboflavin, iron, folate, phosphorus, and zinc. They're good sources of vitamins B6, B12, E, and the rare-in-foods vitamin D. Whole eggs are a great source of choline (one large egg has around 30 percent of your daily requirement); researchers found that women with a high intake of this nutrient were 24 percent less likely to develop breast cancer. Egg yolks are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect your vision. And Louisiana State University system researchers found that obese participants who ate two eggs for breakfast at least five times a week lost 65 percent more weight than women who consumed bagels instead.

Though many people are under the impression that consuming the cholesterol in egg yolks raises the body's cholesterol levels, several studies, including one in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, have found no link in healthy people between eating eggs and risk of either heart attack or stroke. Research shows that eating an egg or two a day will not raise your cholesterol levels, and eating one egg per day barely affects your heart disease risk. Just keep to no more than one egg a day if you are concerned about cholesterol, and go ahead eat that yolk—most of the nutrients are in the egg's yellow center.

Read on to find out about egg labeling, and how to cook eggs to satisfy any taste.