If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? (And no—vodka doesn’t count!) For me, I think it would be eggs. Fried, scrambled, poached, rolled into an omelet, or baked in a frittata, eggs just can’t be beat. I eat eggs every single day, and I never get tired of them. And you know what? One of my favorite ways to eat eggs is in their humblest form: hard-boiled. Here are three reasons why I love these little nutrition bombs.

1. Their versatility.

Sure, you can toss a couple of hard-boiled eggs in your lunchbox and be good to go. But why stop there, when there’s so much more you can do? For instance, there’s the deviled egg. Who doesn’t love it? To make deviled eggs, simply whip up your own mayonnaise or order up some Primal Mayo at Amazon. Mash up your egg yolks with a little of the mayo, add a plop of Dijon mustard, some salt, and a sprinkle of paprika, and you’re done.

Or try these variations:

• Add some minced prosciutto, bacon, or smoked salmon to the yolks.
• Stir in a little red curry paste.
• Top your deviled eggs with pesto, or stir a little pesto into the yolks.
• Go crazy and stir in chopped capers and a little hot paprika.

You can also make egg salad, tossing in just about anything: bacon, small shrimp, diced veggies, you name it. Or try this avocado egg salad from Dr. Mark Hyman’s site—fabulous. I add eggs to just about any green leafy salad, and I toss them into salmon, tuna, or chicken salad. I also love Scotch eggs, which make a fantastic lunch treat. Here’s my version. You can also make “Scotch meatballs” using hard-boiled quail eggs. And then there’s the classic trick of baking hard-boiled eggs inside meat loaf. Kids in particular get a kick out of this. Or if you want to entertain small children, check out these “crazy clown eggs” at nomnompaleo.

2. Those beautiful, healthy yolks.

I still can’t believe that doctors spent decades telling us to eat egg whites and throw out the yolks. In reality, there’s nothing better for you on the planet than egg yolks (while the whites aren’t really a big deal nutritionally). First of all, egg yolks are loaded with choline. Choline helps builds strong, bouncy cell membranes, and it also plays a critical role in methylation—the process of turning genes “on” and “off.”

It’s a building block of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and a high choline intake may help prevent depression, memory loss, and anxiety. If you’re pregnant, you need to get plenty of choline because it’s vital for your baby’s developing nervous system. Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which help prevent macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness). In addition, they’re a good source of vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, iron, zinc, folate, phosphorus, and vitamins B6 and B12.

And of course, they’re one of the world’s best and least-expensive sources of high-quality protein. As for the myth that eggs raise your cholesterol, it’s finally been laid to rest. As it turns out, eggs don’t affect your cholesterol significantly. And when eggs do change your cholesterol, studies hint that they do it in a good way. For instance, one recent study found that eating eggs leads to a higher level of HDL (which is the “good” cholesterol) and beneficial changes in LDL (the “bad” cholesterol).

3. They’re so convenient.

I boil up a few dozen eggs every week. They’re one of the easiest foods to cook ahead of time, and they’ll sit in the fridge waiting patiently for you for up to a week after you boil them. But seriously… if your hard-boiled eggs are sitting in the fridge that long, you need to eat more of them.

Of course, there’s the shell issue…

While hard-boiled eggs are a fabulous food, there is one problem with them: getting the shell off. You’ll have the best luck if you start with eggs that are older, salt the water, and drop the eggs into ice water as soon as they’re done. You’ll find more tips on creating the perfect hard-boiled egg here. Or, if you’re in a hurry, you can buy pre-peeled eggs at the grocery store… problem solved!   

Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!