MONITOR:THERE WAS A time when we were warned off eggs – it was thought they contained too much cholesterol – and an entire nation, seemingly, moved away from the idea that an egg a day was okay.

The advice has now been reversed, not just in Ireland but in other countries, too. Yet recent research from UCD points to some unevenness in egg consumption still. Some of us may be missing out on their benefits.

Could it be that we are affected by the same problem as British children? Earlier this year it was revealed that three-quarters of them are unable to boil an egg. This is a decade after Delia Smith, somewhat amusingly for some of us, devoted a TV programme and a chapter in her book on how to cook them.

Eggs are, as highlighted in the UCD study, pretty near perfect food, being “nutrient-dense” (don’t you love the way scientists phrase things?) and low in fat and calories. So how come our consumption is half that of other European countries? We seem to eschew the humble egg.

And what is more worrying is that children, and young girls in particular, have a surprisingly low consumption rate of eggs. The latter group typically consume one a week each. Which seems a real shame given eggs’ positive contribution to growth, brain function development and general nutrition. Indeed, according to the UCD study, an egg can provide 10 per cent of our daily protein intake while contributing only three per cent of our calorie intake.

I went to school on an egg, not because my mother had read any research – it was just what you did. It wasn’t part of a great fry-up, but a boiled egg in an egg cup with toast and lashings of butter (let’s face it, an egg is not really up to much on its own). But what really strikes me now is the convenience of it.

So, rather than cook eggs for our children, maybe the real challenge is to make them do it. Instead of taking the cereal packet from the cupboard, placing a large quantity of the contents in a bowl and adding milk (and often more sugar), maybe we should try the following instruction: select one egg from bowl of similar examples, place in saucepan (similar to baseball cap only metal), add boiling water and place on top of cooker (large appliance delivering heat source). Cook for five minutes, while you make some toast.

You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. In the same UK study it was revealed that almost half – 45 per cent – of children rarely or never help prepare an evening meal. Why? They were either too tired, too stressed about homework, or too busy watching TV.

We are, or seem to be, so busy that food and its preparation falls way down the scale of importance. But if we can’t teach our children how to boil an egg – and what a hugely beneficial food source it is – what hope is there?

Step-learning is important in many areas and is particularly so in food. From boiled eggs come poached eggs, then scrambled eggs, omelettes and frittatas. And then there are all the emulsified sauces, from mayonnaise to hollandaise and the many variations. The simple act of making an omelette is often used to illustrate the technical ability of a chef at whatever level. Go on, get your children to cook an egg, and ditch the cereal packet.

harnold@irishtimes.com

www.eggs.ie