New analysis highlights eggs as a cost-effective way to build nutrient-rich diets

Yanni Papanikolaou, MPH, Victor L. Fulgoni 3^rd, PhD, and Jen Houchins, PhD, RD

As food prices continue to rise¹, many families are weighing how to stretch their grocery budgets without sacrificing nutrition. Eggs are already recognized as an affordable source of high-quality protein and essential nutrients², and a recent study examined the diet more broadly by asking which least-cost combinations of foods can help close common nutrition gaps³. The findings point to nutrient-rich foods that can support your family’s health while helping keep the grocery bill in check.

The goal of this NHANES diet analysis was to find the least-cost combinations of foods that provide an adequate amount of nutrients Americans often don’t get enough of: calcium, choline, dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, protein, vitamins A, C, D, and E⁴. The amount of each food was capped at the 75^th percentile of usual intake within each age, race/ethnicity, and income subgroup, helping keep the modeled diets within amounts people realistically consume.

Across every age group, race/ethnicity, and income level examined, eggs and omelets were selected when diets were optimized for the lowest cost. The optimized diets reduced modeled food costs by 23% for children ages 2-18 and 33% for adults ages 19 and older. Eggs appeared alongside other nutrient-rich foods including milk, oatmeal, beans and legumes, fish, fruits, and vegetables.

The findings strengthen the case for eggs as a practical, nutrient-rich choice for families watching their grocery budgets. Eggs are recommended as part of healthy dietary patterns because of the essential nutrients they contribute to the diet, including  DHA, choline, vitamin D, lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin A, B-vitamins, and high-quality protein⁵. Of particular importance, 90% of Americans fail to get enough choline^{6, 7}. Choline plays an important role in cell structure and nervous system function⁸. Eggs also provide high-quality protein, including all nine essential amino acids the body needs for the maintenance, repair and synthesis of skeletal muscle proteins^{9, 10}.

Overall, increased egg consumption by Americans may offer an economically and nutritionally viable strategy to build healthy diets. In combination with other nutrient-rich foods, eggs offer families a practical, affordable way to add high-quality nutrition to the grocery cart.

See the American Egg Board’s Quick Recipes Using Pantry Staples and Heart-Check Certified Recipes as a resource for healthy, affordable eating.