All About Eggs

It seems that there a lot of myths going around about including eggs in your diet. My grandfather used to have an egg every morning, and he attributed his good health to this (in addition to a glass of wine each night).  However, I also had those aunts and uncles who criticized my grandfather for being so “careless” about his health, especially his cholesterol level. So what’s the deal, are eggs healthy or not?

The biggest concern most people have about eggs is the amount of cholesterol they contain. It’s true, eggs contain a high amount of cholesterol. There’s no denying it. However, the cholesterol does not go “straight into your bloodstream” as many people like to claim. Only a small amount of cholesterol contained in food actually adds to these levels. Saturated and trans fats have a much larger effect on blood cholesterol levels than cholesterol. Studies have shown that eating eggs is not linked to heart disease except in special cases (particularly those involving diabetes). Even so, the cholesterol is only contained in the yolk, so those who are truly concerned about cholesterol level can simply eat the egg whites, though the yolk is truly a powerhouse for many essential nutrients.

If you don’t have a cholesterol problem, eating an egg a day (including the yolk) is not too much, and is in fact a healthy decision. Eggs are a great source of many vitamins (A, D, E, B₁, B₂, B₆, B₁₂) as well as minerals (folate, B5, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc). They also have healthful, unsaturated fats.

Protein that comes from animals such as meat, fish, and poultry are complete proteins (with the exception of gelatin). However, this makes getting complete proteins a bit more challenging for vegetarians. Fortunately, vegetarians can find complete proteins in eggs. Eggs carry the nine essential amino acids that your body needs.

The truth about eggs is that they are, overall, a healthy addition to/part of your diet. One should be wary about consuming a high number of them each day, but this is true for nearly every other food.