“Are Whole Eggs Good Or Bad For You?”
Shock horror why do some people say eggs nutrition are the perfect food? Because eggs are a great source of high quality protein…
Did you give up yolks because of cholesterol concerns?
Ok…so you’re thinking are eggs good or bad for you?
This might come as a surprise if you think eggs are fattening or unhealthy…
Keep reading this eye-opening article, because it’s good to understand myths and lies behind eggs nutrition…
Dear Friend,
Confused about the changing health advice on cholesterol and eggs…
A recent study by the Rochester Center for Obesity Research found eating eggs helps limit calorie intake!
By more than 400 calories…
That means you could lose three pounds or more per month.
More than half the protein of an egg is found in the white with vitamin B2.
There are lower amounts of fat and cholesterol than the yolk…
The whites are rich sources of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12, minerals, zinc, iron, copper.
Do you still think egg yolks are terrible for you?
Perhaps that’s where all the nasty fat and cholesterol?
But just maybe you mean that’s where all of the nutrition is…
You see, most people are confused about nutrition.
In a world full of misinformation somehow most people mistakenly think egg yolks are the worst part of the egg.
In fact, the yolk is the healthiest part of the egg.
Do eggs cause high cholesterol?
A 2011 study in the journal Food Chemistry found regular egg consumption with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease…
Stroke and cancer because of their high levels of antioxidants.
Do saturated fats raise blood cholesterol?
LDL cholesterol is affected by diet.
Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol…
And which ones don’t is the first step in lowering risk of heart disease.
Your body naturally produces LDL cholesterol.
Eating saturated fat and in particular trans fat raises your blood cholesterol level even further.
Are you really still living in the 80’s?
Does it make sense to discard the yolk and only eat egg whites?
Essentially, you’re throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin, mineral part of the egg.
The yolks contain B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients…
Why whole eggs are good for you?
Eggs are loaded with high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals, good fats…
And various trace nutrients as already mentioned.
One large egg contains 77 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein with all 9 essential amino acids.
Rich in iron, phosphorous, selenium and vitamins A, B12, B2 and B5 (among others).
In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to yolks.
Even the protein in egg whites isn’t as powerful without the yolks to balance out amino acid profile.
This makes the protein more bio-available.
Loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids…
Yolks contain more than 90% of calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, B12…
And all important panthothenic acid.
Yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg.
As well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).
When people maintained their normal diet but ate more eggs (1-3 eggs per day)…
Their LDL cholesterol reduced by 10.9 percent.
HDL increased by 4.4 percent and they had a 7.7+ percent lower LDL/ HDL ratio.
They also showed higher levels of vitamin D, choline, and selenium…
And a 20-31 percent increase in lutein and zeaxanthin.
When you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs…
The body will regulates it’s internal production of cholesterol to balance it out.
If you don’t eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more cholesterol.
Does cholesterol provide dozens of important vital functions in the body?
Numerous studies have shown eating whole eggs raises good HDL cholesterol.
To a higher degree than LDL cholesterol…
That means it’s improving overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.
Cholesterol is actually an important factor for vital functions…
The “lower your cholesterol” is a pharmaceutical propaganda that almost everyone has embraced.
Listen, yolks contain antioxidant lutein which helps protect from inflammation within the body.
The real culprit in heart disease is not dietary cholesterol.
A University of Connecticut study for a group of men ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb…
Higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%…
While their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study.
However, the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either.
And did not see the improvement in good cholesterol…
Higher HDL levels are associated with lower risk of heart disease!
So are whole eggs far superior to egg whites?
What about the extra calories in the yolks?
Egg whites are a low-calorie, fat-free food.
They contain the bulk of the egg’s protein.
The egg white contains about 4 grams of protein, 55 mg of sodium and only 17 calories.
And even though egg yolks contain more calories than just eating egg whites…
Yolks provide a much higher micronutrient density in those calories.
That means it increases overall nutrient density per calorie consumed.
Essentially, what this does is help to regulate appetite throughout the day.
You end up eating less calories overall.
In addition, healthy fats in the egg yolks help to maintain a good level of fat-burning hormones in your body.
This means the extra healthy fats and calories from yolk are so nutrient-dense they help burn off body fat!
Do eggs suck?
Hopefully you know eggs are healthy for you.
Do NOT be afraid of eating eggs…
Either farm fresh or free-range eggs.
Egg yolks are the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg.
Yolks contain B-vitamins, trace minerals, folate, choline, lutein…
EVERY one of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K….
As well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).
And if you’re concerned about the cholesterol, don’t be.
It has been PROVEN cholesterol in the diet…
Doesn’t specifically raise the cholesterol in blood.
In fact, whole eggs have been shown through university research to raise the GOOD cholesterol.
And are NOT associated with increased risk of heart disease.
Whole eggs are one of the healthiest foods on the planet…
Just make sure you boil…
If you cook eggs use healthy oils like coconut.
Remember not all eggs are created equally…
Supermarket eggs are made from mass factory farming.
These eggs just don’t compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens.
Chicken that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet.
The typical cheap grocery store eggs will have lower nutrient levels.
And a higher omega-6 level and lower omega-3 level.
Cage-free organic eggs from healthier chickens eat more natural feed and roam freely.
These eggs have higher vitamin and mineral levels, more balanced healthier omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.
Most people don’t realize there’s a major difference…
If you compare eggs from the grocery store…
You’ll notice they’re pale yellow yolks and thin weak shells.
Healthier free range eggs from local farm have strong thick shells and deep orange colored yolks.
This shows much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids…
The fact is free-roaming chickens get plenty of room to move around.
They are also foraging the land eating a variety of greens, insects, worms, etc…
Transferring higher levels of nutrients to the eggs compared to an unhealthy hen that is trapped inside a cage.
A dark factory farm hen lives in horrendous conditions.
Fed nothing but piles of corn and soy.
It’s a significant difference in the quality of nutrition you get from the egg.
You now understand the real deal about egg yolks.
You’re far better off eating the whole egg with all the delicious nutrient-dense yolks.
Another interesting recent study about eggs…
Compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs groups of people that ate cereal or bagel-based breakfasts.
The results of the study showed egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier body weight…
While the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight.
Why did the egg eaters actually eat less calories during remainder of the day?
Simply because their appetite was more satisfied compared to cereal/bagel eaters.
The answer boils down to blood sugar spikes and food cravings.
In conclusion…
As part of a healthy balanced diet you can eat up to 6 eggs each week without increasing the risk of heart disease.
Eggs nutrition provides 75 calories, 7 grams of high-quality protein…
5 grams of fat, 1.6 grams of saturated fat, iron, vitamins, minerals and carotenoids.
Yes! The egg is a powerhouse of disease-fighting nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin.
Eggs are highly nutritious and a misunderstood food.
Yes, they do contain 170-200 mg of cholesterol and 5 g of fat (1.5 g saturated, the rest monounsaturated).
But also contain high quality protein, vitamins A, B12, D and folate, choline and arginine.
The most of these beneficial nutrients are contained in the egg yolk!
Enjoy your eggs, get a healthy and leaner body!
Sources:
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Missimer A, et al. Consuming Two Eggs per Day, as Compared to an Oatmeal Breakfast, Increases Plasma Ghrelin while Maintaining the LDL/HDL Ratio. Nutrients. 2017;9(2).
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DiMarco DM, et al. Intake of up to 3 Eggs/Day Increases HDL Cholesterol and Plasma Choline While Plasma Trimethylamine-N-oxide is Unchanged in a Healthy Population. Lipids. 2017.
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Kishimoto Y, et al. The Effect of the Consumption of Egg on Serum Lipids and Antioxidant Status in Healthy Subjects. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2016;62(5):361-5.
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Fuller NR, et al. Egg Consumption and Human Cardio-Metabolic Health in People with and without Diabetes. Nutrients. 2015;7(9):7399-420.
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Fuller NR, et al. The effect of a high-egg diet on cardiovascular risk factors in people with type 2 diabetes: the Diabetes and Egg (DIABEGG) study-a 3-mo randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;101(4):705-13.
Eggs Nutrition
