Eggs, the Incredible Edible or the Terrible Unrepairable?

I had an aversion to over easy eggs...thought they looked gross until tried Eggs Benedict for the first time and realized what I had been missing all these years!

It's  hard to come by a person that doesn't like eggs.  I've been known to eat them breakfast, lunch, or dinner. (Note, I did not say breakfast, lunch, and dinner) (Oh dear I just said "Note"...for all you people studying or who have studied the Inman review, I apologize) Eggs are an inexpensive form of protein, quick to whip up, versatile, and delicious.   So why the bad rap?  Egg yolks contain cholesterol, as do all animal sources.  Our body makes most of the cholesterol we need, and the remaining small portion comes from food we eat1.  Heard of HDL and LDL cholesterol? They both have to do with our total cholesterol, but one is good (HDL) and one is bad (LDL).  I remember this by thinking that we want HDL to be high and LDL to be low.  Eating foods high in cholesterol, such as egg yolks, can increase your LDL (remember, we want this number to be low)1.  Refer to this American Heart Association article here for more info on HDL & LDL.  One egg yolk contains 215 mg cholesterol2, the most current USDA guidelines recommend less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day3.  Considering cholesterol can be found in anything that comes from an animal, starting your day with multiple yolks doesn't leave much room (or any at all) for other foods with cholesterol.

Ugh, did that just break your heart?  Remember, the yolk contains the cholesterol, not the white.  So have one whole egg, and two whites. (Two egg whites=one whole egg)  I do that for scrambles because I like the yolk color.  Or you could do egg substitutes.  I find these incredible easy to use (1/4 c=1 egg). I would also like to note the redeeming qualities of the egg, such as choline and selenium which can be found here.  Eggs are not the enemy.  However, if someone has history of heart disease or existing high cholesterol, talk to your doctor for specific recommendations.

I recently found a study comparing the effects of eating egg yolks and smoking cigarettes to heart disease4.  It caught my attention, but with studies it is so important to look at details.  In this case, it's important to remember that the subjects were over 40 years old and referred to a vascular prevention clinic, most after having a stroke or TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack, it's like a mini stroke).  This is not a good representation of the general public.  Therefore, this study can't relate to the general public even though it will grab the general public's attention easily.  

So is there a magic number? Recommendations vary.  When I interned at a diabetes outpatient center, no more than 3 yolks per week were recommended.  This recommendation is shared by some of my sources as well2,5.

As an ending thought, I really liked what a Harvard School of Public Health article had to say about egg consumption, supporting the idea that health is with moderation, "To your cardiovascular system, scrambled eggs, salsa, and a whole wheat English muffin are a far different meal than scrambled eggs with cheese, sausages, home fries, and white toast"5.  For me, this means I can have an egg over easy, just one, but I pair it with whole grain toast, spinach and tomatoes.  If I want to have bacon and eggs, I do whites. Moderation, moderation, moderation!


1 About cholesterol.  American Heart Association. 15 July 2013. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/About-Cholesterol_UCM_001220_Article.jsp Accessed 11 March 2014
2 Eggs, are they good or bad for you? Nutrition411.  February 2011. http://www.nutrition411.com/component/k2/item/1650-eggs-are-they-good-for-you-or-bad-for-you. Accessed 11 March 2014
3 Dietary guidelines for Americans 2010.  United States Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Health and Human Sources.  December 2010.  http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf.  Accessed 11 March 2014
4 Egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque J. David Spence, David J.A. Jenkins, Jean Davignon Atherosclerosis 1 October 2012 (volume 224 issue 2 Pages 469-473 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2012.07.032) Accessed 11 March 2014
5 Eggs and heart disease.  Harvard School of Public Health.  http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/eggs/Accessed 14 March 2014