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““Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving””
— Albert Einstein
Eggs: A Friend Or A Foe?

Eggs: A Friend Or A Foe?

Taya Bregant
Nutrition

Eggs have for a while been considered a hot topic in the world of nutrition and health experts, largely being debated about their cholesterol content and wether this still makes them a safe addition into our diet.

Although the research is quite varied but also largely conclusive, I have wanted to condense this miss-conception of wether eggs are good for us - a friend or a foe - and if so, why? Lets see what eggs have to offer for our health and how they impact it.

As always, I hope you find this discussion interesting and that you are able to learn something new about eggs today.

NUTRITIONAL BREAKDOWN


A single egg contains enough nutrients to transform a single fertilized cell into a fully developed baby chicken once it hatches. This means that eggs are and have to be packed with a variety of nutrients to be able to support all of the different stages of development that new life requires.

On average, a single egg contains the following nutritional information:

  • 70 - 80 calories

  • Protein 6g

  • Total fats 5g

  • Carbohydrates 0g

  • Vitamin B12: 10% of RDA

  • Vitamin B2: 15% of RDA

  • Vitamin D: 1.2 mcg

  • Selenium: 20% of RDA

  • Choline: 170 mg

  • Cholesterol: 200 mg

It is also important to realize that all of the nutrients apart from protein are found within the yolk part of the egg while the egg whites contain only protein. Therefore it is best to eat both parts of the egg to ensure that we get in all of the available nutrients.

THE CONTROVERSY

Eggs have for a long time now been viewed negatively due to their considerable cholesterol content of around 200 mg per egg which provides roughly 77% of our daily cholesterol limit.

However, for many years it was believed that eating dietary cholesterol increases your blood cholesterol, but in reality this relationship is much more compacted and rather depends on a lot of other factors.

Modern day studies do not believe that dietary cholesterol alone raises your blood cholesterol profile however eating high amount of saturated fats together with high cholesterol foods regularly, can increase your chances of cardiovascular issues. For example, if you eat eggs with greasy bacon every day for breakfast, that may not be the best dietary choice for you long term.

This is especially a great issue today because a lot more highly processed foods are nowadays available that are not only high in saturated fats, but also high in sodium, sugars and other chemicals while being low in other healthy sources of fats like mono and poly unsaturated fats (Eg: olive oil). Due to the quite high saturated fat content of todays processed foods, cholesterol rich foods like eggs can become an issue down the line, so to avoid that, you can still include eggs in your diet however make sure to consume them with a varied and balanced whole foods diet on the side.

So to summarize, if you currently have some sort of heart condition or heath issue, be more mindful of your saturated fat consumption than being worried about cholesterol, because eating high amounts of saturated fat has been clinically shown to increase blood cholesterol levels however dietary cholesterol alone does not, because your liver compensates for it. This is not to say that we don't need any saturated fat, because a little here and there is fine, its just that the issue arises when we eat a lot of it regularly.

Enjoy eating 1-2 eggs per day together with healthy sources of fats, some vegetables or fruits and some complex carbohydrates so you shouldn't have anything to worry about then.

WHY EGGS ARE AMAZING FOR YOU



Improve Your Blood Cholesterol Profile

Compared to other foods, eggs are considered to have a considerable amount of dietary cholesterol, around 210 mg of cholesterol per egg.

As we have discussed previously, people have for a long time demonized eggs for their cholesterol content because it was believed that dietary cholesterol increases the cholesterol in our blood, however this cause and effect relationship is not so simple but rather much more complex.

Studies from recent years have instead demonstrated that dietary sources of cholesterol such as that found in eggs, have a minimal effect on the cholesterol within our blood. This is supported by the fact that our liver naturally produces some cholesterol each day, and the amount that it makes is dependent on how much of cholesterol we get in through food.

For example, if you obtain more cholesterol than you need from your diet, then you liver will respond by producing less cholesterol and vice versa.

Additionally, studies are acclaiming that eggs have a good effect on your cholesterol profile because they have the ability to raise HDL cholesterol while being able to transform the LDL bad type of cholesterol into a different less harmful form that does not contribute to heart disease as much as the LDL type. Therefore, there is research out there to support the belief that eggs do not raise your risk of heart disease or stroke but have also been found to reduce insulin resistance.



Beneficial for brain health

Choline is a very important nutrient for us however its importance is often times under rated and is instead grouped among the B vitamins.

Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, carrying around 110 mg of choline per egg, which is around 6% of our daily need of choline. Choline is needed for various different functions in our body such as synthesizing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, creating healthy cell membranes as well as regulating our mood, memory and nervous system functions. Overall, covering our choline needs ensures good brain health along side ensuring good memory and muscle control.


A Source Of High Quality Protein

Proteins serve various different purposes in our body, both structural and functional, where they are constructed from 21 different available amino acid types, sort of like beads on a string. This string of amino acids is recognized as a polypeptide and is then folded into a variety of different shapes to match its function.

The catch is that 9 of these amino acids are essential amino acids and thus can not be produced by our bodies alone, so we have to intake them through our food.

Eggs are considered to be a fully complete protein because they contain all of the essential amino acids what we need in the correct proportions, where 1 egg carries around 6g of protein.


Amazing For Our Eye Health

Egg yolks contain two powerful types of antioxidants, namely lutein and zeaxanthin which have potent protective properties for our eyes.

These two antioxidants tend to collect and accumulate in the retina of our eyes, which is the sensory part of eyes, and there they protect us from harmful sunlight. Furthermore, they also prevent against age related eye conditions such as reducing the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.


Could Help With Fat Loss

Eggs are low in carbohydrates while being relatively high in protein and fat making them very satiating food sources which as a result causes us to be less hungry and intake less food, so eggs can be beneficial for those who wish to loose weight.

Adding some protein and fats to each meal is a great way to ensure you are not only getting in all of your nutrients but also making sure you stay full for longer.


Affordable Source Of Protein

Eggs are not only a complete source of protein but they are also incredible affordable compared to other protein sources. Furthermore eggs can last in your fridge for several weeks along with being incredibly versatile for both savory and sweet uses, along with being great for your health too.


Good For Our Skin And Hair

Eggs are known for being a good source of several B vitamins, including vitamins B2, B5 and B12. Apart from other functions, B vitamins are also needed for maintaining healthy hair and skin while eggs also provide certain amino acids that improve the elasticity and strength of our skin and nails. As was discussed in THIS blog post, we need to intake B vitamins every day because they are water soluble and are thus washed out by our body each day and so they have to be replenished more often than fat soluble vitamins.


Promotes Good Bone Health

An individual egg provides around 6% of our daily vitamin D requirements, where vitamin D is a crucial component of regulating blood pressure, reducing the risk of certain cancer and also being important for good mental health. Other than that, vitamin D is of course also crucial for maintaining healthy bones by ensuring adequate calcium absorption and maintaining our calcium and phosphorus levels in a healthy range that promotes bone growth.

WHAT KINDS OF EGGS TO BUY?

Nowadays you can find different types of eggs being available on supermarket shelves, varying in sizes, quality and price. Depending on how the hens are raised and what kind of feed they are given, this will also impact the quality of their eggs.

Free range/ pastured eggs and omega 3 enriched eggs are considered to be a slightly healthier choice when compared with caged hens however they are also a bit more expensive.

If you find that you rather stick to regular eggs, they are still a good choice and source of nutrients, so no need to worry.

STORAGE AND FOOD SAFETY OF EGGS

When it comes to handling raw eggs, it is important to be mindful of a couple of things, to avoid getting salmonella poisoning since this bacterium can be transformed from an infected hen into its eggs or could also enter directly through the pores that are found on the egg shell.

So, make sure to watch out for the following couple of things:

  • Make sure to use up eggs within 4-6 weeks after their sell by date to avoid any complications later on

  • Avoid buying packages that contain cracked eggs since this can increase the chances of bacterial contamination

  • Refrigerate eggs within their carton in the coldest section of the fridge

  • When cooking eggs, cook them until the whites and yolks have solidified to avoid any food borne illnesses. If using eggs for raw or undercooked egg recipes, use eggs that have been pasteurized which have already been processed with high temperature for food safety.

  • Avoid having cooked eggs or egg dished sitting at room temrpature for more than two hours

  • Wash hands and surfaces that have come in contact with raw eggs

🔑  KEY IDEAS

Today we are discussing the largely debated topic of eggs and why has there been such a debate around them wether they are actually good for us. We discuss why eggs can be incredibly nutritious and amazing for our health while explaining the different types of eggs you can buy and how to properly use and store eggs.

✏️ REFERENCES

Your Guide To Intuitive Eating

Your Guide To Intuitive Eating

Walking - The Most Underrated Form Of Movement

Walking - The Most Underrated Form Of Movement

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