Read on to dispel the myths about eggs…
For decades, people have been wary about eating eggs. Since the discovery of cholesterol and its link to heart conditions, all high cholesterol foods–including eggs–have been demonized. We have been taught to avoid eating too many eggs for fear of the high fat content of those eggs, believing they would cause heart attack and stroke. Boy, were we wrong!
In 2015, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shattered everything we believed about eggs and their potential for causing cardiac problems. According to the study, you can eat as many eggs as you want without worry about the risks…
The study took pre-diabetic and diabetic patients, all of whom were overweight or obese, and fed them either 12 eggs per week (a high egg diet) or 2 eggs per week (a low egg diet). The low-egg diet group ate the same amount of protein (getting more protein from other sources), and the only difference between the two groups was the number of eggs they ate each week.
By the end of the study, both of the groups showed similar blood lipid (fat) profiles. Not only did the eggs NOT affect the participants cholesterol levels, but those who consumed a lot of eggs reported feeling more satisfied and less hungry after each meal. Their total cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels remained the same–the only change was in their feeling of satiety.
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All this goes to show that eggs are no longer a food to be feared! Make no mistake, high cholesterol IS a serious threat, and it can cause heart attacks. But what you need to understand is that there are two kinds of cholesterol: dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol.
Serum cholesterol is the stuff that floats around in your blood. It’s produced in your liver, and it’s injected into your bloodstream in order to carry out the many functions for which it is produced. If your serum cholesterol levels rise, you could be in serious trouble thanks to the fact that it is what causes heart problems.
But dietary cholesterol, on the other hand, has very minimal effect on your serum cholesterol levels. You can eat a lot of high-cholesterol foods, and it will only marginally affect the amount of cholesterol floating in your bloodstream. It will deliver a hefty dose of fatty acids (leading to obesity), but the dietary cholesterol itself will not affect your serum cholesterol in any significant way.
So does this mean you can enjoy all the eggs you want without worrying about side effects? In terms of calories, no. You eat too many eggs, and you’ll still gain weight. But in terms of your cholesterol levels, you can enjoy eggs without worrying about their affecting your heart.
And as a bonus, you’ll find that eggs are PACKED with antioxidants that can do wonders for the health of your heart and body overall. For example, eggs contain a lot of choline, a B vitamin that plays a role in your metabolism and brain function. Without choline, you feel lazy, your memory suffers, and you develop a “brain fog”. By eating more eggs, you get more of this important B vitamin. Eggs are also an amazing source of zeaxanthin and lutein, two antioxidants that play a role in your eye health and vision. Tyrosine and tryptophan are also found in eggs, and they can boost your heart health and fight off cancer.
All that to say, eggs are no longer the “devil food” they were once believed to be! If you want to be healthy and lose weight, it’s a good idea to eat more eggs.
