To Eat, or Not to Eat?

For decades now, the egg has been frowned upon for its high levels of cholesterol, linking it to heart disease and high blood pressure. Recently, it is the egg yolk that has been under attack for herein lies the evil culprit: cholesterol. Its bad reputation is displayed on food labels and restaurant menus claiming their egg white scramble is a "heart-healthy" choice. But is it true that the dietary cholesterol from egg yolks go straight to your heart? Like most foods, eggs are comprised of particles that can be highly nutritious and others that may cause harm. It is overly simplistic to say eat this, don't eat that. Instead, do some of your own research and compare the data to see what works best for you.

The nutritional facts shown above were taken from the USDA website, a useful site when searching for some hard data. The nutrition facts provide general information on food content and may be all you need while doing your own investigating. Here are some things we can determine about the egg (yolk and all) just by looking at its nutritional profile:

100g or about 2 Whole eggs contain:
A healthy array of fats.
All of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, and E.
Almost all of the vitamin B12 and B6 are in the yolk.
The Calcium, Zinc and Phosphorus are also concentrated in the yolk.

When comparing the nutritional content of the whole egg to just the egg white, it is apparent that the best choice is to eat the whole thing.

More on the Yolk
In The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods author Michael Murray points out that egg yolks are one of the few foods naturally containing vitamin D. Furthermore, egg yolk is a good source of lecithin, an emulsifier of fat that improves fat digestion. It is best to cook it soft boiled or poached to ensure that you aren't getting oxidized forms of cholesterol or Lipid-peroxides.

More on Cholesterol
The latest research has begun to debunk the cholesterol myth, which is good news for us egg-lovers! The bottom line is that it isn't necessarily the eggs that are the culprit but other factors such as high levels of saturated fat and insulin that may be causing an overproduction of cholesterol. Researchers are finding that cholesterol production in the body isn't a result of dietary cholesterol after all, and are instead looking to excessive carbohydrate consumption and inadequate fat and protein which elevates insulin in the blood. To read more on this visit June Russell's website. Furthermore, research suggests that eating whole eggs may not only be okay, but it may actually improve your blood lipid (cholesterol) profile!

In northern Mexico, an area in which the diet contains a high amount of fat because of its reliance on low-cost meat products and tortillas made with hydrogenated oils, coronary artery disease is common. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers evaluated the effects of daily consumption of whole eggs on the ratio of LDL (bad) cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol, and phenotype (the way an individual's genetic possibilities are actually expressed) in 54 children (8-12 years old) from this region. A month of eating 2 eggs daily, not only did not worsen the children's ratio of LDL:HDL, which remained the same, but the size of their LDL cholesterol increased--a very beneficial change since larger LDL is much less atherogenic (likely to promote atherosclerosis) than the smaller LDL subfractions. Among children who originally had the high-risk LDL phenotype B, 15% shifted to the low-risk LDL phenotype A after just one month of eating whole eggs. (www.whfoods.org)

Not all eggs are created equal, they are only as healthy the hen. Here are some things to look for:

1) Organic, Vegetarian-fed. Just because it's vegetarian fed, it doesn't mean that its food isn't gmo & pesticide-free. Also buying Organic will ensure that you are not getting eggs loaded with antibiotics, which are often used by some producers to treat sick chickens.
2)Cage-free and local. Eggs are best fresh and why not support local business if you can. Chickens that are free to move about not only have healthier body compositions but they get to munch on real food like worms and bugs. Look for the cartons with United Egg Producers and American Humane Association logos, which indicate that producers met strict standards that require more cage space and better ventilation.
3) Look for Omega-3 enriched. These eggs contain higher levels of Omega-3 essential fatty acids because the hens are fed flaxseed and marine algae. The Omega 3s are in the yolk though, so eat that yolk!

Still an egg-white kinda guy/gal? Share what led you to this decision.