If you think you need to avoid eggs. Think again. They are a whole food with eggsquisite nutritional value. After all, an egg contains everything needed for the nourishment of a developing chick. I know, but what about the cholesterol??
Yes, one egg contains 213 mg cholesterol and the limit for dietary cholesterol as set by the AHA in 1970 is 300 mg. YIKES! But wait there's more, it's 2010, so please read on before you write off this eggstraordinary food.
Early studies looked at cholesterol in food, instead of saturated or trans fats. Most high cholesterol foods are also high in saturated fats. Not so with eggs. For eggsample, one egg has 75 calories and 1.5 grams saturated fat vs. a 3.5 ounce lean hamburger with 268 calories and 7 grams of saturated fat.
More recent studies have determined that people whose diet is low in fat can eat one or two eggs a day; without measurable changes in their blood cholesterol levels. However, if your egg is accompanied with a pile of greasy bacon and sausage and buttered toast, well, it doesn't take an egghead to identify the culprit.
Here's the take away that new science is telling us. It is the saturated fat in the diet, not dietary cholesterol that influences blood cholesterol levels the most. Apparently, the biggest egg eaters are the Japanese, and they don't have high rates of heart disease. Have you ever eaten a Japanese breakfast? I have, and no yolk, it's pressed fish, miso, a boiled egg, and no, no, no sugary breads, cereals, or fatty meats. So let us eat eggs!
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| Benefits of the Eggceptional Egg follows: |
6 grams of perfect protein (eggs have all 8 eggssential amino acids)
Rich source of Vitamins A, E, K, B2, B12, B5; selenium
Vitamin D (one of the few foods that provide this important vitamin!)
are there significant differences in only eating egg whites? i eat an egg white sandwich for breakfast every morning, and don't really now why i leave out the yolk????
ReplyDeleteThe yolk is where all the nutrients are (too many to list. . .antioxidants, anti- inflammatory) and the white has most of the protein. The perfect protein has 8 amino acids and to get all 8 from an egg you need both the white and the yolk.
ReplyDeleteIf you are concerned about cholesterol you might treat yourself to the whole egg on days you know your diet is going to be pretty clean. If you know it's a day you're going to indulge then go for the white only.
great info, thanks!
ReplyDelete