Eggs: A Dietary Friend Or An Enemy?

20 years ago they decided that the cholesterol in eggs was causing artery clogging and eggs were sent onto the no-no list.
People who eat eggs have better diets; a study showed that eggs tend to satisfy obese and overweight people more than a breakfast bagel with the same amount of calories.
Eggs increase the sense of fullness because they contain both protein and fat.
Finally, studies did not find any differences in heart disease risk between those who ate one egg a week and those who ate more than one egg a day.

Nutrition-wise

•Eggs are highly nutritious, an excellent source of protein, are about 78 calories each, and are not high in fat. That is why the cholesterol in eggs should not put them on the list of the not allowed.
•When we check the food Guide Pyramid we find that eggs are part of the protein-rich food group of fish, chicken, meat, dry beans, and nuts. 2-3 servings from this group are recommended each day. One egg would be equal to 1/3 to1/2 of a serving from this group.
•The American Heart Association recommends one egg a day, but you need to keep in track the cholesterol in that egg along with the other foods that you eat in the day. If you suffer from heart disease, high levels of LDL or diabetes you should choose a small or medium egg instead of the large ones which have more cholesterol. Keep in mind that egg whites have no cholesterol.
•A large egg will provide less than 4% of the daily calorie intake of a person eating 2,000 calories a day. It will also offer 10% of a person’s daily recommended protein, in addition to iron, B vitamins, and minerals, including folate which is essential for pregnant women.

Safety-wise

Questions have been raised about food-borne illnesses involving eggs. 1 out of 20,000 eggs might be contaminated with salmonella, (bacteria that can cause intestinal distress), In order to avoid this:
•Cook eggs thoroughly
•Store eggs appropriately in the refrigerator and eat them promptly after cooking.
•It’s better not to have the yolk runny.
•The extreme elderly and immunosuppressed people should be extra careful
• You can even get eggs that are pasteurized to kill bacteria inside the shells.

Benefits of Eggs

Benefits outweigh the risks:
•Easy to prepare in a number of different ways. They even make recipes work by thickening things.
•They are relatively cheap.
•Eggs raise the good cholesterol HDL levels
•Eggs Contain Antioxidants That Have Major Benefits for Eye Health
•They are delicious!

Christelle Bedrossian
Dietitian-Nutritionist
Beirut, Lebanon