Eggs: good or bad?

perseverance14

I eat the whole egg, hard or soft boiled or poached...love Eggland's Best brand.

Dewymorning

Eat the whole egg.

http://authoritynutrition.com/5-contenders-for-the-worst-diet-advice-ever/

perseverance14

The longest lived people on the planet eat eggs and some eat a lot of them along with variety of animal proteins and fats.......that's about as good as it gets as far as proof of longevity is concerned. Ask a vegan to supply proof when comparing a whole food non vegan diet to vegan then we'd have some comparison as opposed to comparing it to the SAD.

If you are a vegetarian (especially if you are a vegan) getting enough protein is a challenge. The ones I have known accomplish that through soy a lot of the time. I could never do this as I avoid unfermented soy as much as possible because of my thyroid disease. To each his own I guess, but I love eggs. I should be able to start eating more of them soon.

ewrob

i eat four eggs a day and have no issues..blood work always comes back near perfect at my annual physical.

end thread/

You should also consider that most diet-related diseases manifest themselves later in life for most people. Heart disease is our #1 killer and most people don't suffer noticeably from it at a young age.

My point is that you seem to be relatively young, and your health at a young age is not necessarily an indicator of what it could be later in life.

I suppose…however, I have been eating eggs like this for a few years now ..and I get my cholesterol and other blood levels checked once a year and it keeps coming back in the near "perfect" area..I would think if something were wrong that it would start to show up on said blood work ….

The longest lived people on the planet eat eggs and some eat a lot of them along with variety of animal proteins and fats.......that's about as good as it gets as far as proof of longevity is concerned. Ask a vegan to supply proof when comparing a whole food non vegan diet to vegan then we'd have some comparison as opposed to comparing it to the SAD.

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/burden-of-proof

You're making a direct claim that the longest lived people on the planet eat eggs, sometimes heavily, along with animal fats. You're making that claim with no supporting evidence, and then challenging others to prove you wrong.

It's pointless anyway, if you really eat a whole foods based diet that is mostly plants, you'll be far better off than most, although this means avoiding eating out most places as a meat-eater and preparing much of your own food similar to how a vegan might.

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182351

Why argue about which one is best when if you really follow a whole foods diet, they're both healthful? That diet looks very different from the standard diet, though. I think most people are really just looking to fit the standard diet into a healthful definition rather than make changes to make their diet healthy.

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." It's a good saying for overall health if you ask me. About my own vegan diet, I am happy that my own diet does not intentionally cause the suffering and death of any animals merely to feed me when I can get everything that I need elsewhere.

ewrob

The longest lived people on the planet eat eggs and some eat a lot of them along with variety of animal proteins and fats.......that's about as good as it gets as far as proof of longevity is concerned. Ask a vegan to supply proof when comparing a whole food non vegan diet to vegan then we'd have some comparison as opposed to comparing it to the SAD.

If you are a vegetarian (especially if you are a vegan) getting enough protein is a challenge. The ones I have known accomplish that through soy a lot of the time. I could never do this as I avoid unfermented soy as much as possible because of my thyroid disease. To each his own I guess, but I love eggs. I should be able to start eating more of them soon.

I am a vegan, and a highly active one at that, and I do not worry too much about protein. Almost all foods contain protein and I believe that as long as you eat a good variety of whole foods, (such as beans and other legumes along with dark leafy greens, other vegetables, fruits and grains) you will get enough as long as you eat enough calories.

perseverance14

I am a vegan, and a highly active one at that, and I do not worry too much about protein. Almost all foods contain protein and I believe that as long as you eat a good variety of whole foods, (such as beans and other legumes along with dark leafy greens, other vegetables, fruits and grains) you will get enough as long as you eat enough calories.

IF you make sure you get enough protein, IF being the operable word. I have known some who think they do but they don't and have issues as they age because of it, but those issues take many years of eating that way without getting enough protein to manifest. I guess I am saying if you do that, you have to make sure you get enough protein from whatever sources you get it from. It is not the diet for me, but I also have friends who do it and are careful to get all the nutrients they need, I just think the less guesswork the better (in the long run it makes a huge difference), maybe we should talk in 20 years.

ewrob

I am a vegan, and a highly active one at that, and I do not worry too much about protein. Almost all foods contain protein and I believe that as long as you eat a good variety of whole foods, (such as beans and other legumes along with dark leafy greens, other vegetables, fruits and grains) you will get enough as long as you eat enough calories.

IF you make sure you get enough protein, IF being the operable word. I have known some who think they do but they don't and have issues as they age because of it, but those issues take many years of eating that way without getting enough protein to manifest. I guess I am saying if you do that, you have to make sure you get enough protein from whatever sources you get it from. It is not the diet for me, but I also have friends who do it and are careful to get all the nutrients they need, I just think the less guesswork the better (in the long run it makes a huge difference), maybe we should talk in 20 years.

What makes you think I am not careful to get the nutrients that I need? Note that I was very careful to describe that one's diet needs to consist of a variety of whole foods. Legumes, for example, are good source of protein. Note also that I am not saying that protein is not important, but it is not so hard to get enough on a well-planned vegan diet.

How much protein do you think is needed, and why? What specific illnesses are you talking about, and what was your friend's protein intake?

I suspect that if we did speak in 20 years, I will still be a healthy weight and thriving, enjoying an active lifestyle, but we wont so why bother speculating?

keithaj1

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/egss-and-health_b_3499583.html

Eggs: They're just one of those foods. Seems like every other week there's an egg controversy.

Are they good for you, bad for you, or somewhere in between?

As a Ph.D.-trained nutritional biochemist and a full-time nutrition coach, I've long been fascinated with this debate. In fact, I've often wondered...

How did eggs get so controversial in the first place?

I guess a lot of it has to do with cholesterol. A large egg contains about 185 mg of cholesterol. And since the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a limit of 300 mg per day, eat two eggs and you've exceeded that limit.

(Cue up the post-breakfast guilt and shame.)

So, eggs are bad then?

Not so fast. There happens to be a problem with the AHA's recommendation. It assumes that when you eat more cholesterol (from eggs and other animal foods), your blood cholesterol increases.

Assume that and, of course, it makes sense to eat fewer eggs. Your blood cholesterol would be lower. Your heart and arteries would stay healthier for longer.

But here's the AHA's dirty little secret: Your body doesn't work that way.

Indeed, the research consistently and reliably shows that the cholesterol you eat has very little impact on how much cholesterol is in your blood.

If that sounds weird, maybe this will help...

You see, your body makes cholesterol. Lots of it, in fact. Every single day you produce between 1 and 2 grams of it on your own. (That's 5-10 times the cholesterol in a large egg.)

The interesting twist? When you eat more cholesterol from foods like eggs, your body produces less of it. And when you eat less cholesterol from foods like eggs, your body produces more.

That's because you have a cholesterol "set point." Think of it like a thermostat that's largely determined by your genetics, exercise habits, and stress. Funny enough, diet plays a surprisingly small role.

And here's another thing... cholesterol isn't so bad for you anyway.

In fact, cholesterol happens to be one of the most important nutrients in your body.

It's in every cell membrane (outer layer). It's a requirement for growth (in infants and adults). And it's required for the production of many hormones.

If all this is true, then why do so many people tell you to avoid eggs?

Simple: Egg paranoia has been based on the old assumption that eating the yolks will raise blood cholesterol (and increase your risk for artery and heart disease).

And even though the research has disproven the hypothesis -- for most of the population -- the medical community has been slow to reverse recommendations.

Of course, I get it. Most of us aren't in a rush to admit we're wrong. Especially when we've been wrong for years. And on the world's largest stage.

Regardless, researchers have looked at the diets of hundreds of thousands of people. And they've suggested that consuming eggs every day is not associated with cholesterol problems or heart disease.

(There's only one possible exception here: diabetics and the 0.2 percent of the population with familial hypercholesterolemia. More research has to be done to confirm this.)

Interestingly, in controlled trials -- the best kind of research -- where people were instructed to eat up to three eggs per day while on a weight loss diet, good things happened.

These folks lost weight, decreased inflammation and either maintained or improved their blood cholesterol levels.

(They were consuming 555 mg of cholesterol every day from eggs alone!)

Bottom line: Unless you have diabetes or a rare genetic disorder, eating a few eggs every day is not bad for you.

Interestingly, there's a more important question here that few people ever think to ask...

Could eating whole eggs every day (including the yolks) actually be good for you?

A lot of experts think so.

You see, egg yolks are one of the most nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich and vitamin-laden foods on the planet! (Compared to the yolks, the whites are pretty much protein and water.)

Egg yolks contain 90 percent of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, pantothenic acid and B12 of the egg. In addition the yolk contains all of the fat-soluble components, such as vitamins A, D and E, not to mention the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Egg yolks are also a rich source of some other very interesting nutrients such as choline, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Choline is essential for cardiovascular and brain function. Eating more of it may mean mean less inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimers, and more.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are the major antioxidants in eggs. They protect the eyes by filtering harmful light wavelengths and lowering risk of macular degeneration.

Indeed, those people eating only egg whites -- or avoiding eggs entirely -- are missing out on many of these key nutrients.

But, is there ever a time to ditch the yolks?

There probably is. For some; but not most.

We already discussed diabetics and those with familial hypercholesterolemia. For those individuals, it's probably best not to eat three eggs every single day.

For athletes competing in weight-class sports, every calorie counts. When cutting weight, removing the yolks can help keep protein higher (which helps preserves muscle mass) while keeping calories lower.

(Each egg yolk contains 6 g of fat and 54 kcal. So even though they're full of nutrients, they still do contain calories.)

And one more consideration: people on high sugar and high carbohydrate diets.

Of course, diets high in sugar aren't ideal, whether you eat eggs or not. But, eat a lot of carbohydrates, sugar, and fat (from eggs or any other high fat / high cholesterol food) and many disease risks go up.

In the end -- for most people -- eggs won't increase blood cholesterol or the risk of heart or artery disease.

In fact, assuming the diet's not high in sugar or carbs, eggs are probably even an awesome addition to the diet.

However, there's no reason to get crazy -- as some have done -- and try to convince everyone to eat whole eggs every single day. I, for one, don't even do that myself.

That's not because I'm afraid of eggs, mind you. I actually like them and think they're great for me. Rather, it's because I vary my diet, rarely eating the same foods every single day.

And that's really my hope for everyone interested in better health:
•Avoid sensationalistic food fads (like banning eggs)
•Eat a varied diet of nutrient-rich whole foods (including eggs)
•Seek out the help of a coach when more fine-tuning is required


John Berardi, Ph.D., is a founder of Precision Nutrition, the world's largest online nutrition coaching company. In the last 5 years, Dr. Berardi and his team have personally helped over 20,000 people lose over 300,000 pounds of body fat through their renowned coaching program, Lean Eating.

lizzyclatworthy

I only have yolks when it is needed to bind but that is personal preference. I have always given my yolk away if I have one on my plate.
I am very popular at breakfast!

Blessed9jaBeauty

Personally, I L????VE EGGS... Especially Scrambled, Omelets and Scottish. I've never tried, nor had the desire to just consume whites. Basically, if loving eggs is wrong, then I don't want to be right Excellent loss btw:flowerforyou:

Makoce

I eat 2 or 3 almost every day, maybe more. :flowerforyou:

ewrob

If you are going to post links to back up what you believe at least make an attempt to post things from unbiased sources.

It never ceases to amaze me how someone can suddenly decide it's time to do something about their health, become vegan and then use nothing but vegan websites and articles to support why their way is superior.

If you actually viewed the article you would see that there are 42 references cited from publications and studies that are not biased towards a vegan perspective. The whole thing is basically summarizing and presenting information on disease markers in populations divided by diet based on the result of scientific study.

Would you feel better about it if I instead posted the referenced studies and then asked you to spend hours reading them for the pertinent information? Well, I'm not going to take the time to do that because we both know there is no changing your mind, no matter how compelling my response.

ewrob

Also, yes you did say it wasn't necessary. Then you provide a "random article"

If you bothered to read the article, you might find that it addressed LDL/HDL cholesterol levels in vegan, vegetarian, semi-vegetarian and meat eating populations.

You really aren't impressing me in terms of ability to have a rational discussion here. You just want to believe what you want to believe, so why should I waste the time going further into it?

ewrob

Also, yes you did say it wasn't necessary. Then you provide a "random article"

If you bothered to read the article, you might find that it addressed LDL/HDL cholesterol levels in vegan, vegetarian, semi-vegetarian and meat eating populations.

You really aren't impressing me in terms of ability to have a rational discussion here. You just want to believe what you want to believe, so why should I waste the time going further into it?

I'm not here to impress you. You are the one person in the whole thread on the side of it being bad so actually it's your job to impress us. We are not impressed.

I have not taken a stance in this conversation on eggs. You're just making assumptions about what positions I have taken because I used the word vegan.

Here's what I have said:

1. Just because you feel healthy now doesn't mean you will later.
2. Dietary intake of cholesterol is not necessary for our health. I did substantiate that with an article that you again dismissed because the URL happens to contain the word vegan. If I felt that I was discussing this with someone who was willing to read and consider views that they do not share, I might be willing to expound upon that further.
3. I posted an article in response to neanderthin discussing a whole-foods diet being optimal for our health, this article that you probably also didn't read talks about different diet philosophies all containing positive attributes and that we will arrive at good health as a nation if we take the good points from all of them rather than drawing lines in the sand and fighting about it. For reference, they included many different diets, including low carb, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, and others.

I shouldn't have to write this summary for you, but since you are clearly not reading what I have written, it is sadly necessary.

As a side note, I have lost probably more than your entire body weight in 13 months as a vegan. You might learn something if you were willing to consider new ideas. I'm glad that I was when I was morbidly obese.

wahmx3

I love eggs and only eat the entire thing, too much nutrition to only do the white!

JenniTheVeggie

Lots of good info already posted. If you like them...eat them. They are full of nutrition. I go through phases where I can't stand to even crack one. I will use egg beaters in recipes sometimes too.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

I am allergic to egg yolks; therefore, I only eat egg whites. (And, yes, that's the result of a medical test.) An allergy is the only reason I would recommend avoiding eggs. They really are good for you and I wish I could eat the yolks - it would go a long way to solving my problem with getting enough protein.