Eggs: good protein or bad cholesterol source?

ATXrunner
ATXrunner Posts: 41
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
Hello all,

I'm a big believer in a good breakfast every morning. Lately, about 4 times per week, in addition to my wheat english muffin, I make a "veggie scramble" with various veggies and one whole egg & two egg whites. I figure that eggs are a great protein source to recover from my morning runs. I noticed recently, however, that one yolk alone is my total allotted cholesterol intake for the day (230 mg).

Should I be concerned about raising my cholesterol? Are eggs high in HDL (good) cholesterol or LDL (bad) cholesterol/triglycerides? Should I just stick to all egg white omelets/scrambles from now on? I guess I've never thought about this before; I'm a 29 year old gal who used to think that only older men had to worry about this stuff... guess I was wrong!

Replies

  • burner
    burner Posts: 72 Member
    I've always thought that too many eggs were bad for yuo - and going over your daily cholesterol isn't good!

    If you want to up your protein buy some shakes - Maximuscle do a good 'diet' shake that I'm using...or just get a whey protein shake.

    defo lower in cholesterol...

    :)
  • jenlhugg
    jenlhugg Posts: 141 Member
    I don't think it is bad unless you are eating a lot more cholesterol during the day. I find that most things I eat during the day have hardly any if any at all cholesterol. I guess it just depends on how the rest of your day goes. I am not for sure if the cholesterol in the egg is the good or bad kind or not?
  • scarecrow41
    scarecrow41 Posts: 116
    I'm sure this is going to be unpopular here, but there are SEVERAL studies that indicate dietary cholesterol has little to no impact on bood cholesterol.

    I eat 3-4 eggs a day and my blood work is all very good.
  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
    There is lots of evidence that suggests egg cholesterol does not influence serum cholesterol levels. That said, I use 1 whole egg with yolk and mix with 2-3 egg whites. I do this less for the cholesterol, however, and more for the calories.
  • rtmama
    rtmama Posts: 403 Member
    cholesterol that occurs naturally in food, isn't the same as cholesterol made in your body from trans and saturated fats. Your body needs cholesterol!!!!

    I see no problem with eating eggs a few times a week. I try to eat 1.5 to 2 eggs about 3 times per week.

    If you think there might be a problem, then use a couple of egg whites with one whole egg, like you are doing. But in my opinion, eggs are getting a bad rap...of course though, I try to buy local, organic free range eggs.
  • shirk13
    shirk13 Posts: 8
    I use egg beaters which have no fat nor cholesterol. You can always make up the protein in other low cholesterol ways. 2oz of tuna for example have only 25 mg of cholesterol and 11g of protein.
  • Sunsh1ne
    Sunsh1ne Posts: 879 Member
    If you're really worried, look for eggs from free-range chickens. Studies have shown that chickens who forage for roughly half of their food produce eggs that are actually lower in total cholesterol, and higher in "good" cholesterol, as well as other good nutrients. Plus you know the chickens are being kept humanely, and generally you're supporting a small, independent farm instead of a big, corporate farm, and most likely a local farm as well. All good things!

    The key with anything is moderation. Four egg yolks in a week won't hurt you, especially since natural cholesterol sources are easier on your body than highly processed cholesterol sources - as others have pointed out, there's evidence that dietary cholesterol has less of an impact on your body than foods your digestive process turns into cholesterol. Keep in mind that nutritional science today is where surgical science was in, say, the 17th century. Very interesting, but still in the dark about a lot of things and far from perfect.
  • ATXrunner
    ATXrunner Posts: 41
    Thanks for the helpful feedback, gang! =)
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    the cholesterol in eggs isn't bad for you, at least from what I've read.

    They are an excellent source of protein and they taste yummy too!
  • yolibear25
    yolibear25 Posts: 7
    great question and great feed back I don't know any of the answers but I loved learning from all of you. I am a very obese person and all of your answers I will use in my attempt to make better choices thanks to all
  • scarecrow41
    scarecrow41 Posts: 116
    There is lots of evidence that suggests egg cholesterol does not influence serum cholesterol levels. That said, I use 1 whole egg with yolk and mix with 2-3 egg whites. I do this less for the cholesterol, however, and more for the calories.

    This.

    The one drawback to eating a lot of yolk is the calorie content. So mix whole eggs with egg whites and you can get the protein benefits along with the other benefits the yolk brings.
  • jquintinjr
    jquintinjr Posts: 191
    eggs are good for you hard boiled. if your worried about cholesterol pop a fish oil every morning, its like a miracle supplement. people who take it tend to have higher iqs and are generally more healthy overall
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
    I'm sure this is going to be unpopular here, but there are SEVERAL studies that indicate dietary cholesterol has little to no impact on bood cholesterol.

    I eat 3-4 eggs a day and my blood work is all very good.
    He's right. The cholesterol from the eggs doesn't really reflect in a negative or positive swing in blood cholesterol. Take the good protein from them and don't worry about the rest...
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