Question about eggs!

Cathalain
Cathalain Posts: 424 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I love eggs. I mean, I REALLY love eggs. But I'm concerned about eating them because I understand that they're pretty high in cholesterol. I don't have a whole lot to worry about right now as far as that's concerned - my last checkup actually said my cholesterol levels were great! - but I am concerned about it being a problem later on as I get older, since the rest of my family has issues with it.

I tend to eat a lot of eggs in a week. Maybe a minimum of six a week or so. I'm not a big fan of the yolk, so I don't eat that much, maybe every now and then, but the egg whites, most definitely.

Should I be concerned that I'm maybe eating too many eggs? Should I cut back?
«1

Replies

  • GBPackerFan14
    GBPackerFan14 Posts: 55 Member
    The cholesterol from eggs (or other foods for that matter) actually don't contribute to high cholesterol, a poor diet does. I eat 3 whole eggs daily with no issues.
  • 185poundfatty
    185poundfatty Posts: 3
    I eat 2 egg whites a day, and my cholesterol levels appear fine every time I get a checkup.
  • Moe4572
    Moe4572 Posts: 1,428 Member
    I have been told if you don't eat the yolk, then you should not have problems with cholesterol.
  • keithemp
    keithemp Posts: 71
    Here's some info on the Heart and Stroke Foundation's webpage:

    "Research from the 1970s reported that high-cholesterol foods, especially eggs, raise blood cholesterol levels. These early studies included foods that were rich in both cholesterol and saturated fat (such as butter), so scientists incorrectly believed that cholesterol was the main culprit. When researchers recently re-evaluated the data, they learned that diets high in saturated or trans fat − not dietary cholesterol − are mostly responsible for increases in blood cholesterol levels.

    Saturated and trans fats are found in foods such as fatty meat, whole-fat dairy products and packaged and processed foods made with hydrogenated oils such as cookies, french fries and doughnuts.

    Because one large boiled egg contains just 1.6 grams of saturated fat and no trans fat, scientists have recently concluded that the earlier link between eggs and blood cholesterol was largely exaggerated."

    Hope this helps reduce some of the negative stigma around eggs!

    Article is here: http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=pvI3IeNWJwE&b=5063573&ct=7512525
  • toadg53
    toadg53 Posts: 302 Member
    I follow a diet given to me by a nutritional doctor, and my daughter just started a diet, by another nutritional doctor, and both of them recommended diets with breakfast of 2 eggs daily, including the yolk. studies today do not correlate the intake of eggs with high cholesterol.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    As long as eating eggs doesn't put you over maintenance, don't worry. Enjoy your eggs.
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
    Yeah, as the others said nothing wrong with eggs! I eat at least 3 a day. And mostly eat the egg yolk as well!

    Enjoy your eggs:
    tumblr_m5ycurzpzM1r01jju.gif
  • kcrxgirl
    kcrxgirl Posts: 114 Member
    Here's some info on the Heart and Stroke Foundation's webpage:

    "Research from the 1970s reported that high-cholesterol foods, especially eggs, raise blood cholesterol levels. These early studies included foods that were rich in both cholesterol and saturated fat (such as butter), so scientists incorrectly believed that cholesterol was the main culprit. When researchers recently re-evaluated the data, they learned that diets high in saturated or trans fat − not dietary cholesterol − are mostly responsible for increases in blood cholesterol levels.

    Saturated and trans fats are found in foods such as fatty meat, whole-fat dairy products and packaged and processed foods made with hydrogenated oils such as cookies, french fries and doughnuts.

    Because one large boiled egg contains just 1.6 grams of saturated fat and no trans fat, scientists have recently concluded that the earlier link between eggs and blood cholesterol was largely exaggerated."

    Hope this helps reduce some of the negative stigma around eggs!

    Article is here: http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=pvI3IeNWJwE&b=5063573&ct=7512525

    And the cholesterol is in the yolk, which you said you don't really eat. Eggs are a low fat source of protein, so enjoy!
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
    My cholesterol is perfectly fine, even being overweight. I eat eggs quite often. Do I eat 6 at a time? Nope.

    Moderation is the key. You can eat whatever you like, but be reasonable about it.
  • tweetetina
    tweetetina Posts: 29
    I'm a nurse in vascular surgery. Eating eggs will not raise your cholesterol, its a combination of many things but you get more of an impact on body's cholesterol from butters and margarines and oils. Healthy diet low in those fats and processed foods is the way to go. And exercise helps too. So eat those eggs and relax :)
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    If you don't have problems with cholesterol, eggs will not cause them.
    I avoided eggs for almost 25 years because of that outdated belief and now enjoy the eggs I want ( on somewhat rare occasion as many as 5-6 a day ) and my cholesterol has never been better and that even at age 66 !
  • chunderbucket
    chunderbucket Posts: 4
    Eggs are amazing, eat all the eggs, never stop eating eggs. You say you don't eat the yolk. This is wrong, you should eat the yolk. Cool tip: eggs come in a shell that is also probably digestible, so you can just take like five of the things as if they were giant vitamins (they basically are, really), get all your alphas and omegas and whatever. Hope this helps OP
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    Eggs are low in calories and high in everything healthy and tasty! Eat them as much as you want.
  • arzu726
    arzu726 Posts: 39
    Yay! This is good to hear. This is what had been putting me off eggs for a while.
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
    Most of the calories come from the yolk, but I see no reason not to eat whole eggs. As others said, if it fits in your calories, go for it. I have them every day.
  • Greytfish
    Greytfish Posts: 810
    Upwards of 75% of blood cholesterol is produced by the body. Even drastically reducing dietary cholesterol won't alter blood cholesterol levels as much as, say, fat gain or loss will affect levels.
  • chunderbucket
    chunderbucket Posts: 4
    Also OP if you do the vitamin thing make sure to have a spotter around, they get stuck sometimes. Good luck + have fun
  • Will_Run_for_Food
    Will_Run_for_Food Posts: 561 Member
    Eggs are a super food! I eat two hard boiled eggs a day and other things with eggs in them. Just had a check up and I'm good.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    Whole eggs are one of the most perfect naturally occurring sources of protein, because they have all of the important amino acids, enzymes and fats including omega 3s.

    I hate that people ^^ are lumping saturated fats in with trans fats. Trans fats are awful and unnatural whereas saturated fats are necessary, delicious, and satisfying.

    About 40% of my calories come from fat, mostly saturated animal sources including lots of eggs, and this has been true for over a year. My recent bloodwork was amazing, and I have bad family history on both sides! Before I lost the 30lbs, most of my numbers were on the high side.
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    Eating saturated fats contributes more to serum cholesterol levels than does eating foods high in cholesterol.
  • Briargrey
    Briargrey Posts: 498 Member
    Eat your eggs!

    My current favourite way:
    1. Beat up a bunch of eggs and season to taste (I use greek seasoning and some thyme a lot), set aside
    2. Rough chop and brown a bunch of bacon spam
    3. Toss in a bunch of diced onions and brown
    4. Toss in a bunch of sorta chopped up spinach or baby kale and just mix it in to start it wilting
    5. Whisk the eggs one last time and then pour over everything.
    6. Cook eggs until done, stirring a lot so that every inch gets bacon spam and onions and spinach
    7. Plate, toss fresh avocado on top, pour on the cholula
    8. EAT
  • TomfromNY
    TomfromNY Posts: 100 Member
    Eat the eggs. And don't throw away the yolks - that's the good stuff.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    I love eggs. I mean, I REALLY love eggs. But I'm concerned about eating them because I understand that they're pretty high in cholesterol. I don't have a whole lot to worry about right now as far as that's concerned - my last checkup actually said my cholesterol levels were great! - but I am concerned about it being a problem later on as I get older, since the rest of my family has issues with it.

    I tend to eat a lot of eggs in a week. Maybe a minimum of six a week or so. I'm not a big fan of the yolk, so I don't eat that much, maybe every now and then, but the egg whites, most definitely.

    Should I be concerned that I'm maybe eating too many eggs? Should I cut back?

    Eggs are nutritionally one of the best things for you and cholesterol is your friend as all your hormones are synthesized from cholesterol and many of your immune responses depend on it. The yolks contain pretty much all the micronutrients and you should try to eat 3 yolks per day.

    That being said if you are truly concerned have a lipid panel done with hsCRP and make sure your trigylcerides are low and your cholesterol is in the right range. You want to have your hsCRP is below 1 as this is the marker for inflammation. Also you are going to want to check blood sugar and A1C to make sure your are not insulin resistant. The book Cholesterol Clarity by Jimmy Moore is a great reference on this subject.
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    Eggs, and fat in your food for that matter, will not raise your cholesterol.

    I eat probably a dozen eggs a week, sometimes more, sometimes less, and my macros are set at 30% protein, 10% carbs, and 60% fat. Following this diet for the last 6+ months, my cholesterol has dropped 18 points, my good cholesterol is up 6, and my triglycerides are down 89 points.

    Enjoy your eggs!
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    Eat all the eggs!
  • retire87
    retire87 Posts: 4
    Eggs are wonderful and cholesterol is good for your Brain especially the bad LDL. Read "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter. Just read the 800+ 5 star customer reviews to see why this book is a very imporant book to read and share with your family. The Ketogenic Diet is detailed in this book and is not hard to follow.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,223 Member
    Eating saturated fats contributes more to serum cholesterol levels than does eating foods high in cholesterol.
    Yup, it raises HDL which is good and it contributes to good LDL which is also good. Moderation.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,223 Member
    Eggs are wonderful and cholesterol is good for your Brain especially the bad LDL. Read "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter. Just read the 800+ 5 star customer reviews to see why this book is a very imporant book to read and share with your family. The Ketogenic Diet is detailed in this book and is not hard to follow.
    Wut?
  • michael300891
    michael300891 Posts: 275
    As others have said, cholesterol is in the yolk almost exclusively so you will be fine for definite. Regardless, eating yolks is not a problem and they are extremely nutritious. Perhaps eating a ridiculous amount of eggs is fine but 2-3 /day is not an issue.
  • chunderbucket
    chunderbucket Posts: 4
    The guy from smashmouth ate 24 eggs, and he's better than fine, he's an all-star. OP you can do it

Categories