healthmedicinet

Spoiler alert! Eggs are not bad for your cholesterol, nor are they bad for your health. Feel free to take my word for it, or read on and hear why eggs are one of nature’s greatest foods.

Wait, aren’t eggs high in cholesterol?

Yes, eggs contain a high amount of cholesterol. One large egg has about 200 mg of cholesterol.

A few things on that:

– Dietary Cholesterol Isn’t Bound to Blood Cholesterol. There is little-to-no relation between dietary cholesterol and higher blood cholesterol levels, nor any legitimate link between dietary cholesterol and the incidence of heart disease.

– The Human Body Makes Cholesterol. Your liver makes 3-6 times more cholesterol than you can get eating eggs and/or other animal products.

– Cholesterol is Vital To Your Body. You need it for the production of steroid hormones like testosterone and also to build repair cells (which is a perpetually occurring process in the human body).

So yes, eggs themselves are high in cholesterol, but no, consumption of eggs does not cause a spike in human cholesterol levels.

OK, but aren’t eggs high in fat? Shouldn’t I avoid the yolks?

Yes, eggs are fairly high in fat. Roughly 5 g of fat per egg to be precise. About 2 g of that fat is saturated fat, which of course means that the other half is unsaturated. Coincidentally, the ideal ratio of dietary fat in humans is a 1:1 saturated fat to unsaturated fat ratio, making the fat ratio in eggs nearly perfect.

If you are trying to cut calories you can absolutely get rid of some of the yolks, but benefits of eating the yolk include:

– More Vitamins. The yolk is full of vitamins A, D, and E. Vitamin D is especially important since most people are vitamin D deficient, and eggs are one of only a handful of foods that provide dietary vitamin D.

– Twice The Protein. Eating whole eggs doubles the protein intake you’d get eating egg whites only because the yolk contains half of the protein (3 g of the 6 g). This protein also happens to be the highest quality protein in the world, according to the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of the World Health Organization.

– Increased Testosterone Levels. Saturated fat and cholesterol increase testosterone production. Both are heavily present in the egg yolk. Testosterone levels help build muscle, which is something that almost everyone could use more of, especially as we age (even you ladies!).

Further Evidence?

I used to eat two or three whole eggs daily, then switched to two whole eggs and two eggs whites, then four whole eggs a day, and now sometimes I eat up to six or eight whole eggs in a day. My current blood work is nearly perfect, according to my physician.

Adam Bornstein over at Livestrong.com recently did his own ‘Eggsperiment’ and after adding three whole eggs to his diet daily for three months, his blood work showed a small decrease in bad blood cholesterol (LDL), a rise in good blood cholesterol (HDL) and a decrease in body fat percentage (13 per cent to 12 per cent). Sure, he was already healthy before starting this experiment, but the addition of eggs made him healthier than ever before. It’s pretty cool stuff.

Still concerned about your cholesterol?

If you have high cholesterol, eggs are far from your biggest worry. Personally, I’d actually suggest adding eggs to your diet, but in addition to the following:

– Lose Fat. People with high cholesterol usually have excess body fat. How to lose fat? Read on…

– Exercise. This will make you lose fat and improve your health.

– Eat Lean. No more junk food, soda, trans fat or refined sugars. If you can strike these “foods” from your diet, you will be absolutely astounded with the results.

– Drink Green Tea and Coffee. The antioxidants in green tea keep your LDL particles in check, preventing blockages in arteries. Green tea and coffee can also boost your metabolism, leading to increased fat loss.

In conclusion, eggs are magnificent. They are delicious, satisfying, full of vitamins and minerals, and of the highest quality protein in the world. Eggs will make you stronger, healthier and better looking (probably). Eat them every day. Thank me later.

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• Quick And Tasty Salmon

  Salmon is delicious, healthy and broils in eight minutes. Make a quick glaze with agave nectar, mustard, miso and orange marmalade. Mix the ingredients together to your taste, slather the top of the salmon and cook. Let it broil and burn on top. It will be nice and juicy on the inside.

• Plan Ahead For Quick Weeknight Meals

  A little bit of planning goes a long way. Do your food shopping on the weekends and make two of everything, so you have leftovers to eat later. Soup is my favorite go-to meal – stock from a box, a can of beans, some seasoning and shittake noodles.

• Prepare Healthier Salad Dressing

  There are normally three parts oil to one part vinegar in bottled vinaigrette. There’s a better way to make salad dressing that’s thick and creamy with much less fat:

  1. Chop shallots (milder onions). Put half to the side and cook the other half in the microwave for one minute.
  2. Add the cooked shallots, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, dijon mustard and 2 tbsp olive oil to a blender.
  3. Blend, starting on low and gradually putting on high speed.
  4. Add raw shallots, parsley, salt and pepper.
  5. Mix and serve.

• Electric Vs. Gas Stoves

  When you use a real gas oven, you have more control. You can transfer your energy through the gas and the response time is immediate. An electric stove can take 40 minutes to catch up! If you have a choice, you should always choose to use a gas stove.

• Use A Crockpot

  Anything you put into a crockpot is going to taste good later in the day. Crockpots are a great way to cook healthy food, because they don’t require any fat. Put in canned beans, a pound of 98% lean beef chopped up, some curry powder and big chunks of veggies. Any kind of stew will work.

• Make Your Own Potato Chips

  When you deep-fry potatoes in oil, you’re using a dehydrating technique to make them crispy. You can do the same thing in the microwave without adding any fat. Start using sweet potatoes — the most nutritious vegetable. Slice them up thin and season with salt, old bay, chili powder or any other seasoning you like. Microwave for 30 seconds and you’ve got a tasty, nutritious alternative.

• Substitute With Super Oil

  Create your own “super oil,” which is olive oil made with green olive brine and only ¼ of the amount of olive oil. It tastes just like olive oil, but has ¼ of the fat. Super oil is essentially the liquid that comes out of a jar of green olives.

• The Best Pan For Home Frying

  A good all-purpose pan is a straight-sided chicken fryer. Get a non-stick surface if you’re looking to save calories because you won’t have to cook with as much fat.

• Post-College Kitchen Necessities

  When kids leave home, they usually start eating a lot of processed foods. Encourage your child to cook healthy foods by helping them stock the kitchen in their first apartment. They will need a big knife, a small knife, a blender, a microwave oven, a non-stick pan and some cookbooks.

• Vegetarian-Friendly Entrees

  When you’re searching for veggie-friendly entrée options, you’ll have plenty to choose from. The world of vegetables is so huge! Look to Indian cuisine for guidance. They use a lot of cauliflower, curries, yogurt and eggplant, which is a substantial vegetable for a main course.

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