I am Kashish Ahuja, nutritionist at The Kenko Life.
Including eggs in your diet can offer a wide range of nutritional benefits. Eggs are often considered a “complete” food because they contain many essential nutrients that support overall health.
Healthy Fats: Eggs contain unsaturated fats, including omega-3 fatty acids (in eggs from omega-3-enriched chickens), which are beneficial for heart health. Omega-3s help reduce inflammation and may lower the risk of heart disease.
HDL Cholesterol: While eggs do contain cholesterol, research suggests that they can actually raise levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Fact: Eggs contain cholesterol
- Eggs, especially the yolks, contain a significant amount of cholesterol. One large egg yolk has about 186 milligrams of cholesterol.
- For many years, health guidelines recommended limiting dietary cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams per day to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Fiction: Eating eggs significantly raises your blood cholesterol
- For most people, eating eggs doesn’t significantly affect their blood cholesterol levels.
- The body naturally regulates cholesterol production, so when you eat cholesterol-rich foods like eggs, your liver often compensates by producing less cholesterol.
- For most healthy individuals, moderate egg consumption (up to 7 eggs per week) does not appear to significantly impact the risk of heart disease.
Fact: Eggs can raise cholesterol in some people
- While most people experience little to no effect on their cholesterol levels from eating eggs, a small percentage of individuals—referred to as “hyper-responders”—may see a rise in their blood cholesterol after consuming eggs.
- These people may experience an increase in both LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and HDL (“good” cholesterol)
Fiction: Eggs are bad for heart health
- Eggs are a rich source of high-quality protein, essential nutrients (like vitamin D, B vitamins, and choline), and antioxidants that can contribute to a healthy diet.
- Moderate egg consumption (about 3-7 eggs per week) is generally considered safe for most people and may even have some health benefits, including improved heart health in some cases.
- For healthy individuals, consuming eggs as part of a balanced diet doesn’t significantly increase the risk of heart disease.
The benefits of including eggs in our diet –
Vitamins: Eggs are a great source of B vitamins (including B12, riboflavin, and folate), which are important for energy metabolism, red blood cell production, and brain function. They also contain vitamin D, which supports bone health and immune function.
Minerals: Eggs provide essential minerals like selenium (important for antioxidant protection), phosphorus (supports bone health), and zinc (important for immune health).
Choline: Eggs are one of the best dietary sources of choline, an essential nutrient that supports brain function, liver health, and fetal development during pregnancy.
Satiety and Fullness: The protein and fat content in eggs promote feelings of fullness, which can help with weight management. A satisfying breakfast of eggs can help curb hunger and prevent overeating later in the day.
Easy to digest Eggs are generally easy on the digestive system and are considered a highly bioavailable food. This means the body can absorb and use the nutrients from eggs efficiently.
