There is a LOT of conflicting information on eggs. Are eggs good for me? Should I eat just the white or the yolk, or both? Also, how do I buy eggs? Are free run or free range better?
So for today’s Nutrition Tip Tuesday, I’m going to unscramble the common myths around eggs, and eggsplain why they are such an eggceptional food (ok, no more puns)!
1) Should I eat eggs?
In my opinion, YES. Eggs are a great source of protein (approx 6g/egg), so ideal to eat for breakfast to help regulate your blood sugar for the day. The only reason I would say not to eat eggs is if you have sensitivity to them, and unfortunately egg sensitivities are quite common these days.
2) What part of the egg should I eat?
The WHOLE egg.
I put together this chart showing which part of the egg the main nutrients are coming from and I think it sums up perfectly why you want both parts of the egg.
While the white contains more protein, a lot of the important vitamins are actually in the yolk. The yolk is one of the best sources of the B vitamin, choline. A study* showed that those whose diets supplied higher levels of choline from egg yolks had 20% lower levels of inflammatory markers than the control group.* It’s also one of the highest bio-available sources of lutein, a carotenoid important for vision.
The majority of the concern around eating the yolk is that it will increase cholesterol; however there are numerous studies showing that eggs alone do not raise cholesterol. A great example of this was a study in which women were randomly assigned to eat 6 eggs every week, or a placebo sugar pill. The women on the sugar pill placebo were the only ones who recorded an increase in total cholesterol AND triglyceride levels.
Stay tuned for Part II which will explain how to go about buying eggs, as not all eggs are created equal!
Check out some other great nutrition tips by clicking here.
* Detopoulou P, Panagiotakos DB, Antonopoulou S, Pitsavos C, Stefanadis C. Dietary choline and betaine intakes in relation to concentrations of inflammatory markers in healthy adults: the ATTICA study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Feb;87(2):424-30. 2008. PMID:18258634.