Eggs are both nutritious and safe to eat. Many people are concerned about cholesterol levels in eggs. Let us explore some healthy food choices and how one can safely include eggs as a part of their diet.
Eggs are nutritious
Eggs are packed with essential nutrients. While the egg yolk includes Vitamins A, D, E and B12, riboflavin, selenium and folate, egg white is a good source of inexpensive and high-quality protein. With 5 g of fat per egg, and no trans-fat, eggs can easily fit into our daily fat recommendation. Some eggs have omega-3 fatty acids, which may help in the protection against cardiovascular diseases.
For years eggs were considered as a health risk than a healthy food. This is because they were considered a high cholesterol food. So those with high cholesterol levels were advised to avoid them. We now know that the cholesterol found in food has much less of an effect on our blood cholesterol than the amount of the saturated fat we eat. If you have been advised by your GP to change your diet in an attempt to reduce your blood cholesterol levels. The best thing to do is to keep to daily guideline intakes for saturated fat (20 g for avg. woman and 30 g for avg. man). It is also a good idea to increase the intake of food, vegetables and fibre by minimising sugars and refined carbs.
How many eggs can you eat in a day?
Eggs are an excellent low-calorie way to get protein, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and other heartful compounds. A single medium-sized egg contains 186 mg of cholesterol, which is 62% of the recommended daily intake (RDI). In contrast, the white is mostly protein and low in cholesterol. Eating 1 egg per day is consistent with a healthy diet, and is unlikely to have any significant impact on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease among healthy men and women. In fact, eating 2 or 3 eggs per day is highly unlikely to increase the risk of heart disease in the majority of the population, although there may be some risk for people with diabetes. Eggs consistently raise HDL (the “good”) cholesterol. For 70% of people, there is no increase in total or LDL cholesterol. Some people may experience a mild increase in a benign subtype of LDL. Many observational studies show that people who eat eggs don’t have an increased risk of heart disease.
Overall, eating eggs is perfectly safe, even if you’re eating up to 3 whole eggs per day.
Given their range of nutrients and powerful health benefits, quality eggs may be among the healthiest foods on the planet.
Source links: www.unlockfood.ca; www.healthline.com; www.thewholesomefork.com