Eggs and cholesterol
For a while now, my husband has been giving me grief because I eat eggs almost every morning for breakfast. He’s warned me that my cholesterol is probably sky high because of this, but I always scoffed at his advice to eat oatmeal instead. Recently, I had a blood analysis done and found that eggs are not as evil as my husband thought, at least not for me.
The American Heart Association says cholesterol should be under 200 mg/dL. Anything above 240 is considered high. Total cholesterol is comprised of HDL, which ideally should be 60 mg/dL or more, and LDL, which should be less than 100 mg/dL. My HDL cholesterol was 70 mg/dL and LDL was 70 mg/dL, making my total cholesterol 140 mg/dL. Clearly my regular consumption of eggs, and therefore “high” amounts of dietary cholesterol, are not affecting my body’s cholesterol levels negatively.
Nutritionists used to believe that cholesterol in foods contributed to the body’s cholesterol level. But now the blame is shifting towards saturated and trans fats (isn’t it just like conventional nutrition to “change its mind” every decade or so about what is really bad for us?) My case definitely seems to suggest that while one egg has more than 200 mg of cholesterol (it’s recommended that you consume no more than 300 mg/day), it’s not causing my total cholesterol to creep up.
Out of concern for cholesterol and saturated fats (egg yolks contain 2g of saturated fat), many people just toss out the yolk and eat egg whites solely. I used to be one of these people. But a couple years ago I changed my view on that. One, because throwing out the egg yolk was so wasteful. Two, because the yolk contains all the vitamins, including lutein. And three, because I now consume eggs high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are all stored in the yolk. Many argue that the egg yolk is the nutrition powerhouse, while the egg white only provides protein. I tend to agree.
I think the main reason my cholesterol and triglyceride levels were low is because I eat a diet very low in saturated and trans fat. I eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. I consume little processed flour and sugar. I take a fish oil supplement daily. I exercise regularly (which raises HDL cholesterol). And yes, I eat 2-3 eggs/day, but it keeps me satiated for longer than a bowl of cereal, I often scramble those eggs with a serving of veggies, and I buy eggs high in omega-3 fatty acids. So now I can say to my husband something that I love to say: “I told you so honey!”
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Filed under: Food and Nutrition on April 27th, 2009
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