Eggs are simple to consume but hard to understand. Are they good for you, or should you limit them? When eggs are part of your diet, experts say what actually counts.
There isn’t a set number of times that you should consume eggs. The total diet, eating habits, health, and personal risk factors will determine how often someone eats them.
Cholesterol is a big part of the confusion. For years, that one truth impacted how people thought about eggs. But eggs also give the body the nutrition it needs. A lot of people have trouble holding both thoughts at the same time.
Fiyinfoluwa Odukoya, a clinical nutritionist and digital health designer, stated that this tension was why eggs kept coming up in queries.
“Eggs and health are still a common source of confusion, mostly because eggs have cholesterol but also give you important nutrients,” he said.
Eggs are a great source of protein and contain important vitamins including A, D, and B12. They also give you choline, which helps your liver and brain work better.
Eggs are filling, in addition to being good for you. They make people feel full after meals, which helps them regulate their appetites and eat less often.
Odukoya added that eggs do not act the way many people think they do in the body, despite long-held fears.
He said, “Eating eggs does not significantly raise blood cholesterol levels in most healthy adults.”
He went on to say that studies have shown that cholesterol from meals like eggs had a considerably smaller influence on blood cholesterol than saturated and trans fats.
Eating eggs as part of a balanced diet does not raise the risk of heart disease in most people.
How many eggs are reasonable?
Moderation still works in real life. Odukoya claimed that most adults can eat one egg a day or up to seven eggs a week without any problems.
Some people eat more than others. Some athletes and those on high-protein diets eat a lot of eggs every day. Odukoya said that while this might not hurt very active and otherwise healthy people right away, it could slowly limit their eating choices.
“It raises cholesterol and saturated fat levels and doesn’t leave much room for a variety of foods.” He went on to say that meals like vegetables, beans, salmon, and healthful grains might not show up on the plate as regularly over time.
He said that persons with diabetes, heart disease, or a significant family history of heart disease should be careful.
He stated, “It’s safer to limit your intake to three to four eggs per week and focus on the overall quality of your diet.”
The way the food was cooked also made a difference. When eggs were consumed with processed meats, boiled or poached eggs were better than fried eggs.
WHO IS A HEALTHY ADULT?
Iyanuoluwa Akinyemi, a registered dietitian and nutritionist at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, emphasized that recommendations about eggs should never be arbitrary.
She said, “A healthy adult is someone who doesn’t have any medical problems or diseases.”
She said that a person’s health is based on their weight, waist size, lab results, physical exam, and the quality of their nutrition.
Akinyemi said, “A healthy adult can have one egg a day when these things are normal.”
She made it clear that managing your nutrition is a personal thing. “For some folks, one egg a week can be the best amount. “Two or three eggs a week may be better for some people,” she said.
Akinyemi likes boiled eggs better and says to be careful when frying. She says that if you do fry eggs, you should only use one teaspoon of vegetable oil, add veggies like tomatoes, onions, and leafy greens, and do it only once a week.
Dr. Howard LeWine, the editor-in-chief of Harvard Men’s Health Watch, said that most healthy people probably won’t be harmed by eating up to seven eggs a week.
Eggs are low in calories and saturated fat but high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. They also have choline for brain and nervous system health, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health.
About the Author
