Eggs are an inexpensive source of protein and chock-full of nutrients. Go to any restaurant in Houston, TX, and you’ll find a variety of egg dishes on the menu. They’re nutrient-dense and low-calorie. You can eat them at every meal. Unfortunately, eggs suffer from bad PR and inaccurate science. There are myths about the dangers of eating too many eggs and how they negatively affect your health. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Are eggs bad for your cholesterol?
Eggs are high in cholesterol, but that doesn’t affect the cholesterol levels nearly as much as saturated and trans fats, often found in snack foods and sweets. One reason for the link to high cholesterol may be the foods usually eaten with eggs, such as sausage, ham, or bacon, and how you cook eggs. One factor often overlooked about low cholesterol diets is that the body manufactures it. If you cut cholesterol from food, your body makes more.
Studies about the effects of eggs often have polar conclusions.
Early studies linked egg consumption with an increased risk of diabetes. New studies show that’s not true. Eating up to 12 eggs a week had no effect. One Chinese study found eating one egg a day reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke. One problem with the study is that the diet was a traditional Chinese diet, not a Western diet. Other studies found that if cholesterol increased from eating eggs, the increase was good cholesterol that improved health. Eggs contain omega-3 fatty acids that decrease the risk of heart disease and many antioxidants that fight inflammation.
Eating raw eggs helps you build muscle faster than eating cooked eggs.
Raw eggs have 36% more vitamin D, 33% more DHA, 20% more zinc, 20% more biotin, and 23% more choline, but it has a downside. Raw eggs contain avidin that blocks the absorption of biotin. The biotin in raw eggs isn’t as bioavailable as in cooked eggs, even though there’s more. It’s also harder to absorb the protein in raw eggs since cooking breaks down the protein and makes it more available. The protein in cooked eggs is 91% bioavailability. In raw eggs, it’s only 50%. You also face the risk of bacterial infection from salmonella.
- People often eat only egg whites, believing the yolks are fattening. The yolks contain fat that extends satiety when you eat them, so you stay full longer.
- There are many labels for eggs. Caged, cage-free, free-range, and pastured are four types. Cage-free chickens still live inside. Free-range have a small area outside to use. Pastured hens wander and eat bugs and plants. They are more nutritious than the other eggs.
- Another myth is that all eggs require refrigeration. Eggs have a natural protective coating. Washing the eggs and preparing them for sale removes the coating. Only then do you have to refrigerate them.
- Even though eggs are far healthier and contain less risk than most people believe, if your healthcare professional suggests you don’t eat eggs, discuss it with your healthcare professional and follow their suggestions.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym