eggs - the truth???

EJB

just wondering can anybody shed any light on what the truth about eating eggs is?? - you hear all this stuff that you should only eat a certain amount a week, then on the other hand, you hear the adds that an egg a day is OK.
The problem is that I have just recently discovered how nice boiled eggs are (really they are!!!) - I've gone from eating absolutley no eggs at all to approx 5 eggs a week - Is this bad does anybody know (when I say "bad", I mean in terms of somebody who would be watching their weight) Weekday mornings I would have my usual cereal for brekkie but it's nice to get away from the mundane at the weekend so I would usually have boiled eggs Sat & Sun mornings - would eat them with the small slices of Cambridge wholemeal bread. But what I've also recently started doing is having same for my dinner maybe once during the week - reason being that they're quick to put together and not too heavy on the tummy, especially if it's a late dinner.
Sorry, that thread has been a bit long winded, but seriouly need someone's expert advice coz thinking I'm doing the right thing to shift the few pounds and would hate to find out down the line I've been doing completely the wrong thing and wasting all that time.

kleefarr

Eat one whenever you feel like one. I have heard that they are classed as a power food and you can get benefits from eating eggs as a regular part of your diet. Could all be a load of tosh though.
I have phases, sometimes I have 4/5 a week then I don't. As they say, too much of something wouldn't be too good for you in the long run.

g'em

Long story short, eggs are all good. If you're 'cholesterol sensitive' there may be implications from eating too many eggs, but for the vast majority of people this isn't the case. In fact the type of cholesterol found in eggs is 'good' cholesterol, and helps to lower the bad cholesterol in our bodies, and eggs have a phospholipid called phosphatidylcholine which has been linked to rendering the cholesterol unabsorbable so much of it not taken up by the body.

Personally I get through about 15 eggs a week, although I'd only eat around 10 whole ones and the rest are just egg whites. If you are going to have a diet rich in eggs take care with the eggs you buy. Cheap, battery-hen eggs will have been fed a high-fat, low quality diet and the eggs they produce will also be low in quality. If possible buy organic and from a local farmer or from a farmers market where you can actually ask about the feed quality given to the hens.

An average egg has about 210mg of cholesterol and the American Council for Science and Health recommend up to 300mg/day, so an egg a day is absolutely fine. Can't find similar data for recommendations from European Councils. Many cholesterol problems stem from diets that are high in saturated fats, not high in cholesterol.

Even if you didn't want to eat the whole egg, egg whites are literally nothing but water and protein so you could happily eat your body weight in them every day without worry. Half the eggs' protein is in the yolk, the other half in the white. And also in the yolk you get vitamin B-12, vitamin E, riboflavin, folic acid, tryptophan, selenium, iodine, phosphorous, calcium, zinc, iron, and essential fatty acids so the benefits greatly outweight cholesterol risks (which, as we've already established are negligible )

Meatwagon

Eggs are good. Eat em.

Whhooo 1st post

EJB

Jeez, that was a whole load of great info, don't think you left one thing out there g'em, you're a mindfull of info, thanks a mil for that. Can eat my eggs happily and guilt free now!!! Have read quite a few of your posts on the fitness forum, always find your posts useful, keep up the good work!!!

EileenG

Also, bear in mind that that cholesterol is not some evil entity to be avoided, it's an essential part of nearly every cell of your body, including your brain. If you eat a diet that doesn't contain enough cholesterol, your liver will make more.

The latest research seems to show that eating whole eggs (2 or more a day) can turn LDL (bad) cholesterol into HDL (good) cholesterol.

I find it quite interesting that the guidelines for the "official" levels of acceptable blood cholesterol keep going down, just as the drug companies produce more and more drugs to reduce cholesterol.

I eat 2 or 3 eggs a day, every day. I've been doing this for the past six years, and I've got perfect blood readings. My doctor says whatever I'm doing, I should keep doing it.

Coconut

EJB wrote: »

... on the other hand, you hear the adds that an egg a day is OK.

Always be healthily skeptical about ads They have the interests of the seller at heart, and you can be sure that association representing the producer/manufacturer of advertised product has had a say in such an ad.

That said, what others have said about eating eggs holds true. They can make a healthy quick meal, as you have discovered. Yes, they contain cholesterol, but by far the biggest determinant of cholesterol levels in the blood is high intakes of saturated fats and particularly of trans-fatty acids (found in processed foods, including nearly all commercial, baked goods).

G'em's advice about buying good quality eggs is spot on - the fatty acid, vitamin and mineral content of the eggs will reflect the health of the hens and the quality of the feed they receive (they, like us, "are what they eat"!).

g'em wrote: »

In fact the type of cholesterol found in eggs is 'good' cholesterol, and helps to lower the bad cholesterol in our bodies,

Not sure about this - I haven't seen anything to support it. Plus, one type of cholesterol doesn't directly affect the other, its the fat content of the diet (and the fat type, rather than just the amount) that mainly determines the proportions of 'good' to 'bad'.

EileenG wrote: »

Also, bear in mind that that cholesterol is not some evil entity to be avoided, it's an essential part of nearly every cell of your body, including your brain.

Good point - some nutrients get a bad name and become villains in the diet. The important thing is the *overall diet*. If someone avoids all cholesterol rich foods, but never eats fruits or vegetables, they're not going to be doing themselves any favours.

EileenG wrote: »

The latest research seems to show that eating whole eggs (2 or more a day) can turn LDL (bad) cholesterol into HDL (good) cholesterol.

I don't mean to nitpick, but I don't know where this 'latest research' comes from. Can you back this up? Again, you can't turn one cholesterol into another as such. Sure, you can reduce the levels of one, and increase the other, in the blood, but its not an actual conversion.

Last word:

g'em wrote: »

Long story short, eggs are all good.

g'em

Coconut wrote: »

g'em wrote:

In fact the type of cholesterol found in eggs is 'good' cholesterol, and helps to lower the bad cholesterol in our bodies,

Not sure about this - I haven't seen anything to support it. Plus, one type of cholesterol doesn't directly affect the other, its the fat content of the diet (and the fat type, rather than just the amount) that mainly determines the proportions of 'good' to 'bad'.

Sorry, I should have made that clearer. Eggs have phosphatidylcholine which has been shown to render LDL cholesterol unabsorbable.

Macha

Hey G'em

meant to ask you - where do you get your egg whites from? I'm on 2 medium organic eggs as part of my breakfast & wouldn't mind replacing an egg with some egg whites

cheers!

T

g'em

I just separate my eggs tbh. I'm waiting to hear back from Mick though, he's going to be selling 1L of whites for €7.99 which will come in super-handy.

Macha

g'em wrote: »

I just separate my eggs tbh. I'm waiting to hear back from Mick though, he's going to be selling 1L of whites for €7.99 which will come in super-handy.

Eggcellent.. hah hah hoo hoo. see what I did there?....

tough crowd

mike65

My mum beat the "two a week" rule into me and I still stick by it even though I don't particuarly intend to.

Hey see what I did there!?

Mike.

whitelightrider

Should the eggs be eaten raw, or boiled?

g'em

cooked - it increases their bioavailability (your body digests them easier)

rubadub

g'em wrote: »

cooked - it increases their bioavailability (your body digests them easier)

Yep, but even if it was "better" raw, I would cook them. I dont eat anything I dont like, and I do not like raw eggs. The "no pain no gain" bullsh!t is still used by many who think that food that tastes nice must be unhealthy, and food that tastes bad must be good.

Forcing "healthy" food that you do not like is a recipie for disaster, you will not stick to it in the long run. You just have to find food that is decent and that you like the taste of. I never went "on a diet", just changed my diet- i.e. I never ate in accordance to some list or recipies set out, I just discovered foods I like that are good for you.

In other threads people were forcing down porridge and yoghurt- being on a calorie deficit can be hard enough, but if you dont even enjoy the food it is unneccesary extra hardship. I make oat pancakes instead of porridge. And I am currently eating about 3 eggs a day in the form of wholemeal french toast. Just whisk and egg with some milk and soak some wholemeal bread. There is no need for any oil in a nonstick pan. I also fry eggs with no oil in a nonstick pan.

I just separate my eggs tbh

Do you throw away the yolks? I was thinking of having a go making some garlic mayo with some of mine.

Tesco do 12 eggs for about €1.50 which is very cheap. I have not tried bulk separation but there might be a way, e.g. putting them all in a sieve and letting them slowly seep through, leaving the yolks in the sieve.

g'em

rubadub wrote: »

Do you throw away the yolks? I was thinking of having a go making some garlic mayo with some of mine.

I do, but I use more yolks than I throw out. If you do make mayo, let me know how it turns out and I might venture to give it a lash myself!!

Frank Bullitt

I eat 4 every morning, cant start the day without my omelette and porridge

fatal

g'em wrote: »

I just separate my eggs tbh. I'm waiting to hear back from Mick though, he's going to be selling 1L of whites for €7.99 which will come in super-handy.

did you manage to get it from mick??
Also is there a significant difference to swallowing them raw other than the threat of salmonella?

g'em

fatal wrote: »

did you manage to get it from mick??
Also is there a significant difference to swallowing them raw other than the threat of salmonella?

He got some more in but I never got it from him, completely forgot!!

Cooked eggs are actually way easier for your body to digest and the protien becomes more "bioavailable" i.e. you'll use it more than you would when the egg is raw.

CerebralCortex

I try to eat two eggs a day. Just thought I'd through that in there.

hunnymonster

g'em wrote: »

I do, but I use more yolks than I throw out. If you do make mayo, let me know how it turns out and I might venture to give it a lash myself!!

I started doing this a couple of months ago. I was having real problems getting good fats into me and this solved the problem. The basic formula is 1 egg yoke to about 100 ml oil with about a teaspoon of something acidic (vinegar or lemon juice). beat the egg and then very slowly dribble the oil into it beating all the time and then add the lemon juice. You can also add all sorts of things for flavour including mustard, salt, chilli, garlic..... Only disadvantage of homemade is the fridgelife. I only trust it for a couple of days.