No Need to Have Egg on Your Face if You Eat the Whole Egg
Bad joke, maybe.. but the point is, there’s no good reason why we shouldn’t eat the whole egg. Not just the whites.
I’ll ‘fess up; for years, I only ate the whites. I turned my nose up at the yolks thinking they were ‘too high in cholesterol’ and ‘loaded with fat’ and they ended up as part of our dog’s dinner many a night.
Yes, they do have cholesterol and fat, but hello? We need cholesterol and fat! Eating cholesterol from an egg in and of itself is not going to cause a healthy person to have high cholesterol.
If that’s the goal, continue along eating refined carbs, sugar and dairy and you’ll be sure to elevate your bad cholesterol levels.
The Huffington Post gave a nice little overview of the benefits of eating the yolk:
“Egg yolks are one of the richest dietary sources of the B-complex vitamin choline, which is associated with better neurological function and reduced inflammation. There’s also evidence that dietary choline helps with fetal brain development when pregnant women eat it. Another side benefit of a diet rich in choline is, well, happiness. Choline breaks down into bethane, which is used during the methylation cycle, which in turn helps produce ‘happiness’ hormones like serotonin, dopamine, norephinephrine, explains Ramsey. Egg yolks also contain two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect against vision loss. And, as we’ve reported earlier, they have a big dose of sulfur.“
Sure, there are times when we might use only one part of the egg at a time; the yolk might be called for to thicken up a paleo-sauce or the white might be in order on it’s on if we’re making something fluffy, but all in all, we should be eating the whole thing.
I know what’s coming next:
“How many eggs per week can I eat, then?”.
I don’t believe there is a hard and fast response. I’d no sooner tell a client to make sure not to exceed a random number of servings of kale, or olive oil or salmon. The answer is always the same- keep it in balance. Have an egg or two one day and then perhaps the next day you won’t feel in an eggy mood, but would prefer to have some wild black cod.
And no, eggs are not part of the dairy group.
I do get asked that question with some frequency; and I believe it stems from the mere fact that more often than not, the eggs are placed near dairy products in most grocery stores. But so is the orange juice. Is anyone thinking that comes from a cow?
Well, neither do eggs.
Unless, of course, there is a new bovine genus that lays eggs? Wouldn’t be surprised if Monsanto is working on that.
Yikes.
Anyway, eat your eggs if you fancy them! Try not to overcook them- ideally, a 6 minute soft boil, or poached with the yolk still runny is the best way to find the balance between preserving nutrients and eliminating risk of bacterial contamination.
