No. The answer is no. Feel free to take my word for it, or read on and hear why eggs are one of nature’s greatest foods.
Aren’t eggs high in cholesterol?
Yes, eggs contain high amounts of cholesterol. 1 large egg has about 200 mg of cholesterol.
A few things on that:
- Dietary Cholesterol Isn’t Bound to Blood Cholesterol. There is no relation between dietary cholesterol and higher blood cholesterol levels.
- The Human Body Makes Cholesterol. Your liver makes 3-6 times more cholesterol than you can get eating eggs and other animal products.
- Cholesterol is Vital To Your Body. You need it for the production of steroid hormones like testosterone and to build & repair cells.
So yes, eggs are high in cholesterol, but in no way cause human cholesterol levels to skyrocket. This cholesterol myth is kind of like the myth about saturated fats…
Aren’t eggs high in fat? Shouldn’t I avoid the yolks?
Yes, eggs are fairly high in fat. Roughly 5 g of fat per egg to be precise. About 2 g of that fat is saturated fat, which of course means that the other half is unsaturated, and as I’ve mentioned before, saturated fat is only a problem if unsaturated fat is far too low. The ratio of fats in eggs is near perfection.
You can get rid of the yolks if you’d like, but not without detrimental results. Benefits of eating the yolk include:
- More Vitamins. The yolk is full of vitamins A, D, and E. Vitamin D is especially important since most people are vitamin D deficient.
- Double The Protein. Eating whole eggs doubles the protein intake you’d get eating egg whites only because the yolk contains half of the protein (3 g of the 6 g). This protein also happens to be the highest quality protein in the world, according to the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of the World Health Organization.
- Increased Testosterone Levels. Saturated fat and cholesterol increase testosterone production. Both are heavily present in the egg yolk. Testosterone levels help build muscle, which is something that almost everyone could you more of (even you ladies!)
Further Evidence?
I used to eat 2 or 3 eggs daily, then 2 whole eggs and 2 eggs whites, then 4 whole eggs a day, and now sometimes I’m up to 6 or 8 whole eggs in a day. My current blood work is nearly perfect, according to my physician.
Adam Bornstein over on Livestrong.com recently did his own Eggsperiment and after adding 3 whole eggs to his diet for 3 months, his blood work showed a small decrease in bad blood cholesterol (LDL), a rise in good blood cholesterol (HDL) and a decrease in body fat percentage (13% to 12%). As he mentioned, he was already healthy before starting this experiment, but the addition of eggs made him healthier than he was without them in his diet. It’s pretty cool stuff.
Still concerned about your cholesterol?
If you have high cholesterol, eggs are far from your biggest worry. I’d actually suggest adding eggs to your diet, but also do the following:
- Lose Fat. People with high cholesterol usually have excess body fat. How to lose fat? Read on…
- Exercise. This will make you lose fat and improve your health. Need help getting started?
- Eat Lean. No more junk food, sodas, trans-fats and refined sugars. The results can be astounding.
- Drink Green Tea and Coffee. The antioxidants in green tea keep your LDL particles in check, preventing blockages in arteries. Green tea and coffee can also boost your metabolism, leading to increased fat loss, not to mention all the other benefits of caffeine.
Eggs are magnificent. They are delicious, satisfying, full of vitamins and minerals, and of the highest quality protein in the world. Eggs will make you stronger, healthier and better looking (probably). Eat them every day. Thank me later.
-DW