Should We Limit Our Egg Consumption?

It has long been believed that eggs contain too much cholesterol and that they are responsible for heart disease. Wrong! Today, we know that it is the excess of “bad fats” in our nutrition that has the most impact on blood cholesterol. In other words, your bacon and sausages are worst for your heart than your two eggs!

Vital cholesterol

First of all, cholesterol is essential to the proper functioning of your body, as it plays several vital roles. For example, it takes part in the production of vitamin D, is part of the composition of bile, and is used for the production of sexual hormones [1].

Most of the dietary cholesterol comes from animal products such as organ meats (liver, brain, heart, etc.), meat, poultry, fish, seafood, egg yolks, and fat from dairy products. In addition, only 20 % of the cholesterol in your body comes from the foods you eat, and 80 % is produced by your liver.

Advantag’eggs, the eggs

If you suffer from heart disease or diabetes, you should limit your egg consumption to two per week [2]. However, health professionals as well as studies still do not agree on the recommended maximum quantity of eggs for people who do not suffer from these diseases, because several factors can influence blood cholesterol.

Also, eggs are a nutritive, economical, and practical food. Two large eggs contain 12 grams of quality protein. They also meet most of your requirements for vitamins A, B2, B5, and B12, as well as selenium, zinc, and phosphorus.

In addition, the most effective way of lowering your blood cholesterol is to reduce your saturated and trans fat intake. These “bad fats” can be found in pastries (cookies, crackers, donuts, cakes, etc.), animal fats (butter, cheese, fatty meats, etc.), and deep frying, among other things.

Proof that when it comes to nutrition, nothing is black or white, and nutritionists are in the best position to help you determine the most effective changes to improve your cholesterol levels!

By Vanessa Martin

References

1. Le cholestérol sans détour from the Egg Farmers of Canada.

2. Introduction aux œufs from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Should We Limit Our Egg Consumption? is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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