Eggs – Are They Friend or Foe?

It seems like maybe eggs have been getting a bad rap for the last 20 years.

You’ve all heard the horror stories. Eggs are cold blooded killers! Worse even than a serial killer like Ted Bundy. No, not Al Bundy! Eggs were supposed to increase your cholesterol levels to a dangerous level, so don’t eat them.

But is all this bad press really true? Let’s take a look.

In fact, instead of a negative impact on cholesterol levels, studies have shown that eating eggs really has no effect on lipid levels at all. I know – some of you out there are shaking your head in disagreement right now. But hey, I like eggs so I choose to agree with the latest studies.

So if they aren’t bad for us after all, then what are some of the benefits we get from eggs?

1. Eggs are a great source of high quality protein. One egg contains around 6 grams of protein, as well as a variety of minerals, vitamins and 9 essential amino acids. Another cool fact is that all of this nutrition is easily absorbed by our bodies.

2. Eggs are a good source of choline which helps to regulate brain function while keeping our cardiovascular and neural systems in good working order. You get almost half of the recommended daily dose of choline from only 2 eggs.

3. Eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that are necessary for the health of our eyes. These antioxidants’ are from the carotenoid family and are known to help protect the retina from damage.

4. One egg contains about 5 grams of fat but only 1.5 grams of that is saturated fat. The egg is also one of a rare bunch of foods that provides vitamin D to your diet.

5. Eggs are a relatively low calorie food source with each egg only having around 75 to 80 calories. Combine this with the amount of protein you get in each egg and you can see why they figure prominently in a lot of diet plans.

So go ahead and eat a few eggs each day. Just keep the sausage and bacon portions at a manageable level and breakfast will be something to look forward to again.