Daily Egg Consumption — Yay or Nay?

Is it OK to eat eggs every morning? Lots of people are wondering whether daily egg consumption is OK. Here’s the lowdown on the breakfast dish.

About Eggs
Eggs are so nutritious that they’re often referred to as “nature’s multivitamin” containing bio-available vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, other important nutrients, great brain fats, and a good amount of protein.

One egg contains the following:

• 77 calories, 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat and hardly any carbs
• Numerous B vitamins: B12-9% of RDA, B2-15% of RDA, B5-pantothenic acid-7% of RDA
• Vitamin A-6% of RDA + Selenium-22% of RDA
• Small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, manganese, vitamin E, folate and more
• Choline-113 mg per egg. So important for good brain health (required to synthesize acetylcholine which is an important brain hormone that plays a role in memory, learning, attention and even involuntary muscle movement)
• It’s very important to know that almost all the nutrients are contained in the yolk, the white contains only protein. I highly suggest you eat the whole egg, not just the egg whites because of this important fact

Anti-Inflammatory Helpers
Eggs contain antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are powerful antioxidant properties that are anti-inflammatory. Further, if you’ve bought pastured eggs, then they are a good food source of vitamin D, which also helps with inflammation. 

What About Cholesterol?
Although eggs contain a bunch of cholesterol (212 mg per large egg), we know from research studies that dietary cholesterol has only a small effect on our cholesterol blood levels. Your liver actually produces the bulk of your body’s cholesterol and the amount you make depends on how much you eat. If you get more from food, your body produces less and vice versa. 

It’s been shown that eggs actually improve your cholesterol profile, raising HDL (the good guy) and changing the LDL (bad guy) to the larger subtype, which is the kind that is NOT strongly associated with increased risk of heart disease. There have been multiple studies (in the sources below) that found no association between eggs and risk of heart disease.

Great Source of Protein
Eggs have all of the nine essential amino acids that we MUST get through food. There are 21 amino acids total, but 9 come exclusively through diet. The rest can be manufactured in the body. Whether you’re following an omnivore, vegetarian or other diet framework, eggs can be an important workhorse protein source. 

Quality Matters
Not all eggs have the same amounts of nutrients. Pasture-raised eggs have the most positive nutrition profile followed by organic eggs. For example, the yolk in those types of eggs have less cholesterol and higher levels of antioxidant lutein. Regular eggs at the grocery store have the smallest levels of nutrients.

Eggs + Other Foods
It’s best to eat daily eggs with a whole food diet, such as the Mediterranean diet. This equates to lots of fiber, low added sugars, whole grains, lots of plants, good quality proteins and healthy fats. That way, the body eliminates excesses naturally and is able to use foods properly, not storing too much of any one nutrient. 

The Verdict? 
If you have no problem tolerating eggs, then they should be a good addition to your diet. Enjoy them daily or whenever the craving strikes!

For more healthy tips, visit healthynestnutrition.com/blog/. Need a hand finding your personalized nutrition plan? Book a free 20-minute consultation with Healthy Nest Nutrition owner Robin Hutchinson to see if our programs are right for you.