Eggs sure get a bad rap. I think it is because years ago we were told to not eat more than 2-3 per week. To explain why, the recommendation for dietary cholesterol consumption is 200-300 mg per day (200 mg if you have high blood cholesterol, 300 mg if you don’t). One egg yolk has about 215 mg. However, the typical American eats between 200-400 mg of cholesterol per day, not too far from the recommended range. So why do so many people have high blood cholesterol? In recent years, studies have shown saturated fats such as butter, lard, shortening, animal products and palm oils to have a greater effect on cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol. So we see less of an effect from eggs or shell fish than we first thought.
Eggs have many admirable qualities. They are the Perfect Protein, meaning that all other food items are compared to an egg to evaluate the quality of protein. They contain choline (good for mental function and healthy cells), vitamin E, vitamin A and selenium (all powerful antioxidants), and lutein (good for healthy eyes). They also have about 80 calories (one egg white is 30 calories) and 6 grams of protein per egg. All protein is found in the egg white, although most of the vitamins and minerals are found in the yolk.
If you choose to buy eggs that have omega-3’s added, be sure to use the yolk. If you are going to discard the yolk and just eat the white, go for the cheaper eggs since you will be throwing out the healthy fat. Also, it is a misconception that brown eggs are healthier than white. There is no difference.
Given all this information, I still think it behooves you to watch the amount of yolks you are using. Maybe cut the yolks with whites, such as using one whole egg and then additional egg whites for bulk and protein. This helps not only to decrease saturated fat and cholesterol but also gives you more volume in less calories.
Emily Fonnesbeck RD,CD