Eggs have been used in cuisines around the world for many years because of their incredible versatility. You can have them sweet in a custard, or salty in a fried rice dish; you can have them boiled, scrambled, poached, sunny-side up, baked in a cake, whipped in a cocktail, and so on. It’s very possible to have eggs at every meal of the day. But how healthy is it, really?
There are numerous benefits to eating eggs, but there are also many drawbacks, and that goes beyond just its effects on the body. Intrigued? Click through to see if your egg habits are more healthy or harmful.
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They’re accessible
Eggs are cheap to buy and almost always available in grocery stores, therefore they’re an accessible form of everyday protein.
Easy and quick to cook
Cooking eggs is also far easier than most protein-rich dishes, though it still allows room for a good amount of imagination.
Nutrient dense
An egg is meant to have all the ingredients to grow an organism, i.e. a chicken, so it is very nutrient dense. Eggs contain notable amounts of the vitamins B12, B2, A, and B5, as well as selenium.
Can help absorb other nutrients
Eating eggs along with other foods can help our bodies absorb more vitamins as well. The BBC reports that one study found adding an egg to salad can increase how much vitamin E we get from the salad.
Low in calories and carbs
A large egg contains roughly 75 calories, with 6 grams of quality protein, 5 grams of fat and only trace amounts of carbohydrates.
If you’re planning to just eat the whites...
...it’s important to note that almost all the nutrients are contained in the yolk, and the whites only contain protein.
High-quality protein
Because nine amino acids (out of the 21 our body uses to build its proteins) must come from our diet, the quality of a protein source is determined by how many they have. Eggs are a protein source that contain all of them, and all of them in the right ratios!
High cholesterol content
One egg yolk contains around 200 milligrams of cholesterol, which is more than half of the approximate daily recommendation once made by the US dietary guidelines. But there’s a reason that recommendation doesn’t exist anymore.
The cholesterol question
Cholesterol is a fat produced in our liver and intestines, which can be found in every one of our body’s cells. Though it’s usually thought of negatively, it’s a crucial building block in our cell membranes, and it’s necessary for the body to make vitamin D, as well as testosterone and estrogen.
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We produce enough cholesterol on our own
It’s regarded as bad when we’re ingesting it because we produce all the cholesterol we need on our own. Cholesterol is also found in other animal products like beef, prawns, cheese, and butter, but it’s specifically very high in eggs.
Cholesterol and heart disease
Cholesterol is transported by lipoprotein molecules in the blood, and everyone’s individual combination of lipoproteins plays a role in determining our risk of developing heart disease. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) is transported from the liver to arteries and body tissues, and can result in a buildup of cholesterol in the blood vessels, which can then increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The new truth about cholesterol
That said, researchers actually haven’t definitively linked consumption of cholesterol to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which is why the US and UK dietary guidelines no longer have a cholesterol restriction, the BBC reports. Instead, the new recommendation is to avoid saturated fats, which have been shown more directly to increase cholesterol in the blood and lead to heart problems.
Eggs are low in saturated fat
Though eggs have much more cholesterol than other animal products, they’re also low in saturated fat.
Our cholesterol compensation
Additionally, it’s been shown that our bodies can compensate for the cholesterol we consume, so if we are consuming more in our diet, our bodies produce less.
Eggs contain antioxidants
Cholesterol is still harmful, however, when it’s oxidized in our arteries, as it can be inflammatory. But eggs, luckily enough, contain various kinds of antioxidants that protect them from being oxidized, as Christopher Blesso, associate professor of nutritional science at the University of Connecticut, told the BBC.
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Where the problem arises
Eggs are often eaten alongside foods that are high in salt, saturated fat, and more cholesterol, such as bacon, cheese, and butter. When eaten in combination, then the risk of heart disease certainly increases.
The reason for inconclusive studies
Many observational studies, even the biggest of its kind which sought to find the connection between eggs and cardiovascular disease among 30,000 adults, fail to find a real indication of cause and effect. Self-reported data of what participants ate and their subsequent health outcomes also only provide a small snapshot of their diets and lifestyles, and leave many possible conclusions open.
Eggs contain choline
Eggs contain a compound called choline, which have been shown to protect us against Alzheimer’s disease, as well as protect the liver as it’s needed to synthesize the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and is a component of cell membranes, Healthline reports.
They contain lutein
Scientists have found that egg yolks are one of the best sources of lutein, a pigment linked to better eyesight and lower risk of eye disease. Lutein can be found in the retina of the eye and protects from light damage as a blue light filter, which would otherwise cause your vision to deteriorate.
But no fiber
Starting your mornings with fiber is important, as it packs important health and digestion perks, as well as keeps you feeling full and energized. Eggs are protein-packed, which is good for the morning, but they don’t have fiber. Fortunately, all you have to do is toss in some chopped veggies like spinach or broccoli, or serve it with avocado on whole-grain toast to make the perfect breakfast.
Not all eggs are created equal
Hens are often raised in terrible factory conditions where they’re caged, stressed, and fed grain-based feed, which alters the nutrient composition of their eggs.
If you can, it’s better to buy omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs (laid by hens that have been raised outdoors on open fields), which are more nutritious and overall healthier.
The vegetarian question
Many vegetarians are split (typically those from the Eastern and Western worlds) over whether eggs are vegetarian or not because, while produced by an animal and containing the building blocks for an animal, they are not technically animal flesh since they aren’t fertilized. Those who eat eggs but no other animal flesh are called "ovo-vegetarian."
The cruelty dilemma
Eggs, as an animal product, are not included in a cruelty-free, vegan diet since the farming of them is viewed as exploitation of female chickens. The eggs accessible to most people also come from factory farming, which is laden with well-known and serious issues.
The egg industry is notorious for using cruel methods such as beak cutting (so the stressed hens don’t hurt each other or themselves), crammed and filthy living conditions (including hens stacked on wire racks), and male chick maceration (grinding them alive because they can’t produce eggs), reports The Vegan Review.
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The truth about “free-range”
When you hear “free-range,” you might imagine hens wandering freely outside, but oftentimes those chickens see even less space than traditional caged chickens. According to EU legislation, up to 13 chickens can be stocked per square meter of floor space as long as they have access to an outdoor area (1 sq m per hen) for at least half of their lifetime, but due to the sheer number of them and their reduced laying span, many reportedly never make it outdoors to see the light of day.
Severely decreased hen health
Hens that are bred to be so-called “super layers” experience so much stress that their accelerated laying span lasts under two years on average, compared with the 15-20 years that hens would produce eggs under natural and healthy conditions, reports PETA
The salmonella risk
As much as we might love to lick the bowl of cake batter or steal a bit of cold cookie dough, it’s dangerous to eat eggs without cooking them, as there’s an increased risk of contracting the bacterial disease salmonella.
Keep in mind
If you have an egg-heavy diet, do your best to avoid saturated fats and other sources of cholesterol. Pick your eggs wisely, cook them well, and add other nutrient- and fiber-rich foods to get the full benefits.
Sources: (BBC) (Healthline) (Mayo Clinic) (Heart.org) (The Vegan Review) (PETA)
