How bad are eggs?

[DayInTheLife]

To this day I still hear widely varied opinions on the healthfulness of eggs.

I know their yolks contain significant amounts of cholesterol, but how many yolks a week do you believe is safe, if I eat quite healthfully otherwise. I have heard of people eating two dozen plus a week, and I've heard people say up to four a week is healthy. At this point I don't trust any one opinion, so I'd like to hear your opinions. I love eggs and would like to eat them every day.

[ticktockclok]

I'm vegetarian, and don't think the only point of man's existence is personal gain or making money. Still, I thought this article was pretty good. I eat at least 2-3 eggs a day with the yolk.

[makessense]

How do you guys usually eat eggs? I'm thinking about starting if I know they're healthy and easy enough to eat quickly.

[Revolution]

Okay, they say the average adult male should consume around 60-70 grams of fat per day. Obviously you should aim towards the healthier fats - the mono and polyunsaturated ones and get adequate amounts of omega 3s too. But a bit of the so called "bad" fats are okay - even beneficial.

The average egg only contains around 5-6grams of fat which is not much.
What I advise is to count your overall fat intake per day - from all sources and then decide how many eggs you can consume.
Also, the 60-70gram rule is debatable and not necessarily the optimum amount of fat. But it probably couldn't be too far off if thats what the experts agree on.

[igmistro]

There are plenty of people on this forum who will tell you that eggs are healthy, high in vitamins, contain quality protein, and good for you.

Then there are people like me here who will tell you that eggs contain far too much protein, high in fat, cholesterol, etc. and are not suitable for human consumption.

But to me it sounds like you have already made up your mind. I promise you this forum will not agree on an answer to this question and will not tell you anything you haven't heard before. You will have to make your own decision in this matter.

[amandalynne]

At this point I don't trust any one opinion, so I'd like to hear your opinions.

^Honestly...I'm not sure either. I haven't eaten eggs in 7 years... but if I still did, I would probably only eat the egg whites.

(But this is irrelevant, because I have 2 pet chickens right now, and the thought of eating a giant egg that came out of their body makes me want to puke. )

[seanner689]

I eat two eggs every morning.

[mlc82]

I'm currently eating around 24 whole eggs a day (yes, 24), following closely to Vince Gironda's bodybuilding teachings, and have become noticeably leaner, stronger, and more energetic in the 2 weeks I've been at it. From what I understand, the cholesterol in eggs should not effect blood cholesterol levels, though I'm not certain if that's fully true. So far, I'm really liking it and haven't felt this good in general in a LONG time, but if my posts here just abrubtly quit in a few weeks, it's probably safe to assume I've dropped dead from a heart attack and not take egg eating to such a wild extreme.

As food for thought though, has anyone out there ever heard of any people in history who primarily lived off of protein and (natural) fat (ie no processed junk, minimal starchy carbs, and fruit/veggies when available- their main food source being fatty meat/fish, such as Native Americans, Eskimos, etc) dropping dead left and right of heart attacks, or having obesity problems when that was generally their ONLY source of nutrition? Ie, before McDonalds took over their countries?

[InterfaceLeader]

I like eggs. I eat probably 2-4 a week.

[Matthew Shea]

Regarding the cholesterol question, have you ever been tested? If yes and if your levels are healthy, I wouldn't worry about cholesterol in eggs, so long as you're not overeating them. If your levels are high, I'd hold off on the yokes at least.

If you haven't been tested, I recommend doing it at least once just so you know if you have a problem or not. It's only a quick finger prick.

[abraham1]

I like eggs. I eat probably 3 a week, my opinion is egg is good for health.

lumineers dentist

[freshwala]

i was eating about 15 a day up untill recently but i took alot of the yolks out, now i have less, but more lean meat.

dont trust anyones opinion on here, because one guy will be a bodybuilder, next guy will be a vegetarian, next guy will be nutritionalist, next guy will be a GP, and they all say different things.

in my opinion dont eat too many for no reason, bodybuilders have a lot, but we arent the healthiest of people either, just have a few, not too many and make your diet varied.

peace.

[garentee]

I eat 2-3 a day. That said though I do raise chickens for eggs and know what they eat.. mostly grass fed with some supplemental grain. Eggs are good for you.. A complete protein. I have heard that it would take 500 eggs per day to raise your cholesterol by one point. Some people just metabolize cholesterol better than others and no set of medical statistics referring to egg consumption should be used to define what is best for the adult human being. If you like them, eat them. You may get hit by a bus tomorrow and all the worry over cholesterol will be for naught. G

[escapee]

When you increase your cholesterol consumption from food, the body produces less. About 80% of cholesterol is made by the body, and it's the precursor to vitamin D & hormones.

YouTube - Exposing the Cholesterol Myth

[PlanetaryNapkin]

I think the rule is, with eggs, meat, wine, beer, or anything else: if it's quality, it's healthy.

If you know a small farmer who has some hens who he cares for, who is proud of who he is, and is proud of what he does, and is proud of the quality of his eggs, then dig in, sure.

I wouldn't believe *any* store-bought eggs, though, unless they came from a little co-operative farmer's market, in which case you might ask around about them, a la the above paragraph.

Labels and certification can be bought very easily these days. I don't trust places like Whole Foods any further than I can throw them, which is not at all. So, while eggs are, I think, quality food, I would never touch them from anything but the highest quality of sources. Or else you're just paying free-range, organic prices for eggs that probably ain't.

Coming from longer-lived and higher-order organisms than plants or fungus, meat, dairy, and eggs are just way too effective at carrying poisons and disease to take chances with anything less than the absolute best.

[I should also note that, although I do believe in the health benefits of very-very-extremely-seriously-high-quality animal products, this is all coming from a long-time vegan. So consider it an outsider's perspective.]

Just my $0.02, of course.

:Cheers.:

[Barcs]

Eggs, by themselves are good for you. They might have cholesterol, but they have a lot of healthy omega 3 acids in the yolk. If you do eat eggs, do not throw out the yolk. You are robbing yourself of nutrients.

[pkeod]

Fresh eggs are fine; their cholesterol is fine too because our blood vessels do not have receptors for cholesterol. Eat all you want without worrying about cholesterol; however, when the cholesterol in an egg becomes oxidized (this usually happens when you cook the yolks) it can cause coronary heart disease. This is why you should not buy products that are made with eggs such as pancake mix.

Learn more here:
cholesterol
and here:
June Russell's Health Facts: Eggs and Cholesterol - Controversy and Deception

[Luis]

Not all eggs are created equal.

Eggs have fat but in some eggs this fat contains the very healthy Omega 3

Cheap, mass produced eggs probably come from chicken farms where chickens are fed remains from other chickens, waste and antibiotics. So needless to say these eggs will not be healthy or high quality. So those of you out there eating a gazillion eggs a day makke sure you are not buying the cheap aggs at the supermarket.

Oraganic, free range, grain fed, local farms are the better choice.

[mlc82]

Originally Posted by Luis

Not all eggs are created equal.

Eggs have fat but in some eggs this fat contains the very healthy Omega 3

Cheap, mass produced eggs probably come from chicken farms where chickens are fed remains from other chickens, waste and antibiotics. So needless to say these eggs will not be healthy or high quality. So those of you out there eating a gazillion eggs a day makke sure you are not buying the cheap aggs at the supermarket.

Oraganic, free range, grain fed, local farms are the better choice.

I agree. Strangely enough, the organic, farmer's market eggs here actually taste decent raw as well.

[mw11729]

I take 12 hard boiled eggs >take all but 2 yolks out of the boiled eggs> 1 to 2 tbl of lite miracle whip and a little bit of mustard, celery, salt and pepper put in the fridge and throughout a couple days take out and eat some before I go to the gym or after. It is basically an Egg Salad mixture but lighter.

[ellie]

Wow 24 eggs in a day, that's pretty amazing. I think I would be totally put off eggs if I ate that many in a day.

I have at least two poached once a week. I love poached eggs, it's my favourite breakfast.

[mlc82]

Originally Posted by ellie

Wow 24 eggs in a day, that's pretty amazing. I think I would be totally put off eggs if I ate that many in a day.

I have at least two poached once a week. I love poached eggs, it's my favourite breakfast.

It's not so bad, I rarely ever cook them at all, so they're easy to get down. A glass full of whole eggs 3x a day ( I eat 5-6x a day total), sure saves a lot of time on cooking and money as well.