Eggs contain high-quality protein, but also cholesterol. What exactly are eggs?
In fact, you cannot absorb much of the cholesterol in food (some textbooks indicate that only 2% of the cholesterol in food is absorbed by the body). But even if you reduce your intake of cholesterol-containing foods, the liver will begin to produce cholesterol, since cholesterol is the raw material for essential substances such as sex hormones and vitamin D.
Bodybuilders who doubt the need for cholesterol exclude egg yolk from their food, since the yolk contains all the fat found in the egg. Unfortunately, the yolk also contains all the vitamins and minerals. Egg white is a pure protein, but it is devoid of other nutrients. In addition to this, half of the protein contained in an egg is found in the yolk.
So, assuming a large egg contains seven grams of protein, you’d be getting a little over three grams by eating egg white alone.
Another, lesser-known fact is that egg whites do not contain the ideal balance of amino acids found in a whole egg. Some essential amino acids are found in the yolk, so if you skip the yolk, you’re also missing out on valuable protein .
One way to solve these problems is to include at least one yolk in your egg white meal. Or you can just eat the eggs whole. Eggs contain no carbohydrates, so if you’re on a low-carb diet, there’s no point in throwing out the yolks.
There is, however, a problem with eating whole eggs. One study published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism in 1996 found that eating eggs throughout the day lowered healthy HDL cholesterol levels by increasing the rate of LDL cholesterol oxidation. The latter of these effects is thought to increase the incidence of cardiovascular disease. While this indicates that eggs aren’t all that healthy, a closer look at this research reveals a simple solution. The negative effects of eating eggs are associated with increased oxidation, which is favored by eating whole eggs due to their high polyunsaturated fat content. Polyunsaturated fats are especially prone to oxidation, including the much-touted omega-3 fats found in fish and flaxseed oil. However, you can easily prevent increased fat oxidation simply by consuming antioxidants. These include vitamins C, E, selenium and beta-carotene. Such natural antioxidants stabilize polyunsaturated fats, preventing oxidation.
