More than once a month I hear the same statement from my clients. They are confused and frustrated over the changing medical and specifically nutrition information that is available.
Last week, a woman complained that at one time eggs were good for you, then, they were bad for you. Now they are supposed to be good for you again but only in moderation. I don’t blame this woman for being angry.
First, please refrain from calling foods good or bad. Food and the amount eaten is either healthy or unhealthy. The only foods that are bad are those that carry a foodborne illness.
The frustration over eggs in particular is justified. Back in the 1970s, nutrition research was very primitive. Scientists believed that all animal fats were harmful to heart health and an abundance of saturated fats could increase the risk of heart disease. Thus only two to three eggs a week were recommended.
New technology and in-depth scientific studies in the past 40 years have revealed that the effect of a high-egg diet on heart health is beneficial to heart health. That change of information puts this protein source back into breakfast.
The Australian University of Sydney Medical School released the results of this eggtraordinary research study. It was recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This isn’t just hearsay or junk science.
Eggs are not unhealthy for your heart. Eggs, scrambled, over-easy, hard cooked, soft boiled or swimming in a bowl of egg drop soup are not harmful to your health.
Nutrition scientists followed a study that produced three-month weight maintenance and assessed the effects of consuming high saturated fats of the egg. They compared any difference between consuming a high-egg diet of 12 or more eggs a weeks to those eating a low-egg diet of less than two eggs a week.
The results revealed that there were no differences between groups in blood glucose (sugar), A1c levels, fat in the blood stream, increased markers of inflammation in the body or oxidative stress. Weight loss was similar between high-egg diets compared to low-eggs diets.
The conclusion of this study disclosed that people with a history of hyperlipidemia or other-words, high cholesterol, can eat two eggs a day. Special attention was given to those with prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes. There was no adverse reaction of eating more eggs over a six-month period.
Eggs can be a source of a food borne illness if not cooked properly. The internal temperature needs to cook until 145 degrees Fahrenheit. If the eggs are served on a buffet line they need to cook until 155 degrees.
Raw eggs or undercooked eggs are not recommended. Over easy, dippy or runny eggs are not safe to eat if you have a compromised immune system. If the eggs will be eaten undercooked or raw they require pasteurization to be safe from a food borne illness. Look for a pink letter P on each egg. The pink P eggs can be consumed raw. Ask your grocer for this product.
