Are eggs good or bad for your diet? Eggs are one of the foods you’ve probably heard about: do they have too many contraindications? Do they bring benefits? Do they hurt any organs? Let’s clarify a food that has always been much discussed.
Eggs Are Bad: True Or False?
An egg weighs an average of 55 g (5 g shell, 35 g white, and 15 g yolk). From a nutritional point of view, it is composed of 61% fat (yolk) and 39% protein (mainly in the albumen), while carbohydrates are absent. Usually, the lipid part (61% contained in the yolk) is accused of hurting because it contains saturated fats and Cholesterol. That’s not quite the case. Both saturated fats and cholesterol are useful for the body, for example, for hormone production and the construction of cell membranes, which are essential for survival.
What hurts is the excess of saturated fats and cholesterol, which often comes from a very unbalanced and unhealthy Diet and not from the simple consumption of eggs. Furthermore, by evaluating the yolk composition, it emerges that the prevalence of fats is unsaturated. An egg is also rich in fat-soluble vitamins, riboflavin, folic acid, choline, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and high-biological value proteins. Eggs are thus an excellent protein food to include in the diet and are bad only in certain contexts, for example, when the “bad” cholesterol, for various causes, is high (such as an unbalanced diet, an inactive lifestyle, genetics, menopause,…).
Are They Bad For Cholesterol Or For Those With High Cholesterol?
Unlike other foods, eggs have a lot of cholesterol: 179 mg / 50 g, which shouldn’t scare you. The body ensures the correct balance between endogenous and exogenous cholesterol, regulating endogenous production based on the intake of external cholesterol. The body produces much less if cholesterol is taken in through the diet. If, instead, little is taken through the diet, the body produces more to balance based on physiological needs.
Egg cholesterol is not very bioavailable: lecithin (present in the yolk) limits the absorption of cholesterol, so it is often recommended to prefer cooking in which the yolk remains liquid (soft-boiled or fried eggs ). Furthermore, thanks to their overall lipid profile, LDL (“bad cholesterol”) have a higher density than those that usually form and are, therefore, more difficult to oxidize (less harmful). In healthy subjects whose blood tests do not show high cholesterol, eggs do not hurt and are an excellent food to include in the diet. When are there too many?
How much to eat per week? It is not possible to establish it a priori, but if, for example, you eat “x” a day and your exams continue to remain normal, you can continue (and monitor) like this. If, on the other hand, you have high cholesterol, whole eggs (including the yolk) are to be limited or avoided. The first approach to lowering the level is always changing one’s lifestyle (nutrition and physical activity). Egg white, on the other hand, can be eaten without problems, as it does not contain fat. Losing weight (if overweight) through a balanced, low-calorie diet helps to lower lipid values.
Are They Bad For The Liver?
Eggs are not bad for the liver, at least in the correct quantities. Egg fats are predominantly monounsaturated, and the amino acids have a high amount of branched-chain amino acids, which bypass the liver metabolism and are metabolized in the muscle. Consumption of egg and egg white does not overload the liver with work.
Are They Bad For The Kidneys?
As in the case of the liver, the protein content, limited compared to eating a slice of fish or meat, does not lead to kidney damage. There is no evidence in healthy subjects that a large protein requirement (even > 4 g/kg, which is very high) causes kidney disease. On the other hand, it is different for subjects suffering from renal insufficiency who have to limit their protein intake according to the stage of severity.
Eggs Are Good For You: All The Benefits According To Science
The nutrients contained in the eggs can vary according to the hen’s feeding type and, therefore, according to the breeding techniques. For this reason, industrial eggs have an average omega 6: omega 3 ratios of 20:1, an unbalanced and inflammatory ratio. Farmer’s eggs, conversely, have a much better omega 6:omega 3 ratio that varies from 3:1 to 1.5:1 . This is also true if hens are fed foods rich in omega-3s. Therefore, two eggs with the same quantity of proteins, fats, and calories and with the same richness of chemical components can have completely different qualities based on the breeding techniques.
Eggs Are Good For The Gym
Eggs are an excellent food for those who work out in the gym for several reasons:
- The high biological value (equal to 100, the maximum) indicates the quality of the proteins contained in a food.
- Contributes to the satisfaction of the daily protein intake, the synthesis of muscle proteins, and recovery in general.
But not only the protein part (albumen) should be considered, as the whole egg (albumen + yolk) guarantees a greater protein synthesis compared to albumen alone.
Also Read: Blackcurrant: What It Is, Properties, Benefits, And Uses
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