Chapter 2 — Why Eggs Can Be Part of a Healthy Diet
Eggs have developed an unfair reputation in some nutrition discussions because they contain dietary cholesterol.
One large egg contains roughly 186 milligrams of cholesterol, almost all of it in the yolk.
However, dietary cholesterol does not affect blood cholesterol in exactly the same way for everyone.
For many people, the amount of saturated fat in the overall diet has a stronger effect on LDL cholesterol than dietary cholesterol itself.
That is why an egg shouldn't automatically be classified as an unhealthy food.
In fact, eggs can be an excellent source of nutrition.
They contain complete protein, meaning they provide all nine essential amino acids. Eggs also contain choline, a nutrient involved in brain function and cell membranes, along with vitamin B12, selenium and other micronutrients.
The bigger concern is often what comes with the eggs and what the eggs replace.
Eggs fried in large amounts of butter, served with processed meat, or eaten alongside foods high in saturated fat create a very different dietary pattern from boiled eggs served with vegetables and whole grains.
And when eggs replace a wide variety of foods day after day, another issue emerges:
dietary diversity.