PAULA OWENS {Nutritionist, Fitness & Fat Loss Expert}: Eggs ~ Healthy or Not?

When you eat eggs, do you eat the white only and dispose the egg yolk because of the fat or cholesterol? Is it okay to eat eggs every day? Read on to find out.

There are so many misconceptions regarding cholesterol. Cholesterol is essential for health. It is produced in the liver and pumped into the blood when you body needs it. Cholesterol is a crucial building block, and every single cell wall depends upon it. It’s needed for proper hormone function, and is vital to brain function activating the release of neurotransmitters. Cholesterol <160 is associated with immune dysfunction, an increased risk of depression, low libido, anxiety, respiratory illness, stroke, and brain-related deaths such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

We’re living in an era of information overload, along with flawed studies causing people to end up confused and misinformed regarding nutrition.

Eggs with the Yolk are Healthy for You!

Full of healthy fat and rich in cholesterol
Omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, which is necessary for the brain and proper retinal function in the eye
The yolk contains 43% of the total egg protein and has the highest concentration of amino acids required for optimal brain function.
High in choline, which is important for brain health, especially fetal brain development
Lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids that are important for eye health.
100% of the carotenoids, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, and K are found in the yolk. These fat soluble vitamins support the thyroid gland, reduce the damaging effects of diabetes, boost your immune system, reduce your risk of cancer, keep your bones, teeth and skin healthy, plus so much more, The white does not contain 100% of any nutrient.
More than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and 89% of the panthothenic acid. The white doesn’t contain more than 90% of any nutrient, but contains over 80% of the magnesium, sodium, and niacin.
The yolk contains between 50-80% of the copper, manganese, and selenium, while the white contains between 50-80% of the potassium, riboflavin, and protein.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no link between egg consumption and risk of heart disease. The study revealed that egg consumption may actually prevent blood clots, stroke and heart attack.
Researchers from the University of Connecticut that people who ate three whole eggs a day for 12 weeks lowered their small-LDL cholesterol levels by 18 percent.
Research published in the International Journal of Obesity found that eating eggs for breakfast helped overweight individuals lose 65% more weight and feel more energetic versus those who ate a bagel breakfast.

Egg Yolks Versus Egg Whites

Nutrient	Egg White	Egg Yolk	% Total in White	% Total in Yolk
Protein	3.6 g	2.7g	57%	43%
Fat	0.05g	4.5g	1%	99%
Calcium	2.3 mg	21.9 mg	9.5%	90.5%
Magnesium	3.6 mg	0.85 mg	80.8%	19.2%
Iron	0.03 mg	0.4 mg	6.2%	93.8%
Phosphorus	5 mg	66.3 mg	7%	93%
Potassium	53.8 mg	18.5 mg	74.4%	25.6%
Sodium	54.8 mg	8.2 mg	87%	13%
Zinc	0.01 mg	0.4 mg	0.2%	99.8%
Copper	0.008 mg	0.013 mg	38%	62%
Manganese	0.004 mg	0.009 mg	30.8%	69.2%
Selenium	6.6 mcg	9.5 mcg	41%	59%
Thiamin	0.01 mg	0.03 mg	3.2%	96.8%
Riboflavin	0.145 mg	0.09 mg	61.7%	48.3%
Niacin	0.035 mg	0.004 mg	89.7%	9.3%
Pantothenic acid.	0.63 mg	0.51 mg	11%	89%
B6	0.002 mg	0.059 mg	3.3%	96.7%
Folate	1.3 mcg	24.8 mcg	5%	95%
B12	0.03 mcg	0.331 mcg	8.3%	91.7%
Vitamin A	0 IU	245 IU	0%	100%
Vitamin E	0 mg	0.684 mg	0%	100%
Vitamin D	0 IU	18.3 IU	0%	100%
Vitamin K	0 IU	0.119 IU	0%	100%
DHA and AA	0	94 mg	0%	100%
Carotenoids	0 mcg	21 mcg	0%	100%

F.Y.I.

One egg has 6gm of protein and only 1gm of saturated fat.
Eggs (particularly the whites) are high on the list of food’s that people are sensitive to, therefore it’s best not to eat eggs day after day after day.
Since the yolk contains most of the egg's cholesterol, breaking the yolks when scrambling eggs allows the cholesterol to be exposed to much more air and heat than other cooking methods that leave the yolk intact. That air and heat can cause the cholesterol in the egg yolks to oxidize before you eat them.
Extreme heat destroys the enzymes, reduces the amounts of certain nutrients, and may make the amino acid, cysteine, less available, which is needed to synthesize the master antioxidant of the cell, glutathione.
Enjoy your eggs sunny side up, over-easy, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, poached or raw.
Eating the white without the yolk is an incomplete protein source.
Avoid commercially-raised eggs, franken-fake eggs (egg beaters) and eat only organic, free-range, pastured eggs. Pastured eggs are eggs from hens that feed on grass and insects and are full of quality nutrients versus eggs from confined chickens. Visit your local Farmers Market or look for Vital Farm eggs at your local supermarket.