Medical Questions » Diet Questions » Question No. 1180
| Question: | Should we avoid eggs because they are high in cholesterol? |
| Answer: | It' s a complete myth that eggs raise your blood cholesterol. True, eggs do contain cholesterol but they are also an excellent source of protein, vitamins, minerals and, more interestingly,unsaturatedfats,especially ifyoufeed the chicken seeds. Of the 5g of fat in an egg, half is monounsaturated (as in olive oil), which actually helps lower the risk of heart disease. The egg yolk also contains the richest known source of choline, which helps the body make good use of fats including cholesterol.
The trouble is, if you fry them you destroy these beneficial nutrients and damage these good fats. Also, an egg is only as healthy as the chicken that laid it, so if possible buy nothing but organic, free-range eggs, laid by chickens that have been fed grains and seeds, rather than battery chickens fed who knows what. Nowadays you can even buy eggs high in omega 3 fats. These eggs may be positively good for people with raised cholesterol. My advice, if you have raised cholesterol, is to have no more than seven healthy eggs a week, and don' t fry them. |
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