"Why aren't eggs a healthy breakfast option?" -- asked by many people
Eggs. Not all they're cracked up to be.
The widespread misinformation about eggs has become accepted as truth. And unfortunately, too many people are suffering because of it.
Yes. Eggs have become a popular source of protein. But relying on protein from eggs increases your risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease. Eggs, meat, and dairy are not smart options for protein.
Getting too much cholesterol is one of the drawback of eating eggs.
But how much cholesterol is too much?
Eating 400 mg of cholesterol a day doubles the chances of dying.
One egg contains about 200 mg of cholesterol. If you eat 2 eggs for breakfast, you’re already at your daily limit. And it's only 7 o'clock in the morning. So, you can cross cheese, chicken, and dessert off your menu to stay at the daily recommendation.
People eating the amount of cholesterol found in two Egg McMuffins each day appeared to double their risk of hospitalization or death.
Even the US Department of Agriculture knows that eggs are not healthy food.
In fact, someone named Kevin at the American Egg Board sent an email to his co-worker Angie that said: "The words nutritious and healthy carry certain connotations, and because eggs have the amount of cholesterol they do, plus the fact that they're not low in fat, [the words healthy and nutritious] are problematic."
In other words, the USDA does not allow egg companies to say that eggs are
healthy or nutritious.
Add to that, eggs cannot be described as safe.
Here are more evidence-based reasons why eggs should be off your plate.
1. Fiber is essential to good health, including good mental health. Eggs have ZERO fiber.
2. Men who eat less than one egg a day have twice the risk of prostate cancer progression compared to men who rarely eat eggs. Men who eat two and a half or more eggs per week, about one every three days, have an 81% higher risk of dying from prostate cancer.
3. Choline, a compound found concentrated in eggs, promotes blockages in the artery walls. Bacteria in the gut converts choline into a toxin called trimethylamine. Once oxidized in the liver, trimethylamine increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and premature death. Anything that becomes oxidized becomes a potential threat to the body.
Furthermore, researchers published a blanket warning in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, informing readers that people who have had a heart attack in the past should NOT eat eggs. Based on a review of 14-studies, researchers found that people who consumed the most eggs increased their risk for cardiovascular disease by 19%, and if those people already had diabetes, the risk for developing heart disease jumped to 83% with increased egg consumption.
4. Salmonella outbreaks caused the recall of more than half a billion eggs in 2010. Don't think that cooking eggs destroys all salmonella. Salmonella may survive scrambled, over-easy, and sunny-side-up cooking methods, as well as in cooked omelets and French toast, and maybe even in eggs boiled up to eight minutes.
5. And my personal favorite reason for giving eggs the boot... Eating just a single egg a week appeared to increase the odds of diabetes by 76%. Two eggs a week appeared to double the odds, and just a single egg a day tripled the odds.
Eating oatmeal and berries, instead of eggs, reduces cholesterol in the blood, speeds weight loss, and it keeps your heart happy.
And who doesn't want that?
Sources
Hazen SL, Brown JM. Eggs as a dietary source for gut microbial production of trimethylamine-N-oxide. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Sep;100(3):741-3. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.094458. Epub 2014 Jul 30. PMID: 25080455; PMCID: PMC4135484.
Miller CA, Corbin KD, da Costa KA, Zhang S, Zhao X, Galanko JA, Blevins T, Bennett BJ, O'Connor A, Zeisel SH. Effect of egg ingestion on trimethylamine-N-oxide production in humans: a randomized, controlled, dose-response study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Sep;100(3):778-86. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.087692. Epub 2014 Jun 18. PMID: 24944063; PMCID: PMC4135488.
Radzevičienė L, Ostrauskas R. Egg consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a case-control study. Public Health Nutr. 2012 Aug;15(8):1437-41. doi: 10.1017/S1368980012000614. Epub 2012 Mar 6. PMID: 22390963.
Richman EL, Stampfer MJ, Paciorek A, Broering JM, Carroll PR, Chan JM. Intakes of meat, fish, poultry, and eggs and risk of prostate cancer progression. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar;91(3):712-21. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28474. Epub 2009 Dec 30. PMID: 20042525; PMCID: PMC3132069.
Liu K, Stamler J, Moss D, Garside D, Persky V, Soltero I. Dietary cholesterol, fat, and fibre, and colon-cancer mortality. An analysis of international data. Lancet. 1979 Oct 13;2(8146):782-5. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)92126-3. PMID: 90870.
Liu K, Stamler J, Moss D, Garside D, Persky V, Soltero I. Dietary cholesterol, fat, and fibre, and colon-cancer mortality. An analysis of international data. Lancet. 1979 Oct 13;2(8146):782-5. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)92126-3. PMID: 90870.
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So much for the phrase from a bunch of years back …
The Incredible Edible Egg