The foods that you eat provide essential nutrition to your body that allow it to function properly. A healthy diet consists of a variety of foods and according to the Harvard School of Public Health, eggs should be included. Harvard also states that eating eggs as part of a healthy diet is a relatively new concept, because doctors have long thought of eggs as high in cholesterol and a contributor to heart disease. Egg whites and egg yolks can be included in your diet as a source of essential nutrients.
Significance
According to the American Egg Board, an egg has 13 essential nutrients including protein, choline, folate, iron and zinc. The Harvard School of Public Health states that eggs also contain nutrients like vitamin B12, vitamin D and riboflavin that lower the risk for heart disease. It further states that an egg a day does not significantly impact cholesterol levels in healthy people and should be considered part of a healthy diet.
Eggs and Cholesterol
Your blood cholesterol levels are affected by the foods that you eat. Cholesterol is found in many foods and when consumed you absorb the cholesterol. In addition to dietary cholesterol, saturated fat that is in food triggers your body's own production of cholesterol, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Eggs contain both dietary cholesterol and are a source of saturated fat. Therefore, if you have high cholesterol you may want to limit your egg consumption. MayoClinic.com states that if you are concerned about high cholesterol, you can eat egg whites instead of egg yolk.
Eggs Whites
MayoClinic.com states that egg whites do not contain dietary cholesterol and should be an option if you have cholesterol problems or if you are at risk for heart disease. Eggs whites can be used in foods that require eggs by removing the yolk and adding additional egg whites to the recipe.
Egg Yolks
Egg yolks contain a high amount of dietary cholesterol, according to MayoClinic.com. It also states that the egg yolk contains about 213 mg of the 300 mg recommended daily amount of dietary cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol and choose to eat egg yolks, you should limit your cholesterol consumption throughout the remainder of the day.
Considerations
The Harvard School of Public Health states that although eggs contain high amounts of dietary cholesterol, these levels do not seem to raise bad cholesterol levels as much as was once thought. One egg a day may not cause significant cholesterol problems in healthy people. Egg whites are a better choice if you have heart disease or high cholesterol. Eggs do contain health benefits like lowered risk for heart disease, but you should limit the other traditional foods that usually accompany eggs like sausage, bacon and other foods high in saturated fat.
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