OK: Eggs or NO eggs ?

[Smarmie Doofus]

I've been avoiding eggs like the plague for about 20 years because of the purported (assumed?) connection between dietary cholesterol and BLOOD cholesterol which is (again) *assumed* to contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.

OK... in case you're not following this issue: new gov't guidelines cast doubt on ( some might say even definitively "debunk&quot all of the assumptions implicit in the above.

I've cooked a whole BUNCH of eggs in the last few days. Boy... I forgot what I was missing. In addition to being tasty and versatile, they are CHEEEEEEEAP ( like me) and pretty ez to prepare.

I realize that lots of folks are at low risk for Coronary Artery Disease .... and for them this is pretty much of a minor, even hypothetical issue.

But lots of us have genetic predisposition for CAD and thus the issue a biggie.

So: what are other people doing about eggs NOW ( in light of the new fed guidelines)?

And WHY?

[FLPanhandle]

1. I ignore all guidelines

Exercise and eat everything in moderation.

[dr.strangelove]

3. I am with you

I hardly eat a lot of eggs, but ever so often, I treat myself with eggs for breakfast.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. DING DING DING! We Has a Winner!

Exercise, even mild stuff like walking 20 minutes 2x per week is great.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

19. Yup.

That was my plan last year. Don't deprive myself of any specific food. Just eat less of it, and work out more.

So far I've lost at least one pant size.

Never understood the whole "Don't eat (food group)" diet or "Eat like a caveman" diet mindset.

[tridim]

2. Eggs are a superfood, dietary cholesterol and saturated fat are good for you.

Skip the toast and hash browns, eat more eggs, butter, bacon and vegetables.

Anyone who tells you eggs are bad for you is either stupid or selling something (Rx drugs).

On edit: And for gawd's sake don't skip the yolk. It is by far the best part of the egg. I SMH every time I see anything made with "egg whites". Derp.

[840high]

4. I eat anything

I want in moderation.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. except liver and kidneys, I would agree.

Cannot stand either of those.

[shanti]

41. yes

no organ meats/offal for this woman either - yech!

[mercuryblues]

5. I had

the amount of eggs I allow myself per week today. 2 over easy. The rest of the week I use egg beaters. Sauté what ever veggies, pour on the eggbeaters.

[MineralMan]

6. Unless you're Cool Hand Luke, you're unlikely

to eat more eggs than are good for you. Eggs are an excellent, low calorie source of protein. Have a couple, if you like them.

Warning: Do not attempt, however, to eat 100 hard-boiled eggs at one sitting. That is not good for you.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. CHOLESTERAL is good for you.

No kidding. It makes you function properly. Eggs are a wonder food.

Those idiots who have been taking Statins for years are at much higher risk for Alzheimers, adult onset Diabetes, even elevated BP. The Brit. Med Journal just came out with a long term, very large (16,000 case studies) review, and they are sounding the alarm about any Statin use.

Boy, am I glad I refused them when my GP wanted me to take them just because.

[GliderGuider]

30. ^That!

I told my doc years ago that I wouldn't take statins ever, under any circumstances. Thank god she listened.

Low fat diets are bad for everyone's health.
High carb diets are bad for my health. Very, very bad. They may be bad for everyone's health to some degree.

Gary Taubes is my hero.
Bring on the bacon and eggs!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

38. What you SED

(medical humorous work better in their native osteo-sian language)

All you say is truth. Good for you for saving your health, saving your mind, and saving your money, all while the drugsters get pissed.

[shanti]

42. see my post below

you're calling me and others idiots? fyi, i developed diabetes BEFORE taking lipitor, and have low BP. high cholesterol runs in my family and i will continue to take it.

[Atman]

10. We live in farm country, and eggs are easy and everywhere.

It seems as if every other house has chickens running around in the yard. We never buy eggs from grocery stores, we don't have too. Fresh, local eggs are easy to come by, most in honor-system set ups where people just leave a cooler full of eggs and a cash box out by the driveway. I'll pick up a couple of dozen, then hard boil half of them. A bowl of hard boiled eggs is super convenient for a quick breakfast, to pack in the cooler when I go snowboarding, or whip up some quick egg salad sandwiches. Eggs have gotten a bad wrap, nutritionally. We actually don't eat them all that often, but I don't demonize them, either. Everything in moderation. And it's so awesome when they're super fresh and you're buying them from a neighbor.

There is one of those massive super mega chicken farms in a neighboring town. I mean, you wouldn't believe the size of the place, and it's guarded like a military base. You drive and drive and drive past dozens and dozens of massive two-story chicken barns. The parking lot out front in lined with a hundred trucks with every imaginable retail logo, from Walmart to Albertson's to Stop & Shop, even Eggland's Best (supposedly "healthy" low cholesterol eggs -- how do they do that). It's gross, and I can only imagine the horrible conditions inside those massive barns. No thanks. I'll just grab some from the guy down the street. I see his chickens crossing the road all the time!

[TheKentuckian]

11. I only eat the whites. Low calories, high protein.

Granted, this is just because yolks taste like blood to me but it works out to being a fan of one of maybe the most efficient forms of protein available.

20 servings, yes twenty, way more than I can stand to eat at a time even if famished is 500 calories with no cholesterol and no fat. I'm not sure they can be beat.

I now tend to just buy the cartons of them for about 5 bucks and call it a day.

I also have a feeling the substance could be manufactured or replicated and maybe could make a real dent in hunger (and yes would want it labeled as such even though it is my idea).

[tridim]

18. I think you need to do some research on egg yolks.

The yolk is by far the most nutritious part of the egg. Why would you toss it? Weird. Egg whites are a good source of protein, but not if you skip the yolk.

And why would you think "no cholesterol and no fat" is a good thing?

[TheKentuckian]

29. Research won't change the taste which is why I stated I don't eat them.

No cholesterol and no fat as a total diet would lead to being full all the time and still starving to death but it seems to be virtually no trouble getting all one wants of either otherwise in the diet.

I have no worries about not enough fat or cholesterol in my diet, eating the whites is in no way harmful. I probably get enough of both just with the butter I use to cook then.

I'll be fine without yolks I think taste nasty.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

39. agreed, plus if they are fresh wild eggs, they taste great.

[Arugula Latte]

12. Yes, eggs.

They are a great source of protein. I rely on them to help me satisfy my hunger without getting too many calories. Plus, they're convenient, versatile, and, as you say, delicious (if prepared properly).

Sometimes in the morning I'll scramble some eggs, throw in some chopped tomatoes, feta, and basil, or some variation on that. It has lots of flavor and I start the day with some veggies, which always makes me feel better, and I don't feel the need for toast or the like to go with it.

Food in its simplest form, like an egg, an apple, or a handful of beans is usually very healthy and full of nutrients.

[mmonk]

13. Never gave them up. Nor butter.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

14. In all things, moderation.

Eat less, exercise more.

But don't necessarily deprive yourself 100% of any specific food group (fats, carbs, etc.). That's a recipe for failure.

[GummyBearz]

15. Are we talking about Cadbury eggs?

I know they aren't too healthy, but since they are only around during easter and taste so good, I say have a couple while you can. Just try to get a little workout in as well.

[MillennialDem]

21. Holy shit, thanks for tempting with those :)

[Brigid]

59. It's Lent!

[Cal Carpenter]

16. Eggs! Cheap, easy, nutrition-packed.

I eat them a few times a week. I don't eat much dairy (cheese, milk, butter) most of the time so I figure that balances out pretty good.

[Motown_Johnny]

17. Is there a history of heart disease in your family and

have you had your cholesterol checked lately?


Talk to your doctor. Don't look for medical advice here.


That said, a couple eggs now and then won't kill you all by themselves. Healthy diet and lifestyle. Extremes are seldom good for anything.

[Smarmie Doofus]

22. 1. Yes. 2. Yes. It's normal. But I'm on statins.

3. I'm not looking for medical advice. Please read OP again.

4. Doctors frequently give advice based on fed guidelines. Which *change* over time.

[Motown_Johnny]

35. then some eggs now and then are ok

so long as your doctor is good with your numbers.

Forget the guidelines. They are broad strokes, at best.

[MillennialDem]

20. I don't eat eggs other than a few recipes that use them (generally for stuff even worse

than eggs like cookies/cakes/etc).

I just don't like their taste in general

[Jefferson23]

23. I never gave them up, eggs are yumma. Scrambled, sunny side up, except egg salad..yuck. n/t

[guillaumeb]

26. no egg salad? how barbaric!

I make egg salad with chopped raw onions, celery, hot sauce, mayonnaise and pepper. Put on some brown bread and eat with french fries.

[Jefferson23]

46. It's a sensory issue for me, I coudn't handle it even though it might be tasty. n/t

[steve2470]

24. I'm in the same boat you're in

I do my best to avoid high cholesterol foods, like eggs. However, I think if you eat them once in a *great while*, it's not a problem. Of course, the problem is, if you eat them once in a great while, the temptation is to think "oh no big deal, why not again tomorrow". I think you said you take a statin drug, as I do. I also take a few teaspoons of hemp oil per day and try to exercise.

Good luck to you!

[SheilaT]

27. I probably read more than 20 years ago

that dietary sources of cholesterol, such as eggs, have no, or almost no, impact on a person blood cholesterol levels. And more recently that cholesterol has little or no impact on a person's risk of heart disease, stroke, or heart attack.

Similarly salt is necessary to the diet. Among other things, it helps maintain blood volume.

Moderation is always a good idea, as others have said.

I never believed that a couple of eggs more or less every day could be as horrible as claimed, and never gave them up. Not that I actually eat eggs every single day, but if I want bacon and eggs for breakfast, I'll have them.

[tridim]

31. You are correct.

Note that the people in this thread warning about cholesterol are also on Statins.

My gawd.

[Arugula Latte]

56. Years and years ago I felt instinctively that eggs were not evil, that

margarine was an abomination and butter was the way to go, that trying to eat next to no salt was a terrible idea, and that "diet" sodas were like drinking poison...I feel vindicated.

[djean111]

28. Low carber most of my life. Excellent heath, late sixties. Eggs and butter are good for me.

All those processed carbs and fats - not. That's how I have always approached this stuff. Government guidelines? Oh, yeah, SCIENCE!!!!! Funny how often the science changes.

Anyway, I do realise that some people have a predisposition for CAD - and other things - and so I question the usefulness of a blanket "food pyramid" at all. Also think that eggs and butter are good cholesterol, margarine and other processed fats are bad.
Thank goodness we all still have a choice in what we eat.

[Major Nikon]

32. Here's what I'm doing NOW

I take two eggs and crack them in a stainless steel bowl along with a knob of butter and whip them with a whisk until the eggs turn a pale yellow. Then I place the bowl over a saucepan with about an inch of boiling water (double boiler). Then I stir constantly with a spatula until the eggs are cooked to the consistency I want, and I mix in a little crème fraîche and season with a pinch of salt and a little cayenne pepper. Finally I serve with a bit of toast and some sliced tomatoes.

Why? Because it's delicious.

[KittyWampus]

66. You truly know how to scramble an egg. I doff my hat to you!

That's the way to do it!

[pinboy3niner]

72. I'll be right ova

Sounds delish!

[one_voice]

33. Yes on the eggs...

they're good for you. Unless you're eating a shitload at one time...

[steve2470]

34. info on the matter

http://www.npr.org/2015/02/11/385537426/new-dietary-guidelines-may-lighten-caution-against-cholesterol

In fact, the American Heart Association changed its policy on dietary cholesterol in 2013, citing insufficient evidence on this link. And that's the new science that the dietary guidelines committee is responding to. Now, I should point out that their final report has not been released yet, so the details of their message on cholesterol is just not clear yet.

SIEGEL: We're talking about high-cholesterol foods. Does this mean that we don't have to worry about having high cholesterol?

AUBREY: No, the thinking has not changed about the risks of having high levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood. That is still linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Now, what has evolved over time is a greater understanding of where the cholesterol comes from.

So our bodies make all the cholesterol we need. And for most people, it doesn't seem that the cholesterol we get directly from foods makes a significant difference in determining the levels of cholesterol in our blood. What does determine this is a whole range of other factors, including your genes, the amount of exercise you get and your overall pattern of eating.

I'll speak to my doctor next time I see him. I trust the guy. He seems ethical and welcomes Medicaid patients (unlike most GP's). If he tells me, despite my biological father having 2 heart attacks, that I should get off the statin drug, I'll do so. Until then, I'm taking it.

Here is the webcast of the panel.

[shanti]

44. thank you!

i take lipitor too. these holier than thou posters KMA.

[still_one]

36. Even if you were following the guidelines, egg beater were and are

a viable option

[Arkana]

37. Well, when I was a lad,

I ate four dozen eggs every morning. They helped me get large.

Now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a barge.

[shanti]

40. eggs are cheap?? not in california anymore!

they used to be, but there's now a mandated surcharge for the hatcheries that used cruel cages to raise the chickens. organic eggs are not in that group, but they were never cheap.

nevertheless, i eat one hardboiled egg every day for breakfast, and have for the past 5 years, and love butter. i also take lipitor for my not too high cholesterol. my doc says that she puts almost EVERYONE on it now, as she finds it a great help to most people. no side effects either.

[NickB79]

48. Cheaper than meat, by far

For the amount of protein they pack, you could pay $6/dozen and still spend less than buying a comparable amount of chicken, pork or beef. A nice skillet frittata packed with veggies can healthfully feed a family of 5 for less than $10: http://startcooking.com/five-ways-to-make-a-frittata

[yellowcanine]

51. Beans + rice are comparable. And no saturated fat + more fiber.

I like eggs but I don't want to eat them all of the time.

[NickB79]

54. Eat beans and rice too! It's all good

We eat lots of beans and rice (my wife is Puerto Rican), and a fried egg with the yolk still a bit runny is a great topper.

We don't eat eggs every day, but with a flock of 5 chickens each laying 5 eggs a week, we do average one egg per person per day in our family, between actual egg dishes and baked goods that use eggs in them. The rest we give away to friends and family.

As far as saturated fats, I'm not overly concerned: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-science-of-saturated-fat-a-big-fat-surprise-about-nutrition-9692121.html

[shanti]

57. That is true

Chicken is still pretty cheap though, good thing I've always loved chicken. I've always wanted to have a flock, and they have been given the green light in our county, but I think my neighbors would object - they're pretty close in proximity.

[Luminous Animal]

50. No side effects with Lipitor? I think you need to reread the patient information pamphlet that

comes with 12 prescription.

[shanti]

55. "I" haven't had

any side effects. Didn't mean to imply that there were none, I know there are.

[NightWatcher]

43. I'll take either a well-done fried egg sandwich or scrambled eggs with salsa

Damn, now I'm hungry.

I maybe eat 4 eggs a week. I have great cholesterol

[dissentient]

45. I eat hard boiled eggs every day

With a pinch of garlic salt. Love them.

[Blue_In_AK]

47. I never stopped eating eggs

or butter. You can't really trust guidelines ... they change all the time.

[yellowcanine]

49. Don't overdo it because there are still 2 grams of saturated fat/egg

And if you fry it in butter it will be more. So moderation is still the key. No more than one large egg per day is probably still a good general rule for most people.

[Aerows]

52. I pretty much have always detested eggs

never eat breakfast, and pretty much eat once a day. Yes, I have to eat more often, yes, I need to put on weight, but my dairy will be cow, sheep and goat products. I just really don't like eggs.

I switched to goat's milk as far as drinking it and feel infinitely better. Cheese, well, there really isn't a cheese that I haven't sampled that I dislike besides brie, and I won't be eating the maggot infested Italian cheese any time soon. Other than that, all fair game to me.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

53. I wouldn't go whole hog.

Everything in moderation, after all. But I see no real problems with them.

[Smarmie Doofus]

64. What's "moderation"? Where this is concerned.

In other words: once a week, once a day?

And would you be willing to go "HALF-hog?"

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

71. Well, let's see

I've got a family history of heart attacks, atherosclerosis, etc. And I'm overweight, have high blood pressure, and so on. And I do occasional omelets or scrambled eggs or slice up hard boiled eggs over salads. I wouldn't eat more than maybe a half dozen a week in total, although that would more likely be two 3-egg omelets during a week, not a single egg a day.

What I meant about not going whole hog was suddenly doing eggs at every meal or even several times a day.

[Alkene]

58. My MD/ND told me to eat as many as I wanted to,

especially ones with high omega-3.

[Smarmie Doofus]

60. Not sure what an "ND" is. Help.

Also... how does one determine if they're ( the eggs, that is; not the NDs) are "high in omega-3"?

[Alkene]

69. A Medical Doctor who's also a Naturopathic Doctor.

Virtually all egg yolks contain omega-3 fats; the amount of omega-3's varies with the amount of foods containing omega-3's that are eaten by the hen.

Ranchers can produce omega-3 enriched eggs through the addition of omega-3 oils to the hen's feed.

These oils can include menhaden oil, krill oil, flax seed oil, and algae oil- increasing the amount of omega-3s in an egg yolk by three to five times through the supplementation of the hen's diet with these oils.

They cost more to produce, and carry a higher price on the shelf- so the packaging makes a big deal about this; you can't miss it on the labels.

[etherealtruth]

61. Nothing ... I dislike the taste and texture of eggs

[Smarmie Doofus]

62. WHAT is wrong with you?

I'm kidding, btw.

[etherealtruth]

65. i laughed loud and hard ... when I saw the subject line

(made me a little sad to read the body)

[Smarmie Doofus]

67. WHY....... I GOT A GOOD MIND TO.......

Never mind. I guess I'm in a playful mood.


Go forth and sin no more.

[bigwillq]

63. Eggs

I eat eggs a few times a month.

[freshwest]

68. I eat them because they are they have chemicals that calm my stomach.

I forgot what they were but they work. Also they are the best for my blood sugar.

[marlakay]

70. Love eggs. eat eggs

have no problem with colesterol.