Are eggs fattening? Do they raise your cholesterol levels? Should you only eat the whites? There is so much controversy over the positive or negative health effects of eating eggs that you might just feel like throwing in the towel and switching to raisin bran for breakfast. Despite all the noise, nutritionists are pretty much in agreement: eggs are healthy and all but a few people with specific illnesses ought to be eating them. Here’s more advice for getting the most out of your eggs:
DO eat the yolk. The yolk contains tons of vitamins, protein, and other nutrients that you’ll be missing out on if you only eat the whites. The yolk does contain fat and cholesterol, but recent studies have shown that as long as you’re reasonably healthy and don’t overdo it, eating egg yolks will have no negative effects on your health.
DON’T fry your eggs in unhealthy oils. That oil adds a lot of unwanted fat to your meal. If you like fried eggs, use olive oil or non-stick cooking spray instead.
DO poach your eggs. Poached eggs don’t need any added oil or fat at all. Even if you don’t poach your eggs, try to cut down on the amount of non-egg foods you add in
DON’T eat scrambled eggs too often. Scrambling eggs exposes the yolk to high temperatures, which destroys some of the protein and HDL, or “good,” cholesterol in it. Also, we tend to put more unhealthy additives, like butter, cheese, and cream, in our scrambled eggs, so find another way to incorporate eggs into your breakfast or ease up on the additives to cut back on fat.
DO boil your eggs. The yolks of boiled eggs aren’t exposed to the boiling water at all, so all of the nutrients in the yolk are preserved. Plus, you don’t add anything unhealthy to boiled eggs.
DO incorporate eggs into your other meals. Make an omelet, quiche, or frittata. Put a slice of hard-boiled egg on your sandwich. Don’t limit yourself to breakfast; there are tons of ways to get the health benefits of eating eggs from lunch and dinner, too.
DON’T get salmonella. That means buying pasteurized eggs, keeping them cold at all times, and eating them quickly—they’re good for three to five weeks after you buy them and only for a few days after you cook them.
Remember to eat your eggs, and remember that Neighbors Emergency Center is always available for 24 hour emergency care in Houston and Austin. Most of our patients only have to wait a few minutes before seeing one of our board certified physicians. Neighbors will get you back on your feet in no time!