As a nutritionist in clinical practice, I have come across questions like, ‘Are eggs healthy?’, ‘Can I eat egg yolks too?’, and ‘Wouldn’t eating egg yolks raise my blood cholesterol levels?’ There have also been, times I have felt let down, seeing enormous amounts of egg yolks being discarded, from diet kitchens in hospitals. On that note, what is the big deal about egg yolks!?
Eggs are inexpensive, easy to access, super-foods that are packed with various essential nutrients. Eggs contain two components — the white and the yolk. Egg whites are rich in all essential amino acids, making it one of the richest sources of dietary protein. On the other hand, Egg Yolk in addition to proteins, contain essential fats, vitamins A, B, D and small amounts of mineral salts like selenium, phosphorus, zinc, calcium and iron. Yolks are also rich in leutin and zeaxanthin which are carotenoids that help with good vision health, and choline which helps maintain healthy nerves and brain.
I did miss something here; egg yolks are also the richest source of dietary Cholesterol. This is the nutrient that raises concern about its safety. Each egg yolk contains approximately 200 mg of cholesterol and the so called recommended intake is 300 mg/day. So it is very normal and logical for us to think that eating so much cholesterol can harm our arteries. But that is not the case.
Cholesterol is a fat like substance that is essential to each cell in your body and is involved in production of various hormones. In short our body will cease to function without cholesterol. Our liver produces large amounts of cholesterol for this purpose. It has been proven that dietary cholesterol doesn’t affect blood cholesterol. When we take too much cholesterol through the diet, the liver reacts by decreasing its production, and vice versa, maintaining equilibrium. Therefore dietary cholesterol is not something bad.
Raised blood cholesterol (dyslipedimia) is not stimulated by cholesterol in food, but is rather stimulated by the saturated fats and trans-fats in your diet. The fat found in egg is mostly of the mono-unsaturated type. Egg yolks contain very less saturated fat (1.5g/egg). Therefore having egg yolks, definitely, cannot be a cause for high blood cholesterol.
Therefore, if you are a person who avoids egg yolk, well, it’s time to rethink! Next time you discard one; keep in mind the amount of beneficial nutrients that are being discarded. However, if you have been diagnosed with dyslipidemia, get a professional’s help to plan the amount and timing of eggs in your diet.
Divya Purushotham
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The writer is founder and chief nutritionist at Sano Holistic Nutrition Clinic