The debate on eggs has been going on since the 1960s, at
least, and so far, nothing seems to have changed. One week, they're OK, and the
next, they're not. So what is the truth? Are eggs good for you, or not?
The latest 'study' done by Dr. J. David Spence1 was an exercise
done in futility. . The 'study' purports to find that eating egg yolks is as
bad for your heart as smoking. Really? This prompted further investigations.
Dr. J. David Spence is a professor of neurology at the Western University
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, Ont. Neurology? Not
Cardiology, or Nutrition? Dr. Spence has blamed cholesterol for almost all of society’s
ills… There was not one Cardiologist in the whole study? Their whole paper
showed that this was no scientific study at all. There were no Control Groups,
no Double-Blind procedures, and no control over variables...nothing that would
qualify it as any kind of a scientific study. This is not how science is done.
All the good doctor did was have 1252 patients (all smokers) that already had
serious plaque issues, fill out a questionnaire that asked them how many eggs
they eat per week. That's it. All Dr. Spence's conclusions came from that, a
half-baked survey that didn't have any form of control.
OK. Back to the real world. How can we find out if eggs are
good for you?. To start with, we have to establish that we are talking about a
normal, healthy individual. People with chronic health issues may have to have
special diets, which may preclude the consumption of eggs. We're not going to
address those, because that is a separate issue. We're talking about average
people.
We can start by establishing the fact that eggs have been a
normal part of the human diet long before we were even human, or there were
birds we would recognize as chickens. We know from archeological evidence that
Australopithecus, Homo Habilis, Neanderthals, and Cro-Magnons all were quite
accomplished nest-robbers. At some point, someone figured out it would be
easier to domesticate their favorite egg-birds, instead of going out and
robbing them, and the egg and poultry industry was born. Saying eggs are bad
for you is like saying that gazelles are bad for lions to eat, or bananas are
bad for chimpanzees. So, now we can examine the popular attitudes, and put them
in context:
Myth One: Eating just the whites is healthier than the
whole egg.-False. Eggs whites contain little nutrition, mostly just a little
protein. And the whites contain most of the sodium, so you're not really doing
yourself any favors this way. The yolk contains a lot of nutrients you can't
get anywhere else, such as the amino acid leucene, pure gold for body-builders
because it triggers muscle growth, and fat-burning. It has been proven in
countless studies that eating whole eggs results in significant weight-loss for
people who are battling obesity. Egg yolks also contain choline, vital for
healthy cell membranes, and brain-function.
Myth Two: Eggs are high in cholesterol.-Neither true nor
false. Eggs do contain cholesterol, but not necessarily large amounts. And
studies have shown that eating cholesterol does not make your cholesterol
levels go up. High cholesterol is caused by a number of factors including
genetic propensity, sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and more. The fact is that
you need a certain amount of cholesterol for your body to function correctly.
It is a normal part of the human diet.
Myth Three: Eggs will make you fat.-False. One egg has just
70 calories. And these calories are beautifully balanced, with 6 grams of
protein, and 5 grams of unsaturated fat (the kind your body is supposed to
have). 5 grams isn't much for something with that much nutrition, and only 70
calories. And the protein in eggs causes a release of glucogen, a hormone that
makes your body burn it's own fat stores. From a nutritional standpoint, eggs
are a powerhouse. Let's compare this to another stand-by diet.....well,
something that resembles food...rice cakes. Two rice cakes also have just 70
calories, but no protein or fat. What they do have is 14 grams of fat-cell
cramming, high glycemic carbohydrates. You tell me...which one do you think
does more good for your body?
Myth Four: Raw eggs have more nutrients.-False. First off,
raw eggs are just nasty. Why would anyone want to eat them this way? Eggs cook
at such a low temperature that no nutrients are damaged, at all. In fact, two
of them; lutein, and zeaxanthan, are actually enhanced by cooking. On the bad
side, raw eggs contain advin, an organic compound that blocks absorption of the
vital nutrient biotin. Cooking renders advin chemically inert. Also, raw eggs
greatly increase your chances of salmonella poisoning. Even mild cooking makes
eggs perfectly safe. If you have ever seen anyone with salmonella poisoning (or
had it yourself), you'll realize real quick that it isn't a lot of fun. Why in
the world would anyone want to risk that when it is unnecessary, and so easy to
prevent?
Myth Five: Fresh farm eggs from a local farm are better for
you than store-bought eggs.-False. I enjoy getting my eggs from my local
poultry farm, mostly because we socialize a lot in the process. But the eggs
from the local farmer are most likely the same eggs you are buying in the
store. All eggs come from farms, and chickens. And for the most part, they are
all raised the same way
