I'm well-known for a variety of things, including my love of nut butters, my work as a content creator for health and fitness firms. Above all of them, "the egg guy" is how most people still refer to me.
It all began during graduate school when having little money forced me to eat just eggs to get by. eggs, eggs, and more eggs. The number? To be really honest, I consumed 144 eggs every two weeks. My greatest buddy was Costco, and there was a point when I thought of getting a hen to lay eggs.
Other than "Gross!" and "Are you out of your mind?," the most often asked question at that time was "Isn't it unhealthy?"
By all signs my extreme egg consumption did no harm. And my cholesterol was also very healthy.
Understanding The Great Eggsperiment
To determine if eggs were healthy was my sole objective when I started the Eggsperiment.This was my own (cheap) way of examining the effects of regular egg eating on my diet, even if the conditions of my experiment were far from the exacting criteria of anything that would ever be published in a scientific publication.
I made an effort to consider a number of elements along the road, some as subjective as "How do I feel today?" I kept a notebook to record any instances of fatigue or low energy, I logged my exercises, I monitored my body weight, and I made sure to maintain three constants throughout:
1. I had three whole eggs every day (i.e., including the yolk) during the whole period, maintaining the same calorie intake and macronutrient profile.
2. I adhered to the same food for a month before the diet in order to create a baseline. My weight did not change in the previous month since my eating plan focused on maintenance.
3. I continued to exercise in the same manner during the Eggsperiment, staying true to the strategy I had employed a month before.
The Starting Point
This was where I started when I went to the doctor for my initial blood work:
13% body fat This served as a gentle wake-up call. I prefer to maintain a 10% level year-round.)
The End Result
While lifestyle aspects were fantastic (I wasn't fatigued and felt well), I really wanted to look at the broader picture and answer the perennial issue of whether eggs raise cholesterol and cause weight gain.
The Starting Point
Weight: 175
Total cholesterol: 132
HDL (the good stuff): 56
LDL (the bad stuff): 66
Triglycerides: 30
The End Result
Weight: 175
Total cholesterol: 133
HDL (the good stuff): 59
LDL (the bad stuff): 64
Triglyercides: 30
Body Fat: 12%
Do Eggs Increase Cholesterol?
Let's keep in mind that a variety of variables might affect the outcomes before we attempt to interpret these figures. By no means should you assume that by eating three eggs every day, your outcomes will remain the same by looking at the numbers.
The main confounding factor is that I was initially healthy. This will undoubtedly have an impact on any diet experiment (or egg experiment) I perform on myself.
In light of this, my body weight remained constant, my body fat slightly dropped, my good cholesterol (HDL) increased, my bad cholesterol (LDL) declined. But your overall cholesterol went risen, some individuals could see and think.
Maybe this would be a problem if my cholesterol was considerably higher. Anything below 200 ml/dL is regarded as being in extremely good health. Again, the adjustments were for the better—there was more of the good and less of the negative. The entire process took a little over three months of work.
Why do so many people therefore link eggs with having high cholesterol? Since eggs don't raise cholesterol the way you believe, this misconception is really simply a large one. It is therefore more difficult to believe that A) eggs are bad for cholesterol (unless specific genetic factors are identified in your own body by a doctor) or B) they cause heart problems due to the substantial amount of research that suggests cholesterol benefits of eating eggs.
Is It Okay to Eat the Yolk?
Yes and again. I ate three entire eggs a day, just in case that was missed in translation. Not only white people. The yolk is the best portion, and that's the only explanation. both nutrient- and flavor-wise.
The yolk is where you'll find the majority of the zinc, calcium, folate, and memory-improving lecithin, along with all of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Not to mention Vitamin B12, which has been demonstrated to aid in the breakdown of fat.
Even while the whites still contain protein, it only makes up slightly more than half of the total. Eggs have the highest biological value conceivable, which is a gauge of how effectively a food satisfies your body's protein requirements. Part of this value comes from the yolks.
The yolk should be kept if you want to consume eggs in the healthiest way possible. (The exception: If you're on a "diet" and are keeping your fat intake low or tracking macros, it's fine to just eat a lot of egg whites and save calories. When I do it, it's usually to conserve calories or consume less fat throughout the day rather than to avoid the yolk or for health reasons.)
So eggs are healthy, then?
I didn't experience any negative health repercussions from eating eggs. And as I tracked my progress throughout the programme, I gained strength and learnt about the numerous advantages of eggs, which led me to believe that they are among the healthiest meals on the planet. (Serious warning: do not consume eggs if you are allergic to them or sensitive to them. Reread that sentence and keep it in mind since everyone needs to take their own unique circumstances into account.)
I would definitely like to see more research done. Making sure that what we're putting into our bodies is beneficial and healthy for us requires constant study.
As usual, you should get advice from a doctor before starting any diet. But don't be afraid to debate or challenge the widespread misconception that fat—specifically saturated fat—is harmful or that eggs are unhealthy.
Comments
Post a Comment