Eggs are back.
For several decades we have learned to shun the sunny yolk and live in fear of the cholesterol found in eggs. Dietary cholesterol had long been portrayed to be the villain that contributed to high blood cholesterol and heart disease. (1) However, in February 2015 the US Department of Health and Human Services, along with the USDA, issued a report revising the long-held stance on dietary cholesterol. Backed by years of research, the report stated that "cholesterol is not considered a nutrient of concern for over-consumption". (2)
There's never been good evidence that eggs are a major factor in high blood cholesterol levels or a contributing cause of heart disease. Studies have suggested that 30% of the population are particularly susceptible to the effects of dietary cholesterol on their blood cholesterol levels. The studies showed that the effects of dietary cholesterol are relatively small when compared to saturated fat and trans fats. Replacing saturated fat in diets with unsaturated fat had a much more beneficial effect on blood cholesterol than a reduction of dietary cholesterol. (3)
What does this mean for me and my family?
It means that you should embrace the egg, the whole egg.
One large egg has only about 70 calories but is a powerhouse of nutrition with 6g of high-quality protein, 5g of fat, and only 1.6g of saturated fat. You may still be tempted to leave the yolks out of the equation but egg yolks contain a lot of the good stuff that is missing from the whites. Nutrients found exclusively in the yolk include choline, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, and iron. (4)
Eggs are a good source of iodine and selenium, minerals that can be hard to find in other foods. They are also one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D, a vitamin that assists in building strong bones with the help of calcium. In addition to vitamin B-12, every single B-vitamin is found in eggs, in addition to a complete range of amino acids, making eggs a complete high-quality protein. (4)
So it's time to liberate and embrace the good egg, the whole egg. Thanks to science we can again enjoy, guilt free, the nutritious and wonderfully delicious egg.
(1) http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/
(2) http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/19/health/dietary-guidelines/
(3) http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/cholesterol-food
(4) http://www.livescience.com/50834-eggs-nutrition-facts.html