More about the Egg

Cholesterol contained in eggs caused eggs to receive a bad reputation in the past. Many in the medical profession felt eggs were too high in cholesterol to be part of a healthy food plan. Now the role of dietary cholesterol as it relates to a person's total blood cholesterol count now appears to be smaller than previously thought. Family history may have more influence on your cholesterol levels than how much dietary cholesterol is in your food. The bigger threat to your cholesterol levels is food that is high in trans fats according to the "experts."

I can imagine some of you almost choked when A.J and I said we consumed 12 eggs per week and sometimes more. The “experts” still recommend that a person with diabetes should not consume more than 200 mg of cholesterol each day. People that do not have diabetes may consume about 300 mg per day. One large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol, which does not leave much room for other dietary cholesterol once that egg is eaten.

The “experts” claim that research suggests that high levels of egg consumption may (this is the key word) raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. While the connection isn’t clear, researchers believe that excessive cholesterol intake, when it comes from animal foods, may increase those risks.

Because I already have diabetes, I basically ignore the statement, “Since all of the cholesterol is in the yolk, you can eat egg whites without worrying about how they’re affecting your daily consumption of cholesterol.” Many restaurants offer egg white alternatives to whole eggs in their dishes. You can also buy cholesterol-free egg substitutes in the stores that are made with egg whites.

Keep in mind that you need to whole egg to get the advantage of a complete protein. The yolk is also the exclusive home of some key egg nutrients. Almost all the vitamin A in an egg, for instance, resides in the yolk. The same is true for most of the choline, omega-3s, and calcium in an egg

I admit that I do not agree with the ADA when they want to limit egg consumption to three eggs per week. Nor do I agree with consuming only egg whites and missing the important nutrients in the egg yolk.

I admit that I like to consume eggs in the various ways, fried, poached, scrambled, salad, and in many other dishes. The ADA claims that eggs are less healthy when fried in butter or olive oil, but I can agree that you should not use vegetable oils. I am also contrary to the ADA because I like my sausage and my high fat bacon.

A hard-boiled egg can be a handy high-protein snack if you have diabetes. The protein will help keep you full without affecting your blood sugar. Protein not only slows digestion, it also slows glucose absorption, which is very helpful if you have diabetes. Having protein at every meal and for the occasional snack is a smart step for anyone with diabetes. However, they make the last statement and also do not want you to consume more than three eggs per week. Somewhere they need to be more consistent in their recommendations.