Are Eggs good for you?

[Shujinko]

Well I have heard that cutting out eggs from your diet/lifestyle is good for your health. But I have also heard they are bad because of the amount cholesterol they contain. I know eggs have all needed amino acids and 6grams of protein per egg and they only have 67-74 calories per egg. There is also different types of eggs such as cage free, grade AAA, etc. So the main point of the thread is: Are eggs good for you? and Do these different types of eggs matter? Aren't they just eggs in the end?

[katelove]

I think eggs are very good for you. They do contain cholesterol but it has not been found to raise levels of blood cholesterol or worsen atherosclerosis.

As for what sort I think as close to nature as possible for health and humanitarian reasons. So, free range and antibiotic and hormone free. I don't know what they do to them to increase the omega 3s but, as I said, I prefer as close to natural as possible so I avoid those ones too.

[LiLStar]

I'm pretty sure the omega 3 eggs just come from hens who are given flax seed mixed in with their feed.

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[ollyoxenfree]

I think eggs are good, inexpensive source of protein and some essential nutrients. They are easy to cook in  a variety of ways. Someone concerned about cholesterol may want to avoid them but I don't think that's an issue for most young children and many healthy adults. For anyone on a limited budget or with limited cooking ability, I think eggs are a good food source. 

We choose free range eggs for ethical reasons. Personally, I get omega 3's from a variety of sources so I don't particularly seek out omega 3 eggs. We eat them in moderation. I'd estimate that the 4 of us eat about a dozen every week to 2 weeks and that includes baking. 

[t2009]

My family of 3 consumes about a dozen a week, sometimes more when we're baking.

I'm not afraid of the cholesterol & I feel that the recent news buzz around the report that came out over the summer (the one that supposedly concluded that eggs are as bad as smoking) was overblown. (If you want to look Mark Bittman had a good reply to this study... though I'm not readily finding it right now).

We try to buy free range when we can. I'm not sure about nutritional differences, but they certainly look & taste better!

Interestingly, Mexicans eat a huge amount of eggs compared to those of us north of the border. There is an egg shortage & one egg vendor said that his Mexican consumers won't buy American eggs because the yolks are pale & they don't taste good! Here's the article.

[~Adorkable~]

i wonder from time to time as well, my gut says they are a great food source, most non vegetarian animals jump at the chance to eat an egg, some going huge lengths for them, that tells me something about them and how much they provide.

the are also versatile and easy, yummy to boot.

i get organic and cage free for health and ethics reasons

[tiqa]

We do at least one good, big egg breakfast a week.  We stir-fry a bunch of veggies, sometimes meat in there, and then use the eggs as a sort of omlette-binder and then top with salsa or the like.  There's honestly more veggies than eggs, but it comes together nicely.   Husband adds cheese to his, too.  We usually use 2 eggs per person, so with our family of four that leaves about 4 left over.  We don't do a lot of baking anymore but what we have left we'll either use to fry something up (yeah, real healthy) in the breading, or else in egg-drop soup or what have you.  The other day I made panfried ground pork patties (kind of like hamburger buns without the bun or grill) and peas; I added some fried eggs cooked in the meat juices as a side dish - German style.

I wouldn't eat it absolutely every morning but I can't imagine going through a dozen eggs or so per week per family would ever harm you.  I *would* be on the cautious side to see where you're sourcing your eggs from.  If you can, it's better to do the whole free-range thing or local where you know how the chickens are treated.  But if you're in a real pinch for money, I would say conventional eggs would do as well...

[Kate&Joey]

This is pretty much what we do as well.  We usually have an egg breakfast on Sundays (I do splurge on organic/free range/vegetarian-fed eggs).  If you're worried about cholesterol, then just use one whole egg and one egg white per person.  All of the cholesterol is in the yolk, but the yolks also have important nutritional benefits so it's best not to leave them out entirely. 

Originally Posted by tiqa 

We do at least one good, big egg breakfast a week.  We stir-fry a bunch of veggies, sometimes meat in there, and then use the eggs as a sort of omlette-binder and then top with salsa or the like.  There's honestly more veggies than eggs, but it comes together nicely.   Husband adds cheese to his, too.  We usually use 2 eggs per person, so with our family of four that leaves about 4 left over. 

[loveandgarbage]

I agree that for most kids/adults, eggs are healthy. We also do a big breakfast once a weekend with eggs and we'll sometimes make quick scrambled eggs for breakfast during the week if there's time. We're vegetarians and I find that if I don't eat eggs at least occasionally, I start to feel anemic. And now that I'm pregnant, I do an egg or two for myself in the morning every other day or so. Eggs are also a good protein source for my kids, who are still iffy on beans.

[Sol_y_Paz]

I believe so for normal healthy people.  I get a lot of my protein that way.  The taste, texture, and color quality is amazingly different when I get locally raised eggs from neighbors vs. any eggs I can buy in stores, even organic and free range labels.  Boiled eggs are a perfect quick snack and scrambled eggs can be fixed with eggs and rolled up in a tortilla with some sweet potato and black beans thrown in there for good measure for a stick it to you breakfast that can last for hours.  

[MrsGregory]

We are also not afraid of the cholesterol and fat, and our family of 3 goes through about a dozen a week, baking included.  I'll frequently scramble 3 eggs for Little Miss and I to share several mornings in a row.  We're active, we eat a variety of whole foods with a preponderance of plant matter, and we are eating cage-free organic eggs, so overall, I think eggs are good for us. 

[PumaBearclan]

Yes, eggs are a valuable source of fats, protein, and vitamins. Each member of my family eats about 3 eggs per day, usually the raw yolks. We always have hard boiled eggs on hand. I also add raw egg yolks to nearly every cooked meal.

[Poddi]

Eggs are very good, unless you're allergic to them or have trouble digesting protein.  I eat one or two everyday.  I haven't found them having anything to do with cholesterol level, because I have had borderline low cholesterol for a long time.  I can't eat those omega-3 eggs however as they're fed flax seeds and I'm allergic to flax seeds. 

*They're not exactly "inexpensive" food here, though.  A dozen of regular eggs is about $3.49 and organic ones are close to $6.

[mumm]

I hope so!  I eat about 5 a day plus what ever is in baked goods, soups, etc.  I have low cholesterol so I don't worry about that.  My hens lay about a dozen a day and I typically sell 2-3 dozen each week so the rest we eat!

[mt_gooseberry]

I just have to clarify about the whole cholesterol thing...egg yolks have a ton of cholesterol, but there is an amino acid (I can't remember which one, it is on the tip of my tongue!) that binds the cholesterol up and makes it unabsorbable by the body.  So eggs are actually not bad for you because of the cholesterol, like some people think.

Also, free-range eggs have waaaaay more nutrients than regular eggs do.  I don't remember the specifics, but there was an article in "Mother Earth News" awhile back about the differences in nutrition.

[Autumnshades]

I love eggs.  They are a good source of protein and other nutrients and a good thing to have on hand.  There have been studies that proved that Eggs are in fact good for you.... not a big fan of articles like the one mentioned that stated Eggs are as bad for you as smoking - because well ... there are thousands of chemicals in cigarettes ... and free range eggs?  Well no ... so the comparison sucks!

Yeah, not so cheap here either (well they are if you buy the cheap almost white yolk kind *yuck!*).  Large Free Range eggs here run between 4.99 and 5.75...

[SplashingPuddle]

Last spring we got 6 hens which are still producing 6 eggs every morning. I thought it would drop off with the decreasing amount of daylight - nope.  So we eat our organic eggs every morning for breakfast and are constantly on the look out for recipes which use 3 or more eggs. If the recipe calls for 2 eggs, I add 3.  I have wondered about the health benefits/risks, but I figure it is part of eating seasonly. Sooner or later the hens will stop/reduce laying and then we'll stop egg consumption for awhile.