# Eggs



## cazscot (Jan 10, 2011)

I have searched the internet and cannot find a simple answer...

Is there still a recomended amont of eggs you can eat a week?  I remember years ago I *think* it used to be 3 eggs a week but not sure?  I don't have a problem with my cholesterol and my diet is reasonably healthy and balanced so not sure how many eggs a week I can eat, thanks.


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## Robster65 (Jan 10, 2011)

We have a LOT of eggs during the summer (from our flock) and I've asked a couple of times and was told that unless I'm eating a dozen a day, I'm not likely to have a problem with cholestorol or other factors. 
All assuming a healthy, balanced diet and moderate exercise.

ROb


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## Steff (Jan 10, 2011)

X-PERT course i attended said 2 a week maximum which i stick to, i have 1 boiled egg for my brekkie then in the week i have one poached.


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## Liz! (Jan 10, 2011)

That information is out of date. The very newest research shows that the cholesterol in eggs does not impact on the dangerous cholesterol in your body, and has no effect in making heart diease more likely. in other words, you can eat as many as you like.

This has been the view of healthy eating experts for ages, but nnow top scientists have proven it. 

So don't worry!

Edit to say actually when I say newest, this research was carried out in 2004, but so called 'health' experts are very slow to get info like this incorporated into advice.


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## Northerner (Jan 10, 2011)

I think that the cholesterol issue is a bit of a red herring, to be honest, as only 20% of cholesterol comes from food, the rest is manufactured by our lovely livers  

You don't need to limit the number of eggs you eat unless advised otherwise for a specific reason by your doctor, as explained on this page: 

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/healthydiet/eggsandpulsesq/


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## C*5_Dodger (Jan 10, 2011)

Northerner said:


> I think that the cholesterol issue is a bit of a red herring, to be honest, as only 20% of cholesterol comes from food, the rest is manufactured by our lovely livers
> 
> You don't need to limit the number of eggs you eat unless advised otherwise for a specific reason by your doctor, as explained on this page:
> 
> http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/healthydiet/eggsandpulsesq/



Dear Alan and All,

Amen to your statement on eggs! You know what my dearest wish is - That you good folks will one day come to realise that saturated fat and cholesterol are not your enemy - never was and never will be. As "Peter" Cleave once said, talking to the McGoven commission about saturated fat, "It is ludicrous to blame modern diseases on ancient foods" Our species has been eating animal fat for 2+ million years!


Warmest Regards


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## Liz! (Jan 10, 2011)

Amen to tht! I spent years on a very low fat diet as precribed by my 'EXPERT' diabetes un- -health providers and had terrible dry skin and all sorts of problems which led to eczma. As soon as i started a low carb diet, started drinking a lot more water, eating loads of veg and salad (before I couldn't fit them in after eating the imortant carbs) and stopped worrying about fats, guess what? My skin became normal. I still get a bit of eczma as a result of being allergic now to wheat and dairy (the result of a diet dominated by those two food products) but no dry skin any more. And my cholesterol values are lower, not higher.


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## C*5_Dodger (Jan 10, 2011)

Liz! said:


> Amen to tht! I spent years on a very low fat diet as precribed by my 'EXPERT' diabetes un- -health providers and had terrible dry skin and all sorts of problems which led to eczma. As soon as i started a low carb diet, started drinking a lot more water, eating loads of veg and salad (before I couldn't fit them in after eating the imortant carbs) and stopped worrying about fats, guess what? My skin became normal. I still get a bit of eczma as a result of being allergic now to wheat and dairy (the result of a diet dominated by those two food products) but no dry skin any more. And my cholesterol values are lower, not higher.



Dear Liz,

That's what happened to me! I used to have dry skin until I did high fat, but I hav'nt had that issue for 14 years, until your post I'd forgotten all about it!

Warmest Regards   Dodger


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## FM001 (Jan 10, 2011)

Eggs are a excellent source of protein and contain vitamins A and D, they do contain some dietary cholesterol but not enough to worry about so 1 or 2 eggs a day would be fine.  I eat around 10 eggs a week but like you cazscot stick to a healthy low-fat diet so the eggs have little impact on my cholesterol.


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## Steff (Jan 10, 2011)

Good grief i have been so ill informed on this one, i love eggs and i often get annoyed i only have 2 a week but after reading this thread im happy to say im upping my uptake lol.


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## cazscot (Jan 10, 2011)

Thanks everyone, a 6 pack of eggs used to last a month in our house but now I know how nutritious and filling they are I am going to incorportate them in my diet more (having already had 4 since Saturday) .


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## caffeine_demon (Jan 11, 2011)

2 a week?? were they ostrich eggs?


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## Steff (Jan 11, 2011)

caffeine_demon said:


> 2 a week?? were they ostrich eggs?



no just a six pack of organic ones


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## Andy HB (Feb 6, 2011)

Interesting!

Another thread that has passed me by. I've also been getting some dry skin recently and so may have a little personal experiment.

Andy


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## Steff (Feb 6, 2011)

Andy HB said:


> and so may have a little personal experiment.
> 
> Andy


 Having a shower? blimey now that is you being brave


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 6, 2011)

Northerner said:


> I think that the cholesterol issue is a bit of a red herring, to be honest, as only 20% of cholesterol comes from food, the rest is manufactured by our lovely livers



so what do you make of this research ...

Dietary cholesterol and egg yolks: not for patients at risk of vascular disease.
Spence JD, Jenkins DJ, Davignon J.

Stroke Prevention & Atheroschlerosis Research Centre, Robarts Research Institute, London, Ontario. dspence@robarts.ca

Abstract
A widespread misconception has been developing among the Canadian public and among physicians. It is increasingly believed that consumption of dietary cholesterol and egg yolks is harmless. There are good reasons for long- standing recommendations that dietary cholesterol should be limited to less than 200 mg/day; a single large egg yolk contains approximately 275 mg of cholesterol (more than a day's worth of cholesterol). Although some studies showed no harm from consumption of eggs in healthy people, this outcome may have been due to lack of power to detect clinically relevant increases in a low-risk population. Moreover, the same studies showed that among participants who became diabetic during observation, consumption of one egg a day doubled their risk compared with less than one egg a week. Diet is not just about fasting cholesterol; it is mainly about the postprandial effects of cholesterol, saturated fats, oxidative stress and inflammation. A misplaced focus on fasting lipids obscures three key issues. Dietary cholesterol increases the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein to oxidation, increases postprandial lipemia and potentiates the adverse effects of dietary saturated fat. Dietary cholesterol, including egg yolks, is harmful to the arteries. Patients at risk of cardiovascular disease should limit their intake of cholesterol. Stopping the consumption of egg yolks after a stroke or myocardial infarction would be like quitting smoking after a diagnosis of lung cancer: a necessary action, but late. The evidence presented in the current review suggests that the widespread perception among the public and health care professionals that dietary cholesterol is benign is misplaced, and that improved education is needed to correct this misconception.


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 6, 2011)

cazscot said:


> Thanks everyone, a 6 pack of eggs used to last a month in our house but now I know how nutritious and filling they are I am going to incorportate them in my diet more (having already had 4 since Saturday) .



Here's part of your answer in this recent research ...

Int J Clin Pract Suppl. 2009 Oct;(163):15-21, 44-51.

Dietary cholesterol and other nutritional considerations in people with diabetes.
[Article in English, French]

Lau DC.

Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre, University of Calgary, 2521-3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. dcwlau@ucalgary.ca

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nutrition therapy is an integral component of lifestyle intervention and self-management of people with diabetes. The goals of nutrition therapy are to optimise or maintain quality of life, physiological and mental health, and to prevent and treat acute and long-term complications of diabetes, the associated comorbid conditions and concomitant disorders. Monitoring dietary cholesterol consumption and salt intake are important nutritional aspects to lower the risk for and treatment of cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

AIMS: To evaluate the role of nutritional therapy and notably the effect of egg consumption on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in people with diabetes.

METHODOLOGY: Literature review of nutritional therapy and clinical studies on egg consumption and CVD risk for people with diabetes were conducted and appraised.

RESULTS: The Harvard Egg Study on two large prospective US cohorts found that eating one or more eggs a day had no adverse effects on lipid profile or cardiovascular disease risk in men or women. Similar findings were observed in the NHANES-I and Physicians' Health Study. The only exception was people with diabetes, where CVD was increased with eating more than one egg per day.

CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of one or more eggs per day is associated with an elevated risk of coronary heart disease in people with diabetes. The mechanism for this association remains unknown but should be explored in randomised clinical trials.

Let's read the important bit again .....
"The Harvard Egg Study on two large prospective US cohorts found that eating one or more eggs a day had no adverse effects on lipid profile or cardiovascular disease risk in men or women. Similar findings were observed in the NHANES-I and Physicians' Health Study. The only exception was people with diabetes, where CVD was increased with eating more than one egg per day."


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## Robster65 (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm going to take my chances. We get 2 or 3 dozen eggs a day in the high season and the dogs can only eat so many !!! 

Rob


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## Adrienne (Feb 7, 2011)

I love eggs and I started Slimming World again a few weeks ago.  It is hard to find a breakfast and so I eat eggs every day with bacon, mushrooms, tomatos etc. 

I too somewhere in the back of my mind knew the 2 a week was old hat.


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## wallycorker (Feb 7, 2011)

cazscot said:


> I have searched the internet and cannot find a simple answer...
> 
> Is there still a recomended amont of eggs you can eat a week?  I remember years ago I *think* it used to be 3 eggs a week but not sure?  I don't have a problem with my cholesterol and my diet is reasonably healthy and balanced so not sure how many eggs a week I can eat, thanks.


Hi Carol,

I'm with Northerner and Dodger on this issue - i.e. I wouldn't worry about eating eggs.

As far as I am concerned personally, I've come to the conclusion that restricting eggs is just more "healthy eating" misinformation. 

Very similar to the "eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate with every meal" advice that has been making us all increasingly unhealthy for many years now - especially, those of us with diabetes.

Best wishes - John


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## MargB (Feb 7, 2011)

I remember discussing this with my gp maybe 18-24 months ago as I had stopped buying eggs as I was limited to a two week.  Reckoned I would get that much from food I bought.  I was delighted when the restriction seemed to be lifted but just ran it by my GP during a consultation.  She said, yes it had been lifted but with my personal family history it was not a good idea to have an egg every day.  Ooops, I had been making omelettes with 2 eggs at a time and having boiled eggs hot and cold!

I dithered and sort of did what I wanted to do.

But then my brother collapsed and died last year - no warnings, no waking up in hospital, just over and out.  His postmortem showed his arteries were clogged and he had just had a massive heart attack.  Same way as my dad's death.  

I am still going to restrict my intake of eggs.  Half a dozen a week will be sufficient - as much as I love them.


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## macast (Feb 7, 2011)

I agree that eggs are basically 'good for us'.... everything in moderation.  good quality organic or at least free range eggs are a brilliant food and the more we buy the more we are supporting free range and organic farmers   I've kept chickens and rescued battery hens..... they are excellent food and as someone says we as humans have been eating them for thousands of years (the eggs I meant... but the chickens are good food too  )

I eat around 4 eggs a week on average


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 7, 2011)

macast said:


> I agree that eggs are basically 'good for us'....



You won't like the views of Neal Barnard, whose vegan management plan for diabetes is being discussed elsewhere on the group. "There are only two things wrong with eggs", says Barnard, "the yolk and the white".


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## macast (Feb 7, 2011)

mcdonagh47 said:


> "There are only two things wrong with eggs", says Barnard, "the yolk and the white".



the shells are fine then??? 

everyone is entitled to their opinion


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 7, 2011)

macast said:


> the shells are fine then???
> 
> )



Looks like it ...
http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/how-to-make-calcium-using-egg-shells


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## Andy HB (Feb 7, 2011)

I'll just eat the chicken. Saves time?


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## macast (Feb 7, 2011)

Andy HB said:


> I'll just eat the chicken. Saves time?



remember the boy and the goose that layed the golden egg??????


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## macast (Feb 7, 2011)

mcdonagh47 said:


> Looks like it ...
> http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/how-to-make-calcium-using-egg-shells




gosh.... I don't have to throw even the shells away .... amazing


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## bev (Feb 7, 2011)

macast said:


> gosh.... I don't have to throw even the shells away .... amazing



Mmmm..lovely.Bev


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