hey Joel,
Alright so i get ur point that eggs dont increase cholesterol. Agreed. But what u did mention is that an intake of highly processed foods and sugar could increase cholesterol levels. So what about people following your CYWT program, which i have just started myself. I mean im sure it works, but what are the chances of the all out cheat days increasing our cholesterol levels?

Hi Joel, thanks for this one because I love eggs! I have replaced oatmeal with eggs every morning and I have really seen the health/fat loss benefits

This is a “cracking” debate though! (sorry for that one, British humor)

I have high cholesterol and my doctor wants to start me on drugs to reduce it. I’ve made a pact with him: Give me 3 months and let me see if I can turn things around in the right direction. If not, I’ll try the drugs. The 3 months expires in mid-Feb, 2010.

I’m very new to this program – still at the planning stage, but will start this week – and am being ‘slightly’ bombarded by well-meaning friends who are telling me to cut back on meat, eggs, etc, yet I was of the opinion that good general dietary practices and exercise are more the way to go in order to lower cholesterol. Having read all these great posts, starting with Joel’s, I’m feeling much more confident, so a BIG thank-you to all!

By the way, I love eggs. And the eggs I eat come straight from my own healthy, organically-fed chooks (‘chooks’ is Aussie for chickens). :)

I’m not convinced that the cholesterol in eggs can be absorbed by the body anyway. Can it?

Crack the egg in half but hold the halves together over a cup or bowl. gently rock the egg back and forth switching the yolk between the halves – eventually, all the white will runn out the crack and you will be left with a beautifully whole yolk ….. I never do it though … I eat mine!!

@Alan Morris -

I sometimes go weeks eating 3 eggs for breakfast everrrrrrrrryy dayy! So this information is really awesome to know! My friends would always tell me it was unhealthy or that I would eventually get heart problems from all the cholesterol, but next time I hear that, i’ll just show them this post :))

I can only agree with previous speakers, and especially dimitra. Egg’s togheter with milk are the two most complete foods avaliable on the planet, containing all the nutrients you need to survive, excluding vitamin c. I can’t stand the thought of throwing away such good food either just beacuse of the calorie intake, and frankly I don’t really buy even the calorie restriction argument for throwing them out, at least not for most people.

One large egg contains about 70 cal. 45 of these come from fat, or the yolk. Assume that you cook yourself a breakfast with a base of 3 eggs. That’s 135 cal coming from the yolk, which equals to not even two apples. Divide those 135 cal over the rest of your meals that you eat that day and you can see that you don’t have to cut back on a lot to save in those calories to make the equation go round. In addition you will also have covered 45% of your RDI of vitamin D, 91% of your RDI of selen and THREE times the amount of your needed amount of vitamin B12. Just to mention a few.

So eat that yolk, damn it!

how did i forget that eggs contain lecithin?? lecithin’s molecule has one hydrophilic side and one lipophilic. the lipophilic side binds to cholesterol and excretes it. a natural, whole grain, high fiber diet does the same thing. the fiber binds and excretes excess cholesterol. so, a person who lives on white bread, pasta and rice will have to deal with the consequences of those poor choices.

not only eggs do not raise cholesterol, but they also contain lutein for healthy vision and sulfur for healthy skin and hair. remember, eggs contain all the nutrients needed for a new life (the baby chick) to grow on!!!!! it’s truly and amazing food!

Originally Posted By Dan
Thanks Joel…

So where does the idea of ‘only eating egg whites’ stand?

There’s alot of training/nutrition advice out there that recommends cutting down on the yoke (i.e. 1 yoke per 2-3 eggs) or just not eating the yoke at all…as “most cholesterol is stored in the yoke”.

But with the info you’ve blogged -this certainly makes me wonder?

I limit fat intake when eating carbs, so if I want a carb-heavy breakfast, I may go all whites, or a mix of whole & whites as opposed to using solely whole eggs.

It depends on your macronutrient goals for the meal in question.

Joel