Catherine Ko, MS, RD, CDE In all of my years as a dietitian, there’s one question that wins the Grammy Award for most asked ….. “How Many Eggs Can I Have In A Day?” Over the years, there have been studies and lots of conflicting information about eggs. The basic logic is that we know cholesterol is in our blood and bad for our bodies. Reducing cholesterol intake from food is a good thing. The highest form of cholesterol from food comes from eggs.
It’s not as easy as it seems
The United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA) has always issued dietary guidelines that advised us quantities of nutrients to consume. They also gave suggestions on a daily diet, number of calories to consume and a host of other tips. Originally, there was an upper limit of daily intake for cholesterol: 300 milligrams were their recommendation. A large egg contained 220 towards that daily goal. This information created the concept that “eggs have a lot of cholesterol, we should not eat that many of them.”
As more research was conducted, the evidence accumulated over the years suggested that there is no direct relationship between the blood cholesterol (the number doctors look at from lab report) and the dietary cholesterol (cholesterols found in food). Blood cholesterol can be derived from a variety of sources, but very little seem to directly come from dietary cholesterol. It is for this reason that the USDA removed their recommendation for upper limit intake of dietary cholesterol in 2015.
So the next logical question is, in the food we consume, what is the cause of elevated cholesterol in our blood? Studies have shown that increased dietary intake of saturated (animal fat) and trans-fat (pastries) are much more closely associated with elevated cholesterol.
Eggs are relatively low in saturated fats and are an excellent source of protein, lecithin, minerals and fat-soluble vitamins. It has such high nutritional and culinary values; it’s a pity if we have to shun away from eggs!
So, How Many?
I get it…..most people want a definitive answer in 5 seconds. The answer that I give to my patients, when asked this frequent question is “One”. Enjoy one egg per day, even if you are on any cholesterol-lowering medication (-statin) already. The current evidence suggests that there is no reason for you to stop enjoying this wholesome food source.
