Bring on the eggs

There’s a very famous Time magazine cover with a plate of bacon and eggs forming a sad face. Inside the magazine, there’s an article called “Hold the Eggs and Butter.” It speaks about the evils of cholesterol. The year of the article is 1984. Everywhere we demonized animal fats as we made way for healthier vegetable oils. Egg-white omelettes were the latest craze. Since then, the table has turned. The science that once used to link cholesterol with heart disease is not solid. These days we’re not so sure at all that saturated fat is bad for you. It might even be good for you. People have a long history of thriving on an omnivorous diet with plenty of animal fats.

Eggs are more interesting than most foods because for years they suffered a bad reputation. While they might be high in cholesterol, many scientists now believe that dietary cholesterol does not determine the blood level of the substance. Instead, they think that the liver is in charge and slows down the production of cholesterol if you have a lot of it in your diet. Cholesterol is an essential part of our bodies. It helps to form the cell membranes, and it’s the base for steroid hormones like testosterone and estrogen. You need cholesterol to live. And what better place to get it than from egg yolks? Some studies even show that eggs raise the levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol. God knows what you’re supposed to think.

If you look at the nutritional profile, eggs come out as a superfood. In a medium-sized egg, you get seven grams of protein and eleven grams of fat. Four grams is monounsaturated, the hero of fats. It also contains a significant amount of vitamin D and B12, as well as the essential nutrient choline. While you might never have heard of it before, it aids communication between nerve cells, and the body can’t make enough of it on its own. Liver and egg yolks are rich in choline, so there’s another good reason to bring back the eggs on the menu. I eat an omelette every morning, and I’m still alive.