Eggs in general and especially egg yolks have had a lot of bad press in the past, particularly through being linked to high cholesterol and potential weight gain due to their cholesterol and fat content. Although the link has been disproved much of the old and incorrect information on severely limiting eggs or avoiding the yolks is still out there and still influencing people’s food choices.

In this article you’ll learn that not only are eggs a healthy food but that the yolk is in fact the healthiest part of the egg and should not be avoided for either concern of heart health or weight loss.

The link between the dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels is flimsy at best and it is now known that healthy fats and cholesterol in eggs can effectively raise the good cholesterol giving a better ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL). Where as not getting enough essential fatty acids has been shown to increase the levels of LDL (Bad cholesterol), eggs containing significant amounts of both good cholesterol and essential fatty acids can have a positive effect on the good to bad cholesterol ratio.

Research published in The European Journal of Nutrition found that those who ate two eggs per day while on a calorie-restricted diet not only lost weight – but also reduced their cholesterol levels. Both the American heart Association and the British Heart foundation no longer place a limit on the recommended number of eggs to be consumed in a week. Yet, despite this knowledge having been available for many years now people are still frequently recommending the removal of the yolk as a healthy option thinking that taking some the fat and cholesterol out is making a healthy food choice but they’re mistaken.

As well as containing the essential fatty acids the egg yolks also contain the lions share of the vitamins and minerals, 90% of calcium, 99.8% of Zinc, 93% of Iron, 91.7% of vitamin B12 and 100% of vitamins A, E , D & K. On the other hand the egg whites only contain protein and magnesium in significant quantities making it the less part of the nutritional whole. Still think that egg white omelet is the healthier option?

What about weight loss?

Well first off eggs are not as high in fat as most people believe; at 5 grams of fat per egg they certainly can not be considered a high fat food and it has been shown that Omega 3 fatty acids aid in weight loss. Also zinc, magnesium and calcium deficiencies which are very common in the modern diet often play a role in the hormonal imbalances that contribute to people’s weight and metabolic problems. Eggs are an excellent source of all these important nutrients.

When the yolk and the white are consumed together they form a complete nutritional complex of vitamins minerals essential fatty acids and protein, not only does the egg contain all these things but they are contained in their most absorbent form (humans can not absorb a lot of the nutrients from many foods) making them one of the most complete and healthy foods found anywhere in nature and nutrition. So clearly the healthiest part of the egg is the two parts together as nature intended.

Happy eating!

Source by Gavin R Smith