To yolk or not to yolk, what the eggheads are now thinking

EGG white omelettes have been all the rage for people trying to lose weight for years. But have we been missing out on the healthiest part of an egg all this time?

Bachelor Tim Robards

This is a question I argue with my father about all the time. My parents’ generation have been told two eggs a week is enough. Any more and you will blow out your cholesterol and end up with heart disease as a result.

But growing evidence is not supporting this restriction on golden omelette goodness and it seems the US government’s draft dietary guidelines are following suit with what Australians have already cottoned on to: That eggs are a great whole food filled with nutrients, and we should be eating them regularly.

Current evidence says that dietary cholesterol intake has minimal impact on blood cholesterol levels and saturated fat intake is by far the strongest dietary determinant of LDL cholesterol levels.

In line with decades of Australian dietary guidelines, the 2015 version of the US dietary guidelines will no longer place an upper limit on cholesterol.

This is because “available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol”, the US Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

The draft report said “cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for over consumption.”

“We have seen this controversy, especially surrounding the consumption of eggs, which are very high in cholesterol yet filled with beneficial nutrients,” said Suzanne Steinbaum, preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

The committee “clearly is trying to dispel the idea that cholesterol matters”.

So while is seems that we are all getting a hall pass to eat cholesterol, saturated fat is still out.

Similar to the Australian dietary guidelines, the US recommends that Americans eat less than before.

“Saturated fat is still a nutrient of concern for over consumption, particularly for those older than the age of 50 years,” said the report.

So just like our ancestors for hundreds and thousands of years, the evidence seems to be in support of eating the whole egg. The Yolk contains up to 80% of the vitamins and minerals that can be found in the eggs as a whole. More research is showing that the Omega 3’s and Lutein may reduce inflammation in the body which is now proving to be one of the biggest culprits in the heart disease battle.

So I guess the question you have to ask yourself when you reach for you next is … Is my egg cup half full, or half empty?

Dr Tim Robards is a Chiropractor, exercise scientist (B. Med. Sc, M. Chiro) and regular news.com.au columnist. His observations and research into what people really need to live a healthy life and thrive in their environment has lead him to develop The Robards Method. You can follow Tim on Instagram and Twitter.

Dr Tim Robards Pic: Cameron Richardson