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Are eggs okay?
By Dr. Jonathan Wright on 10/02/2010
Question: My family keeps telling me I should stay away from eggs. But I don't understand how a natural, whole food can be bad for me -- what do you think?
Dr. Wright: Despite the mainstream scare tactics, eggs are excellent sources of nutrition -- if you follow two simple rules when it comes to eating them.
First, make sure your eggs are "omega eggs." Omega eggs come from chickens that have been fed flaxseed instead of corn. The resulting eggs reflect the flaxseed's rich omega-3 content. In some cases, these eggs can contain up to five times more omega-3 fatty acids than regular eggs. You'll probably have the best chance of finding omega eggs in a natural food store, but you can also check your local supermarket to see if it carries them.
Second, stay away from scrambled eggs. When you cook scrambled eggs, you break the yolks. Since the yolks contain most of the egg's cholesterol, breaking and scrambling them allows that cholesterol to be exposed to much more air and heat than other cooking techniques that leave the yolk intact. That air and heat can cause the cholesterol in the scrambled egg yolks to oxidize before you even have a chance to eat them, potentially contributing to atherosclerosis.
This information isn't meant to terrorize you into fearing the very sight of scrambled eggs. If you're otherwise eating quite well and taking your daily supplements (including antioxidants), the occasional scrambled egg while you're traveling or visiting friends or relatives certainly won't kill you, and likely will be offset by the rest of what you're doing. But if you're a scrambled egg lover and eat your eggs cooked this way frequently, you might want to consider giving poached or sunny-side-up a try.
Printer-friendly versionAbout the author
Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. has degrees from both Harvard University (cum laude) and the University of Michigan. More than any other doctor, he practically invented the modern science of applied nutritional biochemistry and he has advanced nutritional medicine for nearly three decades.
As of today, Dr. Wright has received over 35,000 patient visits at his now-famous Tahoma Clinic in Washington State.
To learn more about Dr. Wright, and to sign up for his free Health e-Tips eLetter, please visit www.wrightnewsletter.com.
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Comments
vikingstork
As a lifetime egg lover who never gave two flying squats about experts' drivel, i have attest to "evil" of scrambled eggs. That's overcooking them the worst way, (other than boiled until green).
I noticed that after eating them, my heat was pounding noticeably. My daughter told me that if your heart is pounding after you ate something, you are intolerant or allergic to it. But i knew i wasn't intolerant to eggs. Lately, on advice of DR Mercola, i started eating them half-raw, just heat them up in olive oil until the wihite starts turning white, and them scramble them together (scrambling optional). No heart-pounding problems ( same with poached)
Yesterday tho, i "overcooked" my eggs, they started to solidify, and my heart pounded again.
I have no doubt now, that more you cook the eggs more you ruin them.
Good advice tho, on keeping yolks unbroken, on account of oxidation, learn new theings every day.
Anonymous
I was hoping you would have addressed the eating of "raw" eggs, such as in eggnog. Although I eat one raw egg this way, daily, I am somewhat unsure, as I have been advised about the dangers of "contamination" that heat would probably destroy. I pay extra for "free range" eggs, however that's not much consolation, as the "free" part is so generously interpreted.
Mr. Sirajul Islam
Yes, it's another excellent piece of information, from Dr. Wright. First thing first. I didn't understand what an O3 egg means until now. It's important. Second, I thought having an omlette with chilli, onion and tumeric powder was good. Thank you, sir, for providing us the most crotical info to keep us healthy.
Lori
Sorry, not sure I agree with all this. The best eggs are those that come from happy chickens - allowed to roam and eat freely. Omega eggs may still come from crowded caged chickens. If flax seed is not part of the traditional "diet" of a chicken, why bother now? And the fact is, according to many experts including Dr. David Ludwig from Harvard, the omega-3's in flaxseed, in the form of ALA, don't adequately convert to EPA and DHA in the human body which are the omega - fatty acids that we use most effeciently. And the yolk is chock-full of antioxidants. Not sure about the scrambled either...
Anonymous
I eat tons of eggs, scrambled, over easy, boiled...
I'm on a low carb diet, that's the key. Don't drive your blood sugar levels up with simple carbohydrates and you won't accumulate cholesterol in your veins.
alan
The ALA is what troubles me. Although I don't have prostate problems, I think flaxseed has been implicated in prostate cancer. If you are in a high risk category for it, maybe it's better to stay away from flaxseed. I originally heard about this from Dr. Snuffy Myers, a leading prostate cancer M.D./researcher who has also had prostate cancer himself, on his web site prostateforum.com
4xtra
Well..
I eat 5-6 eggs a DAY SCRAMBLED with canola oil on the pan before I cook them. I also use tumeric and a dash of garlic powder and my cholestrerol went DOWN form 195 to 176
IN ONE MONTH. (I do take a choke full of supplements 3-4 X a week)
I have the blood work results on hand if anyone wants to see them ...
Vitamin C 1000mg
B Complex
ALA Alpha Lipoic acid 600 mg
Glutathione 500 mg
Biotin what ever the 100% RDA is
N Acetyl Cystiene 1000 mg
Arginine 3 grams
Grape seed extract
Cal Mag Zinc
2 spoons of Fiber
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