Hot Body Training

Eggs have been given a bad rap and I feel it’s time for them to get an image overhaul. They have been demonised, primarily because of their high cholesterol content and to a smaller degree, because of their high fat content.

Cholesterol and lecithin
Because of the threat of cholesterol, if has been common for doctors and dieticians to recommend no more than four eggs per week. An egg contains 211mg of cholesterol and it is recommended that you do not exceed 300mg per day.
Fried eggs: Good hangover cure

What researchers have now discovered though, is that the compound found in eggs, lecithin, inhibits cholesterol and makes it unavailable for absorption. This would explain why many studies found no association between egg intake and cholesterol levels.

Why eggs are good for you
Eggs have a higher quality protein than any other natural food source. Protein quality is often measured by looking at something called its Biological Value (BV). At the time when BV was created, egg was the gold standard and was given a BV of 100, with all other foods falling below this level. Today, some of the protein powders boast a BV higher than 100, but I’d still rather be eating real food. Real food has so much more goodness and it would be foolish to just look at BV.

So eggs have great quality protein, but what about the fat? One large egg contains roughly 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat. Taking into consideration that fat has more calories per gram than protein does, it accounts for almost two thirds of the total calories of an egg. Don’t let that put you off your eggs though as only 1.5 grams of that is saturated fat. The rest is healthy mono and polyunsaturates. Finally, eggs have only trace amount of carbs, so if you’re trying to get lean by cutting out some carbs then eggs are a great choice.

Follow this link to see the complete nutritional profile of an egg.

Leave the raw egg eating to the meatheads
Eating raw eggs is an old bodybuilding habit, but back in the day they didn’t know any better so we’ll forgive them for that. Cooking kills an anti-nutrient in eggs called avidin. When consumed raw, avidin seeks out and binds to the vitamin biotin, rendering it useless. Therefore if you cook your eggs, you will prevent Biotin Deficiency Syndrome, which can cause a loss of hair, dry hair and eyes, poor muscle coordination, muscle pain, dermatitis and exhaustion.

Cooking your eggs also denatures the protein and will allow you to absorb a lot more of it. In fact, in the study Digestibility of Cooked and Raw Egg Protein in Humans as Assessed by Stable Isotope Techniquesthey discovered that the true digestibility of cooked vs. raw egg protein amounted to 91% and 51% respectively.

Lastly, don’t forget the threat of Salmonella from eating raw eggs. In short, cook your eggs.

Photo credit: Pål Berge

If you have normal cholesterol levels and no family history of cardiovascular disease, you shouldn’t worry about eating eggs at all. In the long run, they’ll do you more good than harm, so eat up!