Classic barnyard chickens are a far cry from the commercial chicken farms today that pack 500,000 animals into close quarters where they feed them genetically modified (GM) grains and emphasize production over health. The result? Supermarket eggs have low levels of essential omega-3 fatty acids and are more prone to spreading salmonella!
According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 36.6 million American adults have "high risk" cholesterol levels (above 240 mg/dL) and 105.2 million have "borderline high risk" cholesterol levels (above 200 to 239 mg/dL).1
For this reason, Americans are often recommended to eat a low cholesterol diet to lower their cholesterol levels and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. With that in mind, it's no wonder that eggs have gotten a bad rap in the past because they are considered to be a high cholesterol food due to the cholesterol content of the yolk.
HDL and LDL
Over time, research started to differentiate between HDL (high density lipoprotein) and LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol. HDL is known as "good cholesterol" because it protects against heart attacks, while LDL is known as "bad cholesterol" because it creates plaque that can clog arteries, contributing to heart attack and stroke.
Further research has shown that there are different types of LDL cholesterol, not all of which are responsible for clogging arteries. This makes a difference in determining what foods to avoid.
One study showed that eating eggs did raise LDL cholesterol,but NOT the type responsible for heart disease.2
The Health Benefits of Eggs
At Body Ecology, we love a good egg. Eggs are an ancient food. Man has always eaten the eggs of all animals that produced them: chicken, duck, goose, turtles. Called caviar and roe, the eggs from fish are very special foods. Eggs are foods of reproduction and so therefore are good for our reproductive organs, making them a must for pregnant and nursing women.
Additionally, eggs are a wonderful source of nutrition and can greatly strengthen your health. Eggs provide a vital source of protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, folic acid, phosphorus, sulfur, and the adrenal-building minerals: choline, sodium, and potassium.
Eggs have been shown to:
- Keep your brain healthy. Choline is an important nutrient found in egg yolks that is required by the body to keep cell membranes normal and healthy as they function.
- Prevent Alzheimer's disease. Phosphatidycholine is a nutrient in eggs essential for concentration, attention, and retaining information in the memory to ultimately prevent Alzheimer's disease.
- Improve heart health. Homocysteine is a substance in the body that can damage the blood vessels and leave you at risk for heart disease. Luckily, the choline found in eggs will convert homocysteine into harmless material. Eggs can also decrease your risk for heart attacks and stroke thanks to the anti-clotting agent found in yolks.
- Enhance your vision. The lutein found in eggs can help prevent macular degeneration.
- Nourish expecting mothers and their babies. Egg yolks contain high levels of biotin, a B vitamin that can prevent birth defects. Even more so, egg yolks should be a baby's first animal food and can be introduced at around six months.
- Aid in fat assimilation. Eggs yolks contain lecithin. In fact, lecithin is the precursor to choline, which helps lower serum cholesterol. (Lecithin can be made from eggs and from soybeans.)
The Body Ecology Diet is packed with information and recipes for health and healing. Learn more about eggs and other beneficial foods by getting your copy of The Body Ecology Diet today!
Special Note Worth Mentioning: Body Ecology's Vitality SuperGreen is our nutrient-dense green drink formula that has been designed to nourish your gut lining and help establish a healthy inner ecosystem. Non GMO soy lecithin plays a valuable role in digestive health as well.
As you can see, eggs are truly good for you and can be a wonderful addition to your Body Ecology lifestyle!
Healthy Eggs Body Ecology Style
Here at Body Ecology, we recommend cooking your eggs "softly." You never want to overcook proteins, or they become difficult to digest. We often make our eggs without much of the white, which is helpful for those who are sensitive to egg whites. In spite of the popular myth that egg white omelets are good for you, The yellow yolk has the most valuable nutrition. A baby’s first animal protein food should be softly scrambled egg yolks.
IMPORTANT: Do you find eggs difficult to digest? Eat them with cultured vegetables. Once you are eating and drinking fermented foods and liquids and have established your inner ecosystem, many foods you could not eat before are now well tolerated and can then become beneficial for rebuilding your body.
Eggs combine best with land and ocean vegetables and of course, cultured vegetables. These arealkaline and help create balance with the acidic nature of animal protein foods, including eggs. When cooking eggs, always add a touch of very alkalizing Celtic Sea Salt.
If you have been an egg lover but have given them up because you were told they were too high in cholesterol, you can now enjoy eggs again every day by choosing how to eat them wisely!
- 1 Cholesterol Statistics. American Heart Association.
- 2 Warner, Jennifer. Eating Eggs Daily May Not Be Risky for Heart. WebMD News.
- Biotin and Pregnancy, MedicinalFoodNews.com, Apr 2002 No. 146.
- Eggs: The World's Healthiest Foods, WHFoods.com.
- The Five Things You Need to Know about Eggs, SupermarketGuru.com, 26 Dec 2006.
- Garber, Barbara, "Real Eggs from a Real Farm: Beneficial Farm turns a hatchery egg machine into a barnyard animal," WestonAPrice.org.
- Omega-3 and Omega-6: Essential fats are the answer to most athletes' prayers, PPOnline.com.
- Ronald McDonald Quits Over GE Chicken Feed, Greenpeace.org, 21 Apr 2004.
Want more articles like this?
Sign up to receive weekly articles. You'll also receive a 15% off coupon, weekly articles, and tips from Donna and her team.