Eggs are one of the essential foods in our diet as they are a high source of nutrients that are very beneficial for health. However, over the years, a series of myths have been generated around them that have provided them with an unjustified bad name.
Today, there are still many people who continue to believe that eggs are harmful, because they affect cholesterol and increase heart risk. In addition, there are those who believe that the main problem with this food is the yolk, so they tend to discard it and eat only the white, thinking that this is the key to taking care of their health and/or losing weight.
However, there are currently enough studies and evidence to say that this is a big mistake. We tell you the reasons why you should eat the whole egg (yolk and white) to maintain a varied and balanced diet.
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Reasons why you should eat the whole egg
The egg is a very complete food
In the yolk (the yellow part) are the nutrients (vitamins and minerals essential for health) and in the white are the proteins. It only has 70 calories (like a fruit) and is the ideal complement to a complete breakfast along with a bowl of oatmeal, for example.
Egg yolk does not increase cholesterol
The yolk is rich in fat. You probably already knew this, however, its content is about 4 grams of fat per egg, of which only 1.5 are saturated fats, that is, negative. The rest are unsaturated fats that are very beneficial for the body. In 1999, the Harvard School of Public Health released the results of research carried out on more than 115,000 people. In this analysis, they studied the consumption of eggs and the health of men and women for 8 and 14 years, respectively, and came to the conclusion that a healthy person can perfectly eat at least one egg a day. Without increasing cholesterol levels in a risky way. That is, the cholesterol index of eggs is very low and is compensated with the rest of its nutrients. If you usually have high cholesterol, you can limit your consumption a bit, but not suppress it completely, since its protein index is essential for a healthy diet. The only risk appears in the way the egg is cooked, if we eat it fried, for example, the oil used will include that fat that is so dangerous to health.
The yolk is a powerful source of vitamins and minerals.
It is rich in iron, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium and contains vitamins A, E, D, B9 (folic acid), B12, B6 and B2. In fact, it is one of the few foods that naturally contains vitamin D.
The consumption of eggs (with yolk included) is not associated with any cardiac pathology
On the contrary, numerous investigations show that eggs have innumerable benefits for the heart since eating them significantly increases blood lecithin levels. This component, present mainly in the egg yolk, what it does is bind to cholesterol to prevent it from being fully absorbed by our body. Lecithin is a fundamental element in maintaining our heart health and also contributes to the care of the bone marrow, brain, liver and nervous system.
Egg yolk allows us to improve our memory and concentration
This is thanks to one of its substances called choline. What is it for? For brain health, for our memory and to fight diseases such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. Incredible, isn’t it?
Therefore, given the great debate as to whether it is better to eat eggs with or without the yolk, experts recommend eating them whole. Together with a varied diet and cooked in the right way, they will greatly contribute to your health. Also, they are delicious!