Eggs are a great source of protein, giving you about 6 grams of protein with just 71 calories. More than half of that egg’s protein comes from the egg white, which might have you leaning towards an egg white omelet if you’re trying to maintain a healthy heart and lower your cholesterol.
In an exclusive interview with Health Digest, nutrition expert Joy Bauer told us that even though people still fear the egg yolk, research shows that eggs — yolk and all — can be part of a healthy diet. She pointed to a 2020 systematic review in BMJ that eating one egg per day was not linked to cardiovascular disease risk.
“After sorting through all of the research and the literature and the science and the findings, the American Heart Association now has endorsed eating eggs, yolk and all, for Americans as part of an overall healthy diet,” Bauer said. “That’s really, really good news because yolks are fabulous and most of the nutrition is housed in the yolk.”
The nutrients in the egg yolk
If you’ve been skipping the yolk for years, you’re missing out on some key ingredients. Joy Bauer said eggs have choline, which is found in the yolk. “Choline helps to enhance cognitive function, mood, and memory. It keeps our brains smart and sharp, and it also helps with developing brains,” Bauer said. “It’s very, very important throughout the whole entire life cycle: It’s good for kids as their brains are growing. It’s good for [adults] as we’re looking to maintain and enhance our cognitive function. And it’s really good for seniors who want to slow down age-related cognitive function.” Bauer said 90% of Americans don’t get enough choline each day, but an egg yolk gives you about 30% of your recommended intake of choline.
Eggs also have B vitamins for energy, biotin for healthy hair and nails, and vitamin D that helps our bodies absorb calcium. Egg yolks also have lutein and zeaxanthin, which are two antioxidants that support your eye health. “We’re on the computers all day long, whether it’s our computer or iPhone,” Bauer said. “All that blue light that it emits and radiates, we’re able to absorb some of that by making sure that we’re getting enough of these two antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, because they work together as a team.”
Adding eggs to your weekly menus
Even though the research specified “moderate” egg consumption of one egg per day, Joy Bauer said this formula might not be user-friendly. Instead, she said it might be easier to enjoy a few eggs every other day rather than trying to add one egg each day. “You could have a two-egg omelet or a three-egg frittata, and you just know on average at the end of the week, it’s about seven,” she said. “I wrote this little jingle. I’m going to try to make it go viral, and it goes like this: ‘Seven eggs a week to help your brain and body peak.’ That’s my version of the apple a day.”
However, if you already have high cholesterol or are at high risk for heart disease, Bauer suggests talking to your doctor about how many eggs per week are best for you.
Bauer has created egg-based recipes certified as heart-healthy by the American Heart Association. She makes them super healthy by starting with vegetables. She then tops them off with an egg sunny-side up. “I love the sunny-side eggs because when you slice into them, you get the runny, oozy yolk. It delivers that extra layer of amazingness.”
You can check out Joy Bauer’s healthy recipes on her website, JoyBauer.com. You can find some of her American Heart Association heart-check recipes at The Incredible Egg.
