What is actually on the egg? How many can I eat and what about cholesterol? Kathleen Voigt, dietician at the Helios Klinik Jerichower Land, explains the myths surrounding egg consumption.
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It’s true: eggs contain a lot of cholesterol. "It’s also true that too much of it puts a strain on the heart and blood vessels," confirms Kathleen Voigt from the nutrition team at Helios Klinik Jerichower Land. "What many don’t know, however, is that eggs actually have little effect on cholesterol levels."In fact, cholesterol is one of the vital substances for the human body. The organism even produces it itself. If this substance enters the body, for example, through a sumptuous Easter breakfast, two safety mechanisms prevent an overabundance of it. On the one hand, the body reduces its own production, and on the other hand, cholesterol absorption via the intestines is limited and the body excretes excess cholesterol.
What’s inside the egg?
Because of its high content of valuable ingredients, the egg is even important as a component of a healthy diet. "Our body can use the protein of chicken eggs particularly well to build its own proteins. It contains protein as well as fat, almost no carbohydrates, but many minerals and vitamins," says dietician Kathleen Voigt. The high protein content supports satiety and can also help with weight loss.
Eggs from free-range chickens that eat a lot of green fodder contain particularly high levels of lycopene, a substance that the body cannot produce itself. This powerful antioxidant with various protective effects should not be missing in the diet. The substance lecithin protects the liver and the mucous membrane of the large intestine, and improves the concentration and metabolism. Memory. It also reduces the absorption of cholesterol from the egg yolk in the intestine.
How many eggs a day are safe to eat?
The rule set by health organizations to enjoy a maximum of three eggs a week is therefore no longer appropriate. However, risk patients with vascular calcification, certain heart diseases, lipometabolic disorders or poorly controlled diabetes should continue to eat only 2-3 eggs a week, the German Heart Foundation and British researchers agree. It should also be noted that eggs are used in a wide variety of food products, even if this is not always obvious to the consumer at first glance. A look at the ingredients list helps. This also applies to dishes for children. Due to the risk of allergies, children should not eat eggs until the end of the first year of life.
And what is it about cholesterol??
Eggs have long been considered a dangerous cholesterol bomb, but eggs are not necessarily harmful for healthy people. Studies have shown that one or two eggs a day do not increase cholesterol levels in a way that is harmful to health. The egg is better than its reputation! Due to its high content of valuable ingredients, it is recommended as a component of a healthy diet.
Of course, it is not only the consumption of eggs that matters: If you get enough exercise, eat a healthy diet and eat as little and only lean meat as possible, not sausage or cheese with a high fat content every day, but often whole grains, vegetables, fish and legumes, you don’t have to worry about your egg consumption – and at Easter it can be one egg more – preferably from free-range chickens, of course.
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