HOW MANY EGGS CAN YOU EAT TO STAY HEART-HEALTHY?

A lot of people aren’t sure whether we should add eggs to our daily diet and as result we get skeptical of eating eggs because of their saturated fat and cholesterol content.

The only reason you may avoid egg is if you have heart disease. People with heart disease risk FACTORS, have a red flag when it comes to eating eggs (especially egg yolk) according to Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, of the Cleveland Clinic’s Preventive Cardiology Nutrition Program.

HOW MANY EGGS CAN YOU EAT PER WEEK?

“There is no current recommendation on how many eggs you should consume each week,” says Zumpano. “Research indicates that total saturated fat contributes more to LDL (bad) cholesterol than dietary cholesterol.”

She points out that egg whites are safe and a good source of protein. It is egg yolks that have the cholesterol and saturated fat you’re trying to avoid.

“If you have heart disease or high cholesterol, be cautious about the number of egg yolks you consume, and take into account all the other forms of saturated fat (red meat, beef, pork, veal and lamb, poultry skin, whole-milk dairy or full-fat cheese) in your diet,” says Zumpano.

“To lower your LDL cholesterol, no more than 5 to 6 percent of your calories should come from saturated fat, according to the 2013 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines.”

Consider cooking methods

When you prepare eggs, you should also pay attention to the way you cook them, says Zumpano. “If you fry them, the oil that you add is only going to contribute to your saturated fat for the day,” she says. She says these drier or oil-free cooking methods are preferred:  

1.)  POACHING : cook (an egg) with its shell removed, by putting it (in or over) gently boiling water, or other liquid

2.)  BOILING: cook (an egg) with its shell intact by putting it in gently boiling water, (or over) for approximately 12 minutes till it hard boild. 

3.)  PAN-FRYING (with a cooking spray)

NOTE:  It's strongly advised that you should avoid adding salt to your eggs to keep the amount of sodium in your diet at the recommended level.

One teaspoon of salt is all you need per day, not more!

Special thanks to the Preventive Cardiology Nutrition Program, and Cliveland Clinic, USA.