Eggs

Rod Lees wrote and said: “There seems to be some mixed advice in relation to eggs and cholesterol.” You’re right Rod, and there has been for many years. It was conveniently thought that foods with cholesterol had the potential to raise blood cholesterol. We later realised that it was saturated fat and becoming blobby that made our cholesterol rise. It’s doubtful that it was the omelette you had for brekky.

As with most aspects of our body, genetics has an influence on cholesterol too, meaning you can eat superbly yet require the assistance of medication to get your cholesterol down.

The official word from the Heart Foundation is: Cholesterol in foods has only a small effect on your LDL cholesterol (that’s the nasty cholesterol – Ed), especially when compared with the much greater increase caused by saturated and trans fat in food.

Anyway, eggs are off the hook on the heart disease and blood cholesterol front. The Heart Foundation’s view on eggs is: Eggs are very nutritious. They contain good quality protein, lots of
 vitamins and minerals, and mostly the healthier polyunsaturated fat.

They say that up to six eggs a week is fine. I couldn’t live without my mega-veg frittata with a touch of truffle oil. And if you ever hear about the cholesterol-free egg from the Araucana hen, someone is pulling your leg. All animal foods have cholesterol. That includes you and me. It is part of the cell wall.

More on eggs and nutrition http://eggs.org.au/health-and-nutrition here.