Eggs For Breakfast – An Eggstremely Strong Case

I think this is an eggstraordinarily fun topic, not just because you can be eggseptionally funny but you can have fun with eggs in the kitchen too. You can scramble them, poach them, hard boil them, fry them, put them in cake mixes (with no sugar or refined wheat flower of course), mix them with raw beef or tuna and create a Tatar, make Scotch eggs, devil eggs, give them names like Benedict etc. And you can paint them and blow them if you’re a child. Bodybuilders eat eggs for breakfast as do strength and conditioning trainers and many fitness professionals. There’s a very good reason for this.

Eggs are also a controversial topic. I’d like to share something with you – there’s this eggseptionally silly myth going round that eggs are bad for you as they cause your cholesterol to rise because, they, themselves, contain cholesterol in the yolks. And then supposedly high cholesterol leads to cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.

Undeniably, egg yolks do contain cholesterol. What’s also true is that the yolk of the egg is super rich in nutrients and omega-3s, that we need to consume in our diet. The whites are high in protein (which is why bodybuilders and strength trainers eat lots of them). This is an eggscellent finding. All round. What isn’t proven is that if you regularly consume free-range, organic eggs, your cholesterol increases. In fact, the Framingham Heart Study, one the most respected in its field, showed that there is no correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. Our body creates cholesterol in the liver. A Harvard Medical school study of 115,000 subjects showed no correlation between egg consumption and heart disease or stroke.

Let’s have a quick look at cholesterol. Cholesterol has a very important function in the body. Every cell has cholesterol as a crucial and functional component. Our brain cells use cholesterol to create synapses (connections) with other cells. It is also the precursor molecule for important hormones including testosterone, and oestrogen. It is responsible for making bile acids that allow us to digest and absorb fats. This is why our liver produces lots of it every day.

In short, there are two main types – high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL or “bad’ cholesterol). You want HDL to be high, and LDL to be low. Without getting too complex, the HDL helps to mitigate the effects of harmful things in the blood, whilst LDL and triglycerides (fat cells) cause harm.

Eating decent saturated fats and omega-3s, such as those found in organic, free-range eggs has actually been shown to separate the two of these types of cholesterol – namely, making LDL low and HDL high. And eating Omega-3s helps to reduce inflammation.

What’s even more interesting is that high cholesterol doesn’t directly lead to cardiovascular disease. Rather, it’s chronic inflammation and hardening of the arteries that leads to heart disease. Chronic inflammation takes place when you consistently put foods in your body that are not actually designed for human consumption – such as refined carbohydrates (white bread, white pasta and white rice), too much sugar, too many high glycaemic carbs, trans fats and hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, flavourings, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides etc. Think back to how our ancestors would eat before the introduction of processed and packaged foods to our diet – and you’re already on a safer road to not develop inflammation. Provided of course you eat like that, thinking alone doesn’t help!

Why do I say organic? Eggs contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids. Ideally, you want more Omega-3s than Omega-6s as the Omega-6s are the ones that are inflammatory. Non-organic eggs, from hens that are fed antibiotics (to fend of disease) are often pumped with hormones to fatten them up (banned in Europe) and often feed on an unnatural diet of genetically modified (GM) grains and corn (GM products have been proven to increase oestrogen levels). This all means that the ratio of Omega-3s to Omega-6s changes unfavourably, considerably. Therefore, eating lots of non-organic eggs might cause an inflammatory response in your body, thus increase your risk of heart disease.

So, based on everything I’ve read lately, I’d say eggs are eggscellent for you, and one of the best ways to start the day. I ditched the cereal about 2 years ago and now have a fully loaded vegetable omelette. Eggs are superior way to start your day than with breakfast cereals or toast which cause your insulin levels to spike. The only time you want your insulin levels to spike is after a work out when your muscles need feeding. You won’t come across a true expert in nutrition or fitness these days who doesn’t advocate eating eggs. Click here to Tweet

Some of the above information was taking from The Primal Blueprint, written by Mark Sisson. I’d highly recommend a read. It’ll change how you approach your diet and lifestyle as a whole.

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