Eggs: they're nutritious, filling, and extremely versatile. Although eggs are high in cholesterol, eating them has very little effect on blood cholesterol levels in most people. What's more, they may provide some health benefits.
Keep reading to learn all about eggs, along with great ways to include them in your healthy lifestyle.
Start your FREE 30-day trial!
Get instant access to healthy low-carb and keto meal plans, fast and easy recipes, weight loss advice from medical experts, and so much more. A healthier life starts now with your free trial!
1. Egg nutrition facts
Eggs pack an impressive nutrient punch. Importantly, while both the yolk and white contain protein, the yolk is much higher in other essential nutrients.
One large egg (50 grams) has approximately 6.5 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 gram of carbohydrate, and 70 calories. This macronutrient profile makes them an ideal staple food for keto or low-carb diets.
Eggs are a great source of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12, selenium, and iron.
They also contain smaller amounts of the other B vitamins, vitamin E, potassium, and calcium.
Additionally, eggs are high in choline, an essential nutrient which has been linked to liver and brain health. Plus, the choline in eggs is absorbed more effectively than choline taken in supplement form.
Egg yolks also contain nutrients called carotenoids which may help protect eye health in some people. However, this has not yet been confirmed in clinical trials.
Eggs from pastured or organically raised hens have more omega-3 fatty acids and are slightly higher in protein, vitamins, and minerals than eggs from caged hens. However, eggs from caged or conventionally raised hens are still rich in protein and other nutrients. Plus, there aren't any studies showing one type of egg is better for your health than another.
2. Eggs are an excellent source of protein
Protein is vital for good health. A few of its roles include helping your body build and maintain muscle and keeping your skin, hair, bones, and internal organs healthy.
Eggs are a convenient and delicious way to help meet your daily protein needs.
Three large eggs provide about 19 grams of high-quality protein. We've included eggs as number 2 on our list of the top 10 high-protein foods.
What's more, although egg whites are popular among bodybuilders, whole eggs seem to be more effective for building muscle - in addition to being a much better source of nutrients overall.
3. How many calories do eggs have?
One large egg has approximately 70 calories. This is the most common size of eggs that are found in grocery stores and served in restaurants.
However, eggs come in several sizes with slightly different calorie counts:
Of course, the larger the egg, the more protein and nutrients it contains, too.
Different methods of preparing eggs can also affect their calorie counts. For instance, three large hard-boiled or poached eggs have about 210 calories, while three large fried or scrambled eggs can have 300 calories or more, depending on the amount of fat used during cooking.
However, at Diet Doctor, we don't think counting calories is a great idea.
Regardless of their size or the way they're prepared, eggs are a nutritious food you can enjoy regularly - two, three, or more at a time - without keeping track of their calories.
4. Eggs are filling and may help you lose weight
Have you noticed that after eating eggs, you feel full and satisfied?
In study after study, eggs have been shown to help people stay full for several hours after eating.
In some trials, people ended up naturally eating much less for the rest of the day after having a breakfast that included eggs compared to a breakfast without eggs.
Eating foods high in protein like eggs can trigger the release of "fullness hormones" like GLP-1 and PYY. Additionally, including eggs at a meal may result in lower levels of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin.
So it makes sense that eating nourishing, filling foods like eggs that naturally reduce hunger could help you lose weight over time. Also, limited research suggests that including eggs in a higher-protein diet may encourage fat loss and help preserve muscle.
5. Eggs may be beneficial for heart health
Decades ago, eggs earned a reputation for increasing heart disease risk because they're high in cholesterol. However, according to recent high-quality research, the opposite seems to be true: eating eggs may improve several markers of heart health.
Frequent egg consumption has been shown to increase levels of HDL cholesterol (a marker linked to decreased heart disease risk) in healthy individuals and in those who are overweight or have diabetes.
Upping your egg intake may also reduce insulin resistance, which is strongly connected to overall metabolic health.
Moreover, although the yolk contains all of an egg's cholesterol, it seems to provide most - if not all - of these health benefits.
For example, in studies of people following low-carb diets, those who ate whole eggs experienced greater insulin sensitivity and beneficial increases in HDL and LDL particle size compared to those who consumed a yolk-free egg substitute.
In addition, consuming whole eggs may improve HDL's ability to remove cholesterol from blood vessel walls in some people.
Finally, contrary to previous thought, eating eggs several times a week seems to be perfectly safe for people who have heart disease or for those at increased risk of developing it.
Of course, what you eat and drink with the eggs - and what you consume at other meals - can also affect heart health. However, in the context of a healthy diet, you can enjoy eggs regularly, even daily.
6. Does eating eggs cause high cholesterol levels?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is only found in animal foods like meat, eggs, and dairy products. Unlike fat, cholesterol has no calories.
It's true that eggs are higher in cholesterol than most foods. A large egg has about 210 mg of cholesterol, exclusively in the yolk. By comparison, a 100-gram (3.5 ounce) portion of fatty pork has about 61 mg of cholesterol.
However, eating eggs generally doesn't lead to higher levels of blood cholesterol.
Your liver makes most of the cholesterol found in your blood, while dietary cholesterol contributes much less.
In most people, eating more eggs prompts the body to produce less cholesterol, resulting in stable levels in the blood. Additionally, your body may not absorb most of the cholesterol you get from food.
In studies of healthy adults, overweight individuals, and those with type 2 diabetes, most people's LDL cholesterol levels increased only slightly in response to eating more eggs.
Many other factors have a greater effect on blood cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol does. Read our complete cholesterol guide to learn more.
Bottom line: Eggs do not adversely affect cholesterol levels in most people, and there's no reason to choose egg whites or Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs.
7. Evidence on eggs and health is contradictory
Many people are surprised to learn that eggs do not worsen the risk of heart disease, metabolic disease, or type 2 diabetes. Given all the contradictory media reports, it's no wonder there is so much confusion.
Eggs are one of the best examples of the complicated relationship between lower-quality scientific studies and media reports.
We've written many articles about studies concluding that eggs are associated with poor health outcomes. However, as we detail in those reports, the quality of the science does not match the media headlines, or in many cases, even the doctor's conclusions.
The problem is that observational trials are not meant to draw strong conclusions about a single food causing a particular health outcome.
The vast majority of observational studies show that people who eat more eggs are less healthy at baseline, eat a lower-quality baseline diet, eat more calories, exercise less, and even smoke more cigarettes.
Just as we shouldn't conclude that eating eggs makes you smoke more, we shouldn't conclude that eating eggs causes heart disease or type 2 diabetes.
Still other observational studies show just the opposite: that eating eggs is not associated with an increased risk of health complications, and in some cases may be linked to a decreased risk.
The bottom line is that the quality of science matters. It matters a lot.
The studies associating eggs with poor health outcomes are consistently low-quality studies, and many studies find that eating eggs is not linked to health risk. Using higher-quality evidence makes it clear that there is no scientific basis to fear eating eggs.
We provide a deeper dive into the difference between observational and experimental studies in our evidence-based guide.
8. How long can eggs be kept?
The shelf life of eggs you bring home from the supermarket or local farm will depend on how they are handled and stored.
In the US and many other countries, commercial eggs are washed to prevent contamination by Salmonella bacteria. While this is very effective at removing salmonella, the washing process makes eggs more porous to other bacteria.
If bacteria enter the egg, they can feed off the egg's nutrients, allowing the bacteria to grow and causing the egg to spoil.
Therefore, in the US and other regions where eggs are washed, eggs should be refrigerated. In areas where eggs are not washed (UK, Europe, South America, etc.), eggs can be kept at room temperature for two to three weeks.
Refrigerating eggs greatly extends their shelf life by reducing the risk of bacterial penetration into the egg and decreasing bacterial growth.
When refrigerated at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius), eggs will stay fresh for four to five weeks after purchase. If properly refrigerated, eggs are unlikely to spoil, but their quality will diminish over time.
Store eggs in their original carton on a shelf inside the refrigerator, away from any foods with odors. Eggs kept inside the refrigerator door are exposed to temperature changes when the door is opened and closed.
Hard-boiled eggs in the shell will keep for about one week if properly refrigerated.
You can freeze raw eggs for later use. Crack the eggs into an ice-cube tray or muffin tin and, once frozen, store the eggs in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one year.
9. How to tell if an egg has gone bad
The most reliable way to determine whether an egg is past its prime is with a simple "float test":
Fill a transparent bowl or container with cold water and place your eggs inside.
Do the eggs sink to the bottom and lay flat on their sides? Good news: they're still fresh. Use them any way you like.
Do they stand at the bottom of the bowl in an upright position? They are still fine to eat, but they're a few weeks old and may not provide as much volume when cooked or baked. Boil these eggs and eat them within a few days.
Are the eggs floating on the surface of the bowl? Unfortunately, these eggs are no longer fresh. However, they may not be "bad." A rotten egg will have an unpleasant odor when you break open the shell. If an egg smells even slightly "off," throw it out.
10. Is it safe to eat raw eggs?
Was Rocky Balboa, the title character in the 1976 boxing film "Rocky," setting a good example by drinking raw eggs during training? It may have worked well for him, but we don't recommend it.
Although some eggs may be contaminated with salmonella, cooking them until both the yolk and white are firm will kill the bacteria.
The risk of bacterial contamination is relatively low in properly refrigerated eggs. However, eating raw or undercooked eggs is a common cause of food poisoning. So the safest bet is to cook them thoroughly.
Furthermore, eating raw eggs isn't a great idea from a nutrition standpoint. Cooking eggs makes their protein easier to digest. In addition, raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin, which hinders your body's absorption of biotin (vitamin B7). Cooking egg whites reduces avidin's ability to bind to biotin, which allows you to absorb more of the vitamin.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is safe to use raw eggs that have been pasteurized (heated to an internal temperature of 137 degrees F/59 degrees C) in recipes that call for raw eggs, such as Caesar dressing and homemade ice cream.
In countries where eggs are not washed and countries that routinely vaccinate chickens against salmonella, such as the UK and most of the rest of Europe, consuming raw eggs may be less risky.
Egg recipes and preparation ideas
Eggs are one of the most versatile foods on the planet. While they're most commonly eaten at breakfast, they can - and should! - be enjoyed at any time of day.
Here are some ideas for using eggs:
Hard-boiled:- Add one (or two) to a salad to boost protein intake
- Prepare deviled eggs
- Make egg salad: Chop eggs and mix with mayo or mashed avocado
- Keep several on hand in the fridge for grab-and-go snacks
Fried:
Also, try our popular Diet Doctor recipes featuring eggs:
