Eggs...

[redfox]

... again?? Oy. I love eggs for breakfast. I come from a family whereby my father had his first heart attack at 58. I am 57. I eat a dozen eggs a week... Organice, free range, usually fried, some butter, some olive oil. Now I'm getting concerned again. <Sigh>

What's your take on the egg controversy?

[bae]

I am positive that their habit of having eggs for breakfast every morning contributed to the deaths of my great-grandfather (96), and two grandfathers (95, 94). I think the slabs of bacon they laid the eggs atop may have had something to do with it.

:-)

I eat a lot of eggs these days, from our own chickens, my bloodwork looks fine. They work so well in baking too, real eggs.

[redfox]

Bae... Nice!

[leslieann]

Teeheehee....there's probably an icon for that. Thanks for the support, bae. Eggs are awesome. I am trying to locate a regular local source for mine...wish just ONE of my neighbors would take up chickens as I don't want to de-simplify that much. I just want the benefit of someone else's labour...

[goldensmom]

Eggs are good for you, eggs are bad for you, coffee is good, coffee is bad, etc., etc. This year it is good for you, 5 years later it is bad then a few years late it is found to be good again and repeat. We have chickens and we eat eggs.

[Suzanne]

The study is so full of holes you could use it to strain tennis balls! It's based on the infamous memory questionnaire, single sampling, and only two questions: How many eggs did you eat? and How many cigarettes did you smoke? No questions about sugar intake, processed foods, refined vegetable oils, or soda drinking. Any study based on one questionnaire, extrapolated over a multiyear period, is likely to be a tad dodgy.

[peggy]

Exactly Suzanne! I think sugar is the real poison! Our grandparents, some of whom lived very long on a diet of eggs and bacon, ate very little sugar, and certainly didn't consume the processed foods, white flour, sugar, and goo we do. Eat the eggs and leave the sugar out of the coffee, don't eat the pastry or toaster strudel (despite the commercial, it isn't a part of a good breakfast! it's cookies folks!)
I only wish I could eat eggs. I love them but they don't love me!:(

[CathyA]

redfox............Are you keeping an eye on your labs (cholesterol in particular)? Also, with your family history of heart attacks, you should have your heart checked every couple of years. That would include a stress echo.
If those things look okay, then I wouldn't worry about the eggs. And, as has been said, there are alot of other foods that are much worse for your heart. I think eggs are chocked full of good things.
But with your family history, you should definitely be tested occasionally.

[decemberlov]

We do only organic, range free as well. I say keep eating your eggs but maybe fry them less often. Soft boiled are my favorite, in a bowl with little pieces of toast broken up and mixed in.

[Gregg]

I have high cholesterol. It's heredity and only drops so far with any measure of diet and exercise. Training for 1/2 marathons (never did a full one) years ago coupled with an almost completely vegetarian diet got my numbers down to "borderline". It is what it is. At that time adding eggs back into my diet almost daily made no difference whatsoever. Now I eat lots of eggs. Organic eggs. Our own chickens are a work in progress, but for now organics from the store. I probably eat 18 to 24 eggs a week if you tally up everything they go into in addition to breakfast. Count me with the movement that feels they are close to the perfect food.

[try2bfrugal]

I have always had trouble keeping my cholesterol levels up. That is actually a real problem many doctors overlook, but low cholesterol is linked to just as many scary disorders (bleeding issues, depression) as high cholesterol - just different ones. So I am fine with eating an egg or two a day - more egg whites if we have hard boiled eggs made. If I wasn't trying to lose weight I would be fine with eating more eggs with the yolk.

[redfox]

redfox............Are you keeping an eye on your labs (cholesterol in particular)? Also, with your family history of heart attacks, you should have your heart checked every couple of years. That would include a stress echo.
If those things look okay, then I wouldn't worry about the eggs. And, as has been said, there are alot of other foods that are much worse for your heart. I think eggs are chocked full of good things.
But with your family history, you should definitely be tested occasionally.

Sadly, I have minimal health insurance, so I haven't had labs done in 3 years. Stress test was longer ago... This totally frustrates me. I hate the private pay health insurance system. I think I'll price better coverage & get these things done...

[CathyA]

If I had to choose..........I would choose the stress echo over the labs to start with. The stress echo tells you alot about how your heart looks under physical stress.

Do you know how your blood pressure is doing?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Sadly, I have minimal health insurance, so I haven't had labs done in 3 years. Stress test was longer ago... This totally frustrates me. I hate the private pay health insurance system. I think I'll price better coverage & get these things done...

Bloodwork shouldn't be that expensive even out of pocket. Of course it depends on how extensive the tests are. Just lipids and glucose shouldn't be much. I think sometimes these are available free as part of health fairs also. Now I'm a bit skeptical about how reliable this minimal bloodwork is, and even more extensive work isn't that expensive out pocket probably either. But I think you could get at least *some* readings for what it's worth (mostly interesting information to have but not definitive, more ruling out any risk than ruling in anything, maybe you have boatloads of HDL and you are worrying about the cholesterol in eggs for nothing for instance)


If I had to choose..........I would choose the stress echo over the labs to start with. The stress echo tells you alot about how your heart looks under physical stress.

That makes a lot of intuitive sense to me. But it's probalby more expensive.


Do you know how your blood pressure is doing?

Good question, even the drugstores have free blood pressure machines.

[puglogic]

Redfox, doesn't Seattle/King Co have a program of in-community testing events, where you can get lab services and various screenings at reduced rates? Our community has the 9 Health Fair, where for about $35.00 you can get more bloodwork than you can shake a stick at, cancer screening, bone density, all that stuff. I know a lot of communities offer this....could you check with public health and see if there's something coming up?

[awakenedsoul]

Wow! Some of you eat a lot of eggs! I have a chicken, and I use the eggs for baking and cooking. I would also consider how much other dairy you eat. I find moderation in all things really works with diet. My grandma ate eggs every a.m. and she lived into her nineties, too.

How do you feel? If you'e in good health, and you feel energized by the eggs, I would keep eating them.

[JaneV2.0]

I probably average a dozen a week, often more, rarely less. I've eaten lots of eggs all my life, which probably saved me during my misguided vegetarian years. Last I checked, my cholesterol was lower than I would like at about 175 total. The longest-lived people in my family have had hearty appetites and a taste for fat and protein, much like bae's relatives. I don't subscribe to the lipid theory, which is taking way too long to die, IMO.

[creaker]

Wow - lots of eggs. No judgement (eggs are good), but I doubt I've eaten a half dozen so far this year.

[HappyHiker]

From what I've read--and experienced--eggs are fine. It's those darned white carbs and partially-hydrogenated fats and sugar that'll get you! And statins do more harm than good, according to a slew of well-respected physicians...

[ApatheticNoMore]

Wow - lots of eggs. No judgement (eggs are good), but I doubt I've eaten a half dozen so far this year.

I think I've learned to be careful and practice moderation toward things I've had sensitivities to in the past several years. Which makes me paranoid .... actually no it means there are things toward which I tend toward moderation, and there being plenty of different foods in the world, what's wrong with that. I maybe eat about 2 eggs a week. But I don't really worry about the cholesterol.

[JaneV2.0]

Moderation is in the eye of the beholder. A breakfast of cereal, skim milk, and a banana--with maybe a side of orange juice--just looks like a big ol' pile of sugar to me, and not moderate at all. But within a certain latitude, we all respond differently to what we eat. It's that "experiment of one" thing.

[redfox]

Redfox, doesn't Seattle/King Co have a program of in-community testing events, where you can get lab services and various screenings at reduced rates? Our community has the 9 Health Fair, where for about $35.00 you can get more bloodwork than you can shake a stick at, cancer screening, bone density, all that stuff. I know a lot of communities offer this....could you check with public health and see if there's something coming up?

GREAT idea, thanks! Will look into it. My blood pressure is fantastic; always has been. My Mom comes from long-lived, no serious illness people. I am hoping I have her genetics! And, I am cutting back on my egg consumption. This morning, I had whole grain cereal with walnuts sprinkled on it, & lowfat almond milk. Ugh.

My Dad ate lots & lots of trans fats, smoked, and had an anger control problem. He lived high stress, and raged at people. In fact, having a heart attack at 58 calmed him down considerably, and made him a much nicer person, IMHO. I eat no trans fats - unless they are in food I consume at restaurants, which is rarely - I don't smoke (did in college for a few years), and don't rage at people. I think that helps.

Thanks for the good words, y'all!

[Tiam]

Wow - lots of eggs. No judgement (eggs are good), but I doubt I've eaten a half dozen so far this year.



Hmmmm, I think perhaps I average about 6 to 10 a month depending. I like eggs for the quick protein pop, but I don't have them daily.

[Tussiemussies]

Used to like eggs but now they gross me out for some reason. I will eat them if they are baked in a cake or anything like that...

[lizii]

I had a definite sensitivity to eggs when I was younger which I outgrew. Now I love having an egg on buttered toast for breakfast or dinner.

I also had a serious high blood pressure problem, so stopped using salt entirely. Now my doctor tells me my bp is completely normal.

I've been a smoker from age 16 to today at age 81, with no signs of emphysema or heart problems. In fact I'm very healthy for my age, and will likely die of simple old age, like most of my extended family did in their mid-90s.

[Tussiemussies]

I had a definite sensitivity to eggs when I was younger which I outgrew. Now I love having an egg on buttered toast for breakfast or dinner.

I also had a serious high blood pressure problem, so stopped using salt entirely. Now my doctor tells me my bp is completely normal.

I've been a smoker from age 16 to today at age 81, with no signs of emphysema or heart problems. In fact I'm very healthy for my age, and will likely die of simple old age, like most of my extended family did in their mid-90s.

WOW, that is so great for you that you have such good genetics. It's amazing you've been a smoker all these years! Good for you!!!

[mara61]

We go through about 3 dozen eggs per week for a family of 4 (one doesn't eat them though unless in a baked good). My husband has two hardboiled every morning before work, my youngest usually has eggs 3-4 days/week. Sometimes we have eggs for dinner. I normally have 2-4 eggs a week, sometimes more and sometimes less. I bake quick breads and cookies for snacks/dessert and that normally uses up the remainder.

My family does have a history of high blood pressure, all of my older siblings are on blood pressure medicine and both my parents died from complications of heart disease and emphysema. I don't smoke, we stopped eating red meat about 4 years ago (though my oldest does eat a burger now and then when I purchase a pound of grass fed beef). I don't drink or eat low fat dairy. I don't bake with 100% whole wheat but do a mixture. For oils I use coconut, grape seed and olive oil. My blood pressure is really good. I do need to go in soon to have my cholesterol checked, it's been a few years.

[CathyA]

I know there is a link between high cholesterol blood levels and heart attacks, but I think cholesterol-lowering drugs are used way too much. I have always wondered how else they affect the body, in a negative way.
And I think the poor, highly nutritious egg has been maligned along the way. As has been said, so many other foods in this culture are so much worse! I see the egg has a powerhouse of vitamins/minerals and great nutrition.

[JaneV2.0]

Cholesterol levels don't correlate with heart attack risk--one reason the lipid theory is a bust. Insulin levels and inflammation are implicated in newer research.

[Suzanne]

Jane's right - fasting insulin levels and homocysteine levels are better predictors of heart disease than cholesterol levels. About half of all people who die of heart attacks have cholesterol of normal or low levels. People with very low cholesterol have a much higher stroke risk - those heart-healthy Japanese have, if I remember it correctly, a death-from-stroke rate of 6 times that of the USA.

I eat about 15 eggs a week. My health markers are all excellent. I have a less than 3% lifetime likelihood of developing either heart disease or diabetes. This means only that I personally do very well on a diet high in eggs, meat, and whole dairy products!

Edit: I cook from scratch, using single-ingredient foods, eat a lot of veggies, a little fruit, and moderate amounts of grain. I never drink soda, I don't eat processed or fast foods except when unavoidable, have baked goods only as occasional treats, and boycott industrial seed oils. What I don't eat is at least as important as what I do eat, in my opinion!

[awakenedsoul]

I didn't mean I thought it was bad to eat so many eggs. I just was never able to eat them. I literally throw up if I try to have them scrambled or fried. I think they are a great food, though. They are an excellent source of protein, and they are inexpensive. When I first got my chickens, I used to eat eggs raw, like Rocky Balboa! I make an egg bread with them that I really like.

[Simone]

Count me with the movement that feels they are close to the perfect food.

+1

[JaneV2.0]

I'm enjoying mine today in fauxtato salad--just like classic potato salad with lightly steamed cauliflower subbing for potatoes. Next up, lemon-zucchini muffins with coconut flour and lots of eggs. I can't seem to buy them fast enough...

[Suzanne]

Hmm, more reasons to doubt this study.

Funded by institutions who each get $7 million a year from Big Pharma
Two of the researchers have financial interests in statins
The third is a vegan who dislikes even egg substitutes

Not only bad science, but a strong smell of personal interests in finding a particular linkage.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/27/eating-eggs.aspx

[Jana]

Okay, the egg-topic. Here in Germany there are also many debates on wheter to eat eggs or not. I personally love eggs. Here some doctors prooved that eggs are not that bad for the cholesterol thing and eggs are even quite healthy because of some minerals.

But I think it depends on the single egg. The eggs we use come from my grandfather´s farm, all organic, no artificial food. If i wanted i could go there every day to watch and even pet the chicken. Well, in case i get them. Because they have a large run area.
Oh, and by the way: Special margarine which promises the decline of cholesterol makes it even worse. And we don´t need all those artificial vitamines. Just don´t forget to eat fresh fruit and vegetables and keep on using good oils like olive oil or eat some nuts.

[Woodhaven]

I eat roughly 2-3 dozen eggs per week but certainly not the factory farmed variety. We buy pastured eggs from local farmers laid by chickens and ducks. I eat some bacon, some of it pastured. My philosophy is: avoid processed "foods", wheat (including whole grain wheat), soy, industrial seed oils (peanut, soybean, canola, cottonseed, etc.), sugar (especially fructose and HFCS), and alcohol (some won't hurt, but I can't stand the taste of most OH beverages). Eat real food and don't worry about it. Macronutrient (carb, protein, fat) ranges can vary widely for most people especially fit individuals who have been eating like this for some time.

At nearly 50 years of age and 10% BF (I'm a guy), my Total to HDL ratio is considered optimally protective, so this works for me. I am strongly convinced that much of the ill health experienced in this country can be attributed to a lack of proper exercise (I'm not talking triathlon or marathon foolishness, here) and eating the things I avoid noted above (and likely stress as well, which I have also given up).

[Woodhaven]

Blaming cholesterol for CVD is akin to blaming firetrucks for fires. I suspect one day it will not even be measured.