The government finally relaxed its stance on cholesterol in this year’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but, as you know, I have been defending eggs as delicious, nutritious, and unfairly maligned for years.
See also: Are Eggs Really as Bad as Smoking?
I’ve reassured people that it’s fine to eat eggs everyday–assuming you are otherwise healthy. But with nutrition, one size never fits all. Thus my “assuming you are otherwise healthy” caveat.
If you have familial hypercholesterolemia (a condition that affects how your body processes cholesterol), for example, you might be well advised to limit your egg intake. Studies have also observed a link between heavy egg consumption and increased heart disease in Type 2 diabetics–who are already at increased risk of heart disease.
But [say it with me!]: Correlation is not causation. And thankfully, someone has actually taken the time to do a controlled intervention to test the impact of eating eggs on heart disease risk in diabetics.
The great news is that Type 2 diabetics who ate two eggs for breakfast every day for 3 months had absolutely no change in their blood chemistry or heart disease risk factors, compared with Type 2 diabetics who ate fewer than two eggs a week. What’s more, they enjoyed their food more and felt more satiated throughout the morning.
See also: Eat eggs for breakfast and you might eat less at lunch
So, if you’ve been avoiding eggs out of concern that it might hurt your heart, rejoice! Eggs are now back on the menu. Ain’t science grand?
Here’s one of my favorite egg recipes, suitable for any meal of the day: Roasted Cabbage and Eggs. And if you have a copy of my book, Secrets for a Healthy Diet, you’ll find another of my favorite egg-and-veggie recipes on page 200.