The Shocking Truth About Egg Yolks

If you have been adhering to our government’s dietary recommendations for a heart healthy diet, you are largely avoiding eggs or may be an egg-white eating machine. Unfortunately, this may be harming your health.

Avoiding eggs has been considered a prudent dietary practice for the last few decades. Many experts and our own government preach that eggs (specifically the yolks) have too much cholesterol. Because cholesterol supposedly clogs your arteries, ditching eggs helps to reduce your risk of heart disease. Or so they believed.

Despite several decades of diligent adherence by health conscious Americans, heart disease is still our number one killer. New research is even demonstrating that only those suffering from heart disease or “hyper responders” (about 30-40% of the population simply more sensitive to dietary cholesterol), should restrict their intake of cholesterol. For the rest of us, eating eggs actually improves our health due to their incredible nutrient density.

Recent research has discovered two important findings:

1.  Egg consumption has little effect on your risk for heart disease.

2.  Serum cholesterol (the amount of cholesterol in your blood) may actually be a poor indicator of your overall risk for heart disease.

In other words, the relationship between cholesterol and heart disease is not as clear as was once believed. In actuality, egg consumption by most people appears to be unrelated to one’s risk for these indicators. There is also ample evidence that cholesterol is incredibly vital to our health. In fact, here are 5 important functions of cholesterol:

1.  Cholesterol is a vital component of every cell membrane.

As longevity expert Dr. Ron Rosedale says, “without cholesterol, there is no life.”

2.  Cholesterol is a precursor for sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone.  

3.  Cholesterol is necessary for the conversion of UVB rays into vitamin D in our skin.

4.  Cholesterol acts as a police force.

This waxy substance is called into action in order to repair damaged tissue in the body. When cholesterol levels are elevated, it is an indicator of inflammation. Cholesterol, just like police officers, are found at the scene of the crime because they are lending a hand, not committing the crime.  

5.  Extremely low levels of cholesterol have been linked with an increased risk of depressive symptoms, violent behavior, stroke and even suicide.

In other words, cholesterol is essential for life and (for most of us) avoiding eggs is dangerous and unproductive. In fact, our body produces approximately 70% of the cholesterol in our bodies, anyway. Therefore, unless your cholesterol levels exceed 300, obsessing about your dietary cholesterol intake is wasted energy. Although it hasn’t happened yet, our government has even acknowledged the danger of avoiding dietary cholesterol. This is why they are poised to modify their current cholesterol restriction in their 2015 dietary recommendations. I encourage you to be ahead of the curve! 

Eggs are actually one of the most nutrient dense foods on earth.  They contain a wealth of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants including: selenium, lutein, omega-3’s, choline, magnesium, vitamin B12 and the complete amino acid profile. More importantly, the yolk is where the bulk of the nutrition is found. The egg whites do contain more protein and potassium but the yolks contain:

• All of the essential omega-3 fatty acids
• Most of the calcium
• All of the vitamin A
• All of the vitamin D
• The majority of folate
• More selenium

The incredible nutrient density found in the yolks curbs appetite, aids fat burning and allows your body to function optimally. Every time you throw the yolk away, you rob yourself of its amazing benefits!. It’s time to stop the madness.  End your relationship with egg white omelets and embrace, organic pasture-raised whole eggs today.

Please remember that it is vitally important to choose high quality eggs. Chickens and other egg-producing animals were designed to eat a natural diet of grass, forage and insects. Whole, organic and pasture-raised eggs are the cream of the crop! Beware “cage-free” and “free-range” are not the same and always avoid conventionally raised eggs!

In summary:

1.  Old ideas about cholesterol are outdated and dangerous.

2.  Eliminating eggs (and yolks) from your diet is unnecessary and may be harmful to your health.

3.  Eggs (especially the yolks) contain a wealth of nutrients that are beneficial to your health.

4.  All eggs are not created equal.  Be sure to choose organic, pasture-raised eggs every time!