I usually avoid eggs when I can. I don't think I'm as risk but from a sustainability point it seems right to me. Hummus and avocados are my favorite replacements, somehow hitting the spot. A breakfast burrito with tofu scratches my egg itch and garbanzo bean flour for a quiche also has been a good replacement. I appreciate this article because it's so tangible.
I’m a big hummus and avocado fan, too. I wonder if it’s the higher fat content that makes them feel satisfying.
Garbanzo/chickpea flour to make a quiche? That sounds intriguing. I love quiche, but it’s a lot of eggs. I’ll have to look into this alternative. How’s the taste?
I just purchased chickpea flour (besan - finely ground) at my nearby Indian grocery to make some Persian cookies, made with the flour, 1/4 c ghee and 1/4 c avocado oil, XX sugar, rose water and topped with sliced fresh green pistachios. (should have had cardamom, too).
They were just okay. There was a somewhat bitter taste. Belatedly, I read more and learned that you need to roast the chickpeas (or the flour) and this bitterness will be replaced by a nutty flavor.
I like the taste. If cooked well then you get rid of the chalky/beany taste. I usually use a little garlic/onion either whole or garlic which helps a lot. My wife loves eggs so when I make a frittata or quiche I'll still add 1-2 eggs and she really likes that sulfury smooth taste of the eggs in it.
Ben, I am not sure I am buying this egg data. For example eating another egg increases heart risk by 7%. I am assuming this is relative risk reduction. If so then absolute risk reduction (one’s individual risk) is far less, perhaps <1%. And this also ignores how the eggs were prepared ( soft, medium or hard boiled probably healthier than fried). And what were there served with? Was it bacon and hollandaise sauce or a slice of wholegrain toast with a tiny bit of butter? You get the idea.
Hi, David. It is a relative risk reduction (or hazard ratio in some studies). As you know, that’s the data most studies show as an individual’s risk is very specific to their circumstances.
As you suggest, eggs are complicated and very context dependent. From a Western perspective, on average, eating more eggs is correlated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. In rural China, it’s the complete opposite. That’s likely because the Western diet contains a lot more saturated fat, and LDL and ApoB go up more with a saturated fat/cholesterol combination.
The association with processed meat is also important. In the West we tend to eat eggs with sausage and bacon, and to fry the eggs. In East Asia, they’re usually poached and eaten with noodles or vegetables. All these things play into the risks (or benefits) of eating more eggs.
And that’s without discussing hyper and hypo-responders to dietary cholesterol.
That’s why there can’t be a single answer to whether eggs are good or bad for you. The answer must always be, it depends. However, for someone on a typical Western diet, eating less yolks feels like a sensible strategy.
I agree with your points. My concern is that lay people look at these results as being “black or white” and not gray. This is not to say you are wrong. It’s the reality of observational study limitations and people’s abilities to understand the subtleties involved. They read the articles and conclude if I eat some eggs that’s good, but more are bad. They miss the contexts you describe about how they are prepared and what they are eaten with.
I like eggs, especially in an omelette, but I eat eggs only about once or twice a month for health reasons and because eggs are a food I never crave. As Ben explained, there are lots of tasty substitutes and the more variety of healthy (plant) foods you eat the better your chances are of living a long and healthy life. Variety isn't just "the spice of life" it's also what you could call "the healthy life extender."
Hmm. I prioritize choline, so if I am swapping for an egg, I look for some swaps that would provide more. Why? Lots of people don't meet the recommended amount of choline. About 30% of people have fatty liver disease -- and a much higher percentage if looking at a population of overweight and obese people - and choline is important for our liver health.
I input your list of swaps into the free version of Cronometer. Choline for 1 egg is 147 mg - 35% of daily requirement for females - 425 mg. The next highest three from your swaps were chickpeas, edamame, and salmon, which in combination totaled 86.4 mg of choline.
You’re right, eggs are a great source of choline, and many of us don’t get enough, but I’d be hesitant to use that as a reason to eat lots of eggs. Ideally you want your choline without a large side of cholesterol.
There are loads of unanswered questions here, starting with the recommended daily amount of choline. It was determined after a single study of intentional choline depletion in men, so we really don’t know how well that figure hold up for the wider population.
While the Framingham Heart Study study you mentioned did show that levels of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were associated with lower choline levels, there was no link between egg consumption and fatty liver disease. So, in that study at least, eggs didn’t protect against fatty liver.
Some studies have shown links between low dietary choline and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, but others haven’t. In many it’s a confusing picture, for example in one study there was an association in postmenopausal women, but not in premenopausal women or in men. That might be a real finding, but it’s not entirely clear.
According to Cronometer, over the past 6 months my intake is just 43% of recommended levels. It’s been like that for a long time. It concerned me enough to buy choline supplements, but then I found out that they increase levels of TMAO - a gut microbiome–derived metabolite widely recognised as a biomarker for cardiovascular disease risk. So, I have some skin in this game, too!
The best sources of choline are animal products. In the US and Europe, the top non-egg contributors are meat, dairy, fish and grain. What I find curious is that if choline deficiency was a significant problem, you’d expect vegetarians and vegans to be doing less well, and yet consistently it’s meat eaters who have worse long-term health.
Rather than looking for especially rich choline sources - things like liver aren’t ideal for everyday foods - it’s probably better to include a variety of relatively choline-rich foods, for example:
½ cup roasted soybeans + 3 oz cod + ½ cup kidney beans + 1 cup milk + ½ cup broccoli = about 297 mg choline.
or
½ cup roasted soybeans + 3 oz chicken + a large baked potato + ½ cup broccoli + ¼ cup peanuts = about 291 mg.
The one group who do need to be careful to get sufficient choline are women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as we do see choline deficiency sometimes in this group.
My challenge is that cutting back whole egg consumption by adding egg whites, as a single person who was often eating two while eggs a day and doesn't like the texture of egg whites, is a nuisance. Egg whites have to be used within 7 days, so opening even a small carton of them means I'm basically still eating a whole egg a day in order to get through the carton. Maybe I'll try alternating a week of that with gradually extended periods of no eggs at all with a goal of one carton of egg whites supplemented with whole eggs eaten within a week once a month which would average out to your suggested 2 whole eggs a weeks. I love quinoa so it could replace a lot of eggs. I'll figure it out eventually.
I hear what you’re saying. Eggs are very convenient.
I must admit I’ve never bought a carton of egg whites. Can you freeze them? If you can, you could portion out the carton and not have to waste any. An alternative might be to buy whole eggs, but only/mostly eat the whites. It sounds like fresh eggs last a lot longer than a carton of egg whites.
Thanks. Just checked and they can be frozen before the expiry date for up to 3 months, never have and didn't think of opening and freezing part of a carton, but it makes sense. There is no way I could make myself throw away the yolk from whole eggs, I feel guilty enough for eating eggs at all (ate free range until very recently, but food prices won out). Haven't eaten red meat in at least five decades, finally gave up chicken and turkey entirely, rarely eat fish and eggs are practically the only thing I actually cook. Haven't turned an oven on in years. Good thing my sister is a great cook, lives nearby, and hates leftovers because I avoid fast food and dining out. Sorry for the essay and thanks for your reply. Keep up the great work educating us!
We all need a sister like that! Sadly, mine is too far away to pop around for leftovers.
Do you avoid fish for ethical reasons, or you just don’t like them? It’s hard to get those long-chain omega-3s without eating oily fish like salmon, mackerel, trout, etc, and supplements don’t seem to compensate very well.
I buy small cans of mackerel in sauce (hot chilli, Thai curry, spicy tomato, etc.) and have them with rice and vegetables a couple of times a week. It’s a quick (and cheap) way to get your oily fish without cooking - unless you count heating them in the microwave cooking!
It's a little of both. I don't enjoy seafood and am way past forcing myself to eat things I dislike. Seaweed is okay, but "fleshy" stuff like fish and fowl have zero appeal and generally taste and feel gross. I can hack tinned tuna from time to time, less often tinned salmon, and not sure I've ever even tasted mackerel or trout. I'm a squeamish eater, I guess you could say. As a child I went through a phase where literally all I would eat was peanut butter sandwiches. So texture as well as taste factors in perhaps.
My standard breakfast: steel cut oats with: 1/3 cup chopped almonds, 1/2 cup black beans, honey, a little butter, and a half cup of frozen blueberries. Maybe a little Greek yogurt on the side for more protein. Occasionally I swap the blueberries and honey for two fried eggs and some salsa.
Black beans with oats. That’s a new one on me. I’d never have thought of that. I’ve only eaten black beans with savoury dishes. Nutritionally they’re great, so I like this idea. Do they taste out of place, or do they go well together with everything else?
Here's a suggestion, swap breakfast for dinner and lunch. Then breakfast for dinner adjusted for the egg as you presented here. Granted dinner prep is usually more than just eggs and toast. Making a meal at night and heating in the morning may be a workable work around. Then again, there seems to be a number of ready made meals. Of course that is a risk factor too. Yeah, seems a bit far fetched.
Most people don’t have time to cook a big meal in the morning, hence our often ultra-processed package breakfasts. Cooking dinner in the evening but eating it in the morning is genius! It still leaves the challenge of having the appetite for a big meal first thing in the morning, but metabolically, and from a muscle maintenance perspective, a big breakfast and a small dinner is absolutely the way to go.
It's more or less leftovers or lunch and my breakfast is not an AM thing since I am on a TRE/16 hr fast eating pattern, so more like a late brunch. So not really hard for me, sort of seems to fit my circadian rhythm.
Don’t forget, TRE is much more effective if it starts at breakfast time - within an hour of waking - and ends in the afternoon. If you don’t start eating until midday you miss out on a lot of the metabolic benefits.
Hi Barry. That’s the territory of ‘My Uncle Bob smoked two packs a day and lived to be 90.” An increased risk is just that, not a certainty.
Interestingly, if you read the article from a couple of weeks ago you’ll have seen the graph from the study that looked at individual responses to eating four eggs a day. Lots of people had the expected increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol, but not everyone. In fact, some people’s LDL actually went down.
So, absolutely, some people will thrive on multiple eggs a day. The problem is that, on average, for someone eating a Western diet, you’re more likely to have unwanted long-term health consequences, and very few of us have had our cholesterol tested before and after a month of higher (or lower) egg consumption to find out how we react.
At 80, I can't quite figure out exactly what " each additional half-egg daily increases the risk of premature death by 7%" actually means for me. Any thoughts??
Hi, Tom. Well, that depends on whether I look at you as an actuary or an optimist!
The chronic illnesses that seem to be linked to higher egg consumption take years to develop, so your argument, I’m guessing, is that someone older might not be around long enough to see the consequences. Ergo, it’s okay now to start smoking and have a three egg omelette for breakfast every day.
But that assumes you won’t live to be 105, which may be perfectly possible, and that you don’t have, for example, narrowing in your coronary arteries that might become problematic if they get just a little bit worse, or a condition that might be aggravated by higher levels of inflammation.
It’s always a case of balancing risk against quality of life, and that’s a very personal judgment. There’s always a packet of biscuits in my kitchen, even though I know the refined carbs and free sugars aren’t in my best interest. I’m happy to take that risk, yet I wouldn’t be comfortable eating eggs every day. Others might treat those choices very differently.
Thanks..based on current health and genetics, I have an excellent chance to reach 90 or more. So your point about narrowing of arteries is a good one. No 3 egg omelette, just 2!
I would avoid the artificial sweetener, too. I think maple syrup would work fine, or even a bit of white sugar. You wouldn't need much, maybe 1/8 th of a teaspoon. Hummus would be excellent.
I find homemade hummus much better than shop bought. It’s easy. The hard part is remembering to soak the chickpeas the night before! (Dried beans make better hummus than canned - IMHO.
I generally would eat eggs, plain, for breakfast only. The most appealing suggestion from your list is the cottage cheese on toast. My mother used to belong to a weight-loss group called Weight Watchers. The Weight Watchers Cinnamon Roll was a slice of toast, covered with lowfat cottage cheese, sprinkled with a mix of cinnamon and artificial sweetener, abd broiled until bubbly. I might revisit that one with a few tweaks- it was delicious!
Well, I would never have thought of grilling cottage cheese on toast! I’ve got some in the fridge, so I might even try it! I’d avoid the artificial sweetener. Maybe it would be okay without, or perhaps you could use a drizzle of maple syrup?
Do you like hummus? It may not be ideal for breakfast, but it works instead of scrambled egg.
I usually avoid eggs when I can. I don't think I'm as risk but from a sustainability point it seems right to me. Hummus and avocados are my favorite replacements, somehow hitting the spot. A breakfast burrito with tofu scratches my egg itch and garbanzo bean flour for a quiche also has been a good replacement. I appreciate this article because it's so tangible.
I’m a big hummus and avocado fan, too. I wonder if it’s the higher fat content that makes them feel satisfying.
Garbanzo/chickpea flour to make a quiche? That sounds intriguing. I love quiche, but it’s a lot of eggs. I’ll have to look into this alternative. How’s the taste?
I just purchased chickpea flour (besan - finely ground) at my nearby Indian grocery to make some Persian cookies, made with the flour, 1/4 c ghee and 1/4 c avocado oil, XX sugar, rose water and topped with sliced fresh green pistachios. (should have had cardamom, too).
They were just okay. There was a somewhat bitter taste. Belatedly, I read more and learned that you need to roast the chickpeas (or the flour) and this bitterness will be replaced by a nutty flavor.
I will try a chickpea quiche crust!
As an Iranian, those cookies are delish! But the flour matters. You can try a Persian grocery store next time. Good luck.
I like the taste. If cooked well then you get rid of the chalky/beany taste. I usually use a little garlic/onion either whole or garlic which helps a lot. My wife loves eggs so when I make a frittata or quiche I'll still add 1-2 eggs and she really likes that sulfury smooth taste of the eggs in it.
Ben, I am not sure I am buying this egg data. For example eating another egg increases heart risk by 7%. I am assuming this is relative risk reduction. If so then absolute risk reduction (one’s individual risk) is far less, perhaps <1%. And this also ignores how the eggs were prepared ( soft, medium or hard boiled probably healthier than fried). And what were there served with? Was it bacon and hollandaise sauce or a slice of wholegrain toast with a tiny bit of butter? You get the idea.
Hi, David. It is a relative risk reduction (or hazard ratio in some studies). As you know, that’s the data most studies show as an individual’s risk is very specific to their circumstances.
As you suggest, eggs are complicated and very context dependent. From a Western perspective, on average, eating more eggs is correlated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. In rural China, it’s the complete opposite. That’s likely because the Western diet contains a lot more saturated fat, and LDL and ApoB go up more with a saturated fat/cholesterol combination.
The association with processed meat is also important. In the West we tend to eat eggs with sausage and bacon, and to fry the eggs. In East Asia, they’re usually poached and eaten with noodles or vegetables. All these things play into the risks (or benefits) of eating more eggs.
And that’s without discussing hyper and hypo-responders to dietary cholesterol.
That’s why there can’t be a single answer to whether eggs are good or bad for you. The answer must always be, it depends. However, for someone on a typical Western diet, eating less yolks feels like a sensible strategy.
I wrote about all these aspects in more detail in the recent OHTaW issue [https://benjonesmdphd.substack.com/p/egg-advice-is-all-over-the-place-a57?r=4ujq59&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web], and in more detail in a Medium post [https://medium.com/in-fitness-and-in-health/are-eggs-healthy-or-harmful-an-md-phd-weighs-the-evidence-c538294973ef?sk=4f598adf51a9230f3a0f14f19b93b4af]
I agree with your points. My concern is that lay people look at these results as being “black or white” and not gray. This is not to say you are wrong. It’s the reality of observational study limitations and people’s abilities to understand the subtleties involved. They read the articles and conclude if I eat some eggs that’s good, but more are bad. They miss the contexts you describe about how they are prepared and what they are eaten with.
Thanks for the alternatives. That is helpful.
I like eggs, especially in an omelette, but I eat eggs only about once or twice a month for health reasons and because eggs are a food I never crave. As Ben explained, there are lots of tasty substitutes and the more variety of healthy (plant) foods you eat the better your chances are of living a long and healthy life. Variety isn't just "the spice of life" it's also what you could call "the healthy life extender."
Not all swaps are good swaps
Hmm. I prioritize choline, so if I am swapping for an egg, I look for some swaps that would provide more. Why? Lots of people don't meet the recommended amount of choline. About 30% of people have fatty liver disease -- and a much higher percentage if looking at a population of overweight and obese people - and choline is important for our liver health.
I input your list of swaps into the free version of Cronometer. Choline for 1 egg is 147 mg - 35% of daily requirement for females - 425 mg. The next highest three from your swaps were chickpeas, edamame, and salmon, which in combination totaled 86.4 mg of choline.
This webpage suggests some choline-rich meals. https://www.mindlabpro.com/blogs/nootropics/top-choline-containing-foods?srsltid=AfmBOor6qzX0Q9EpZZDcVkkeb8vCvVgZO2nHh-o6cXNDilK8U3QWAILO
I chose two with lean protein and one non-meat selection.
Breakfast -1 c yogurt parfait with 1 TBLS wheat germ and 2 tangerines
Lunch - 4 oz chicken stir-fried with 4 oz broccoli and 3 oz shiitake mushrooms
Dinner - 4 oz cod and 4 oz quinoa
Across the day, those total 362 gm of choline. Not quite to 425 gm without increasing portion sizes.
Try this as an AI query:
What does choline do for fatty liver? Eggs? And what other foods supply choline in an amount equivalent to 2 eggs, ranked?
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11934245/
Eggs, Dietary Choline, and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the Framingham Heart Study
Hi Cathy.
You’re right, eggs are a great source of choline, and many of us don’t get enough, but I’d be hesitant to use that as a reason to eat lots of eggs. Ideally you want your choline without a large side of cholesterol.
There are loads of unanswered questions here, starting with the recommended daily amount of choline. It was determined after a single study of intentional choline depletion in men, so we really don’t know how well that figure hold up for the wider population.
While the Framingham Heart Study study you mentioned did show that levels of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were associated with lower choline levels, there was no link between egg consumption and fatty liver disease. So, in that study at least, eggs didn’t protect against fatty liver.
Some studies have shown links between low dietary choline and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, but others haven’t. In many it’s a confusing picture, for example in one study there was an association in postmenopausal women, but not in premenopausal women or in men. That might be a real finding, but it’s not entirely clear.
According to Cronometer, over the past 6 months my intake is just 43% of recommended levels. It’s been like that for a long time. It concerned me enough to buy choline supplements, but then I found out that they increase levels of TMAO - a gut microbiome–derived metabolite widely recognised as a biomarker for cardiovascular disease risk. So, I have some skin in this game, too!
The best sources of choline are animal products. In the US and Europe, the top non-egg contributors are meat, dairy, fish and grain. What I find curious is that if choline deficiency was a significant problem, you’d expect vegetarians and vegans to be doing less well, and yet consistently it’s meat eaters who have worse long-term health.
Rather than looking for especially rich choline sources - things like liver aren’t ideal for everyday foods - it’s probably better to include a variety of relatively choline-rich foods, for example:
½ cup roasted soybeans + 3 oz cod + ½ cup kidney beans + 1 cup milk + ½ cup broccoli = about 297 mg choline.
or
½ cup roasted soybeans + 3 oz chicken + a large baked potato + ½ cup broccoli + ¼ cup peanuts = about 291 mg.
The one group who do need to be careful to get sufficient choline are women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as we do see choline deficiency sometimes in this group.
My challenge is that cutting back whole egg consumption by adding egg whites, as a single person who was often eating two while eggs a day and doesn't like the texture of egg whites, is a nuisance. Egg whites have to be used within 7 days, so opening even a small carton of them means I'm basically still eating a whole egg a day in order to get through the carton. Maybe I'll try alternating a week of that with gradually extended periods of no eggs at all with a goal of one carton of egg whites supplemented with whole eggs eaten within a week once a month which would average out to your suggested 2 whole eggs a weeks. I love quinoa so it could replace a lot of eggs. I'll figure it out eventually.
I hear what you’re saying. Eggs are very convenient.
I must admit I’ve never bought a carton of egg whites. Can you freeze them? If you can, you could portion out the carton and not have to waste any. An alternative might be to buy whole eggs, but only/mostly eat the whites. It sounds like fresh eggs last a lot longer than a carton of egg whites.
Thanks. Just checked and they can be frozen before the expiry date for up to 3 months, never have and didn't think of opening and freezing part of a carton, but it makes sense. There is no way I could make myself throw away the yolk from whole eggs, I feel guilty enough for eating eggs at all (ate free range until very recently, but food prices won out). Haven't eaten red meat in at least five decades, finally gave up chicken and turkey entirely, rarely eat fish and eggs are practically the only thing I actually cook. Haven't turned an oven on in years. Good thing my sister is a great cook, lives nearby, and hates leftovers because I avoid fast food and dining out. Sorry for the essay and thanks for your reply. Keep up the great work educating us!
We all need a sister like that! Sadly, mine is too far away to pop around for leftovers.
Do you avoid fish for ethical reasons, or you just don’t like them? It’s hard to get those long-chain omega-3s without eating oily fish like salmon, mackerel, trout, etc, and supplements don’t seem to compensate very well.
I buy small cans of mackerel in sauce (hot chilli, Thai curry, spicy tomato, etc.) and have them with rice and vegetables a couple of times a week. It’s a quick (and cheap) way to get your oily fish without cooking - unless you count heating them in the microwave cooking!
It's a little of both. I don't enjoy seafood and am way past forcing myself to eat things I dislike. Seaweed is okay, but "fleshy" stuff like fish and fowl have zero appeal and generally taste and feel gross. I can hack tinned tuna from time to time, less often tinned salmon, and not sure I've ever even tasted mackerel or trout. I'm a squeamish eater, I guess you could say. As a child I went through a phase where literally all I would eat was peanut butter sandwiches. So texture as well as taste factors in perhaps.
My standard breakfast: steel cut oats with: 1/3 cup chopped almonds, 1/2 cup black beans, honey, a little butter, and a half cup of frozen blueberries. Maybe a little Greek yogurt on the side for more protein. Occasionally I swap the blueberries and honey for two fried eggs and some salsa.
Hey, Rich!
Black beans with oats. That’s a new one on me. I’d never have thought of that. I’ve only eaten black beans with savoury dishes. Nutritionally they’re great, so I like this idea. Do they taste out of place, or do they go well together with everything else?
Somehow it works. 🤷♂️ And adds protein.
Here's a suggestion, swap breakfast for dinner and lunch. Then breakfast for dinner adjusted for the egg as you presented here. Granted dinner prep is usually more than just eggs and toast. Making a meal at night and heating in the morning may be a workable work around. Then again, there seems to be a number of ready made meals. Of course that is a risk factor too. Yeah, seems a bit far fetched.
That’s a brilliant idea.
Most people don’t have time to cook a big meal in the morning, hence our often ultra-processed package breakfasts. Cooking dinner in the evening but eating it in the morning is genius! It still leaves the challenge of having the appetite for a big meal first thing in the morning, but metabolically, and from a muscle maintenance perspective, a big breakfast and a small dinner is absolutely the way to go.
Let me know if you try it!
It's more or less leftovers or lunch and my breakfast is not an AM thing since I am on a TRE/16 hr fast eating pattern, so more like a late brunch. So not really hard for me, sort of seems to fit my circadian rhythm.
Don’t forget, TRE is much more effective if it starts at breakfast time - within an hour of waking - and ends in the afternoon. If you don’t start eating until midday you miss out on a lot of the metabolic benefits.
Hi Ben!
Ah, eggs. I do still eat them, although fewer now. I’d love a good egg white Bhurji recipe!
Thanks so much!
Hi Vicki! Yup, I love them, too.
That recipe is in this article, which I think you’ve seen before:
https://medium.com/@ben_m_jones/the-longevity-boosting-breakfast-buffet-5435d5deaddf?sharedUserId=ben_m_jones
I’m sure you can improve upon it. I notice that I forget to mention a little salt!
https://youtu.be/bhUMUCoJOsc?si=QFTT86BFef9V5JAj
Hi Barry. That’s the territory of ‘My Uncle Bob smoked two packs a day and lived to be 90.” An increased risk is just that, not a certainty.
Interestingly, if you read the article from a couple of weeks ago you’ll have seen the graph from the study that looked at individual responses to eating four eggs a day. Lots of people had the expected increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol, but not everyone. In fact, some people’s LDL actually went down.
So, absolutely, some people will thrive on multiple eggs a day. The problem is that, on average, for someone eating a Western diet, you’re more likely to have unwanted long-term health consequences, and very few of us have had our cholesterol tested before and after a month of higher (or lower) egg consumption to find out how we react.
At 80, I can't quite figure out exactly what " each additional half-egg daily increases the risk of premature death by 7%" actually means for me. Any thoughts??
Hi, Tom. Well, that depends on whether I look at you as an actuary or an optimist!
The chronic illnesses that seem to be linked to higher egg consumption take years to develop, so your argument, I’m guessing, is that someone older might not be around long enough to see the consequences. Ergo, it’s okay now to start smoking and have a three egg omelette for breakfast every day.
But that assumes you won’t live to be 105, which may be perfectly possible, and that you don’t have, for example, narrowing in your coronary arteries that might become problematic if they get just a little bit worse, or a condition that might be aggravated by higher levels of inflammation.
It’s always a case of balancing risk against quality of life, and that’s a very personal judgment. There’s always a packet of biscuits in my kitchen, even though I know the refined carbs and free sugars aren’t in my best interest. I’m happy to take that risk, yet I wouldn’t be comfortable eating eggs every day. Others might treat those choices very differently.
Thanks..based on current health and genetics, I have an excellent chance to reach 90 or more. So your point about narrowing of arteries is a good one. No 3 egg omelette, just 2!
I would avoid the artificial sweetener, too. I think maple syrup would work fine, or even a bit of white sugar. You wouldn't need much, maybe 1/8 th of a teaspoon. Hummus would be excellent.
I find homemade hummus much better than shop bought. It’s easy. The hard part is remembering to soak the chickpeas the night before! (Dried beans make better hummus than canned - IMHO.
I generally would eat eggs, plain, for breakfast only. The most appealing suggestion from your list is the cottage cheese on toast. My mother used to belong to a weight-loss group called Weight Watchers. The Weight Watchers Cinnamon Roll was a slice of toast, covered with lowfat cottage cheese, sprinkled with a mix of cinnamon and artificial sweetener, abd broiled until bubbly. I might revisit that one with a few tweaks- it was delicious!
Well, I would never have thought of grilling cottage cheese on toast! I’ve got some in the fridge, so I might even try it! I’d avoid the artificial sweetener. Maybe it would be okay without, or perhaps you could use a drizzle of maple syrup?
Do you like hummus? It may not be ideal for breakfast, but it works instead of scrambled egg.