The Wellness Connection with Fiona Kane

Episode 76 The Truth About Eggs and Cholesterol

• Fiona Kane • Season 1 • Episode 76

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Ever wondered if everything you've heard about eggs and cholesterol is actually true? Prepare to have your misconceptions shattered and discover the nutritional powerhouse that is the humble egg. 

In this episode I discuss truth about eggs, clearing up myths about their cholesterol content, and explaining the essential role cholesterol plays in our bodies. I also give some good tips on how to easily incorporate eggs into your day. Tune in and transform how you think about this versatile, nutrient-dense food!

Learn more about booking a nutrition consultation with Fiona: https://informedhealth.com.au/

Learn more about Fiona's speaking and media services: https://fionakane.com.au/

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The Beat of Nature

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Fiona Kane:

Hello and welcome to the Wellness Connection with Fiona Kane. I'm your host, Fiona Kane, today I'm actually going to be talking to you about eggs, in defense of eggs, because eggs get given a hard time. There's always some campaign to try and make them out to be terrible and bad for you and all of that kind of stuff, and it's simply not true. So I want to go over some things about eggs that are really really important, but I think that I see them as kind of nature's perfect food, really, because it is perfect blend of good fats and protein, but particularly protein. All of the essential amino acids are in eggs, and this is really really important because when I talk about essential amino acids, so amino acids are things that proteins made up of, and essential means that your body doesn't make it or it doesn't make enough of it, and so you need to get it from your diet. So when I say essential amino acids, I mean essential proteins that you must eat, or otherwise you won't get the nutrition you need for your body to function properly, and if you sort of have, say, like a vegan diet, what happens is or even a vegetarian diet you usually have to get your amino acids from a couple of different places. Well, vegetarians if they eat eggs and stuff they'd be fine, but so, yeah, more vegans. So instead of just getting it all in one place, you usually have to sort of make sure you're kind of matching those different proteins together to get all the protein that you need. But with eggs it's all there, right, and the same goes for meats and things like that. So nature has a way of putting all of the nutrients you need in one place, and then we go and sort of demonize these foods. It's really silly.

Fiona Kane:

And one of the things that I hear a lot is you know you don't eat eggs because eggs contain cholesterol, and I've done a whole episode about cholesterol. Your cholesterol, your liver makes about 80% of your cholesterol, and it makes it for a reason. It makes it because it's vital for health. It's vital for brain function, it's vital for nerve function, it makes your sex hormones testosterone, estrogen, that sort of thing. So cholesterol is vitally important for health. That's why your body makes a load of it. Your body doesn't make it because it's trying to kill you. The cholesterol on eggs will just go towards things like that making your hormones and supporting your brain health. It doesn't go and clog your arteries. It's not as simple as you eat cholesterol. It clogs your arteries and there's nothing in between that. The stuff that clogs your arteries has nothing to do with eating eggs. So please don't believe that. It's just so, not true.

Fiona Kane:

So I've got a list here of some things to go through to tell you about how great eggs are. That was just kind of my starting thing, but, yeah, essentially, yeah, a diverse range of nutrients. So I've already talked to you. I said there's protein in there. It's all of those essential amino acids, healthy fats. That yolk is full of healthy fats. That yolk has things like vitamin A in there, right? So vitamin A is a really, really important nutrient for eye health and for immune health and for things like skin and not just skin on the outside, but on the inside, like the mucous membranes inside of your mouth, inside of your digestive system.

Fiona Kane:

Vitamin A is important for their function and so vitamin A is vitally important and it is in your egg yolks. But also there's other antioxidants in there. Anything that's got those bright colors in nature, it has antioxidants in there. So it's not just vitamin A, it's vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K. They're all your fat-soluble vitamins, and so that means that fat-soluble means that you can absorb, uh well, in fat. And so it's kind of you get this fat and you get all of the vitamins in that fat package able to absorb. Again, nature has a way of providing things that have everything you need as the same with something like cod liver oil right, cod liver oil's got a lot of these same uh, fat soluble vitamins in there the vitamin a, the vitamin d and um and the fat, so you can absorb it, right. So nature packages things beautifully. So you've got vitamin A, d, e and K lovely fat-soluble vitamins that are involved in the antioxidants and immune health and skin health and all of that sort of stuff. But then you've also got B vitamins in there as well, and you've got minerals like sort of iron, selenium, calcium, potassium. So eggs are like a natural multivitamin, right, perfect. So eggs is so much nutrition in there absolutely worth eating Because they're quite high in fat and it's a good kind of fat.

Fiona Kane:

But because they're high in protein and fat, they keep you full for longer, because when you have that protein and fat combined in a meal you stay full for a long time. And if you add that with a bit of fiber, say, from vegetables or something like that, even better or some avocado. You've got fiber in there and more good fats, so essentially, they do keep you fuller for longer. So if you have, for example, I had eggs for breakfast this morning and that was quite a few hours ago now, and I'm just starting to feel hungry now, whereas when I used to have cereal for breakfast all the time, I'd be hungry within an hour. So an hour later I'd be having a hot chocolate, and then I'd be having a muffin, and then I'd be having a croissant and then I'd be having a sandwich. She was having just carbs all day, because she was just up and down with her blood glucose levels all day, but in the case of when I have eggs, it's not like that. It's so much better. And also, just to mention, look, the only time I wouldn't eat eggs.

Fiona Kane:

If you're actually allergic to eggs, obviously there's an issue there, but if you're not allergic to eggs, then they're good for you. There are some people, though, who maybe, if you've had your gallbladder removed or something like that, you might have trouble managing the fat, and in cases of people like that, I would just say maybe remove some of the yolks, but not all of them. So generally I don't recommend anyone remove the yolks because there's so much nutrition in them. But if you're really struggling with digesting and you have a lot of issues with that, particularly related to things like having your gallbladder removed, then you might find if you make an omelette and say there's three eggs in your omelette, or two eggs whatever, and maybe you only have the one yolk though. So instead of two or three yolks you have one yolk. So something like that might work really well for you. So it's like, don't avoid the eggs altogether, just have less of the yolks. I wouldn't do this for any other reason, except unless you're allergic or you are having trouble with your digestion because of something like gallbladder issues. Other than that, there's no reason to avoid the yolks. That's where most of the nutrition is, so that's what you want to be having, but just have a bit less if you're just having those issues with digesting the fats. The other thing is, like I said before, those fats are involved in making your sex hormones, so your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, all of that sort of thing and, if anything, all of the nutrients in eggs. They're actually not going to cause heart disease or cause a heart attack. Quite the opposite. They're actually going to reduce your risk of heart disease, help you maintain, regulate your hormones, like your insulin and things like that, which is what keeps you fuller for longer, and overall just really really supportive of your health. They're also really important for brain health for a couple of reasons. So one, because of the cholesterol that is in there, because most of your brain is made from cholesterol. So it's really really important for brain health.

Fiona Kane:

And myelin sheath, which is the nerve fiber, which myelin sheath isn't a nerve fiber. Myelin sheath is a covering for nerves. So essentially, when you have, if you're going to think about moving your arm or your leg, you know you think I might want to move my arm and this all happens very fast, but you think I want to move my arm and then you basically these messages get sent back and forward between your brain and between your arm to make that happen. Right, and that is the nerve. That is, that it gets sent along the nerve. The message gets sent along the nerve and the covering of the nerve is called myelin sheath and myelin sheath is made from cholesterol and that is actually what is gone in people who have multiple sclerosis. They lose the myelin sheath and then they go. I want to move the arm but it's just. It doesn't happen because the message doesn't get through because the myelin sheath has that conductivity. It's made from cholesterol, so it's vitally important.

Fiona Kane:

But also, the other thing is choline. Egg yolks are rich in choline and choline is a really, really important nutrient for brain health and for cognitive function. It's one of those ones that's really vital for preconception and early. So any women thinking of having a baby or an early pregnancy eggs are great for this or otherwise. Take choline, but ideally eat eggs if you can. Eggs are great for this or otherwise. Take choline, but ideally eat eggs if you can. And that's really a part of that whole kind of really early stages in that neural process, neural production in babies, that basically the brain, spinal cord production, um, all of that. The time, the time when babies are get your words straight, if you know the time when babies are um, all of that is being grown, all of that is happening, all of those kind of neural tube things happening in a child, uh, in a baby. Choline's a really important nutrient for that. So really really important for women who are of childbearing age, for that nutrient and just for your own cognitive function as well.

Fiona Kane:

Also, like I said, that vitamin A is really good for your eye health. If you are having trouble at night, nighttime driving and people get that nighttime blindness, it can be a vitamin A deficiency. So have your eggs and or your cod liver oil as well, because the vitamin A is really important for that. So there's two antioxidants and the things that you'll often see if you go into a health food store to look at supplements for eyes. They contain zeaxanthin and lutein and essentially these are powerful antioxidants that you will find in your eggs. So that sort of age-related vision loss. You protect yourself from that with eggs. The other thing is bone health, again because I said that yolk contains your vitamin D and you've got calcium in there and good fats. So essentially vitamin D and calcium are both involved in the bone itself, but also the good fats and the vitamin D is involved in absorbing the nutrition into your body and absorbing it into your bone. So, between eating eggs and getting some sunlight not overdoing it, but getting the right amount of sunlight is really supportive of bone health.

Fiona Kane:

So eggs are really important for your skin. I've already been talking about this. I've been talking about the vitamin A, which is important for your skin on the outside. It's really, really useful for all kind of skin health. So is vitamin E, and so is zinc, and it contains all of those nutrients. And, again, if you go to the health food store to look for a supplement that is for skin health, it will usually and often contain all of those nutrients, sometimes some others as well, but zinc, vitamin A and vitamin E are a really big part of that. So they reduce inflammation and they have an antioxidant effect and they're really important for the new growth of healthy skin.

Fiona Kane:

So you know eggs eat eggs for your eye health. Eat eggs for your skin health. Eat eggs for your hormonal health. Eat eggs to balance your blood sugar levels and keep you fuller for longer, which will help with your weight. So so many different things. So so many different things and, like I said, they're just making sure. I think I said some of them, but just making sure I've covered them. It's eye health, skin health, bone health, brain health, heart health. So many nutrients and weight management in there as well.

Fiona Kane:

So you can see the argument for eggs and why I'm so passionate that people eat eggs because they're so good for you. So unless you have an allergy to eggs, then you should be eating them and yes, you can get better quality ones. So if it's possible that you can get free range eggs, if that chook has been able to roam around and get exercise and sort of have a bit of a healthier life, of course that will affect the quality of the eggs, so that's a good thing. But I mean, just get what you can. I suppose I'm really lucky because I live in the Hawkesbury area of Sydney. We've got lots of farms around here so there's quite easy access to go and buy eggs straight from the farm and a lot of people have chooks around here so they have their own. If you can do that, ideal.

Fiona Kane:

But I can't emphasize enough that eggs are really, really healthy. Don't avoid them because of some misguided idea about cholesterol and heart disease, that kind of thing. It is simply not true. And if you're having digestive issues that affect your ability to absorb and kind of digest the eggs, one of two things ideally booking with someone like me, informedhealthcomau to get sort of help in regards to that digestive issues, because sometimes they can be overcome. But the other thing is just to sort of, like I said before, still have the eggs, but you might just have to have less of the yolk just because your system isn't very good at being able to digest that, if you have sort of issues with gallbladder, that kind of thing. But eggs are such a great package of nutrition and they are so easy.

Fiona Kane:

Now there are people who kind of say but I'm really busy and in the morning I don't have time to cook eggs, but I would say to you that you can. There are quick ways of doing it in the microwave. I don't do that, but they do exist. But you can also make, you can pre-make it. So if you, if on a Sunday you make a frittata, that frittata you will be able to eat. You'll be able to freeze some and keep some fresh. But you know, for the next three days at least, you'll have a frittata and you can either zap it in the microwave or eat it cold, whatever works for you, but the frittata is already done.

Fiona Kane:

You can do the same thing with boiled eggs. You can boil eggs the night before and um, and just have them cold, or zap them if you want to, but um, but so just have, having boiled eggs the night before. Uh, it's all done right, or you can have them boiling while you're doing other things, while you're getting ready, while having a shower, whatever. But keep an eye on the stove. Um, and also I've made my omelettes the night before and then heated them up in the morning if I knew I was going to be in a hurry. So it is possible to do that. It might not be quite as nice as a fresh omelette, but you can still absolutely do that. And things like just quickly doing fried or scrambled eggs they're quite fast, so that's a lot faster to do. So you can have them.

Fiona Kane:

A lot of it can be pre-prepared and just heated up or eaten cold, or you can make some kind of egg variations very quickly. But once you get in the habit of it and you get used to it, you get quite good at it. So it is quite easy to have eggs in the morning. Now, if you don't want to do the eggs in the morning and there's other, you're having a nice sort of protein breakfast with yogurt and nuts and a bit of porridge or something like that, and that suits you and that works for you. That's great. But it doesn't mean you can't have eggs Like.

Fiona Kane:

A boiled egg is a great snack, so you can just have it, as you know, instead of reaching for that Mars bar, that snack bar kind of thing. You have the egg right and, like I said, it's really filling and full of nutrition. So it's a great thing to have as just a little extra snack thing. Or it can be the thing if you are having something like a sandwich or toast or something. It's really important to have protein on that to balance it out, because it's all carb. So having some egg on that is ideal. So, whether or not it be, whether you've boiled the eggs and you're kind of just smashing it up on top of the bread, or whether or not you're slicing it on there, or whether or not you're making omelette scrambled, fried, poached whatever and popping them on there, it's all great. But eggs are just a great way to add protein to your meals to ensure that you're getting all those nutrients to keep you full for longer. They're just a really, really, quite a simple way of adding a lot of nutrition to your diet. So I would highly recommend that you do that and that you get the freshest eggs possible if you can.

Fiona Kane:

But don't demonize eggs. Don't believe the stories that you hear that are demonizing eggs. They are one of the healthiest and most nutrition foods and it's all nutrition in one package. And nature makes those things for a reason. It makes things. And then we kind of say, oh no, we need to stop eating all these nutritious things like meat and eggs and stuff. And then we're trying to make up for it by making something in a lab or by having to mix two or three different foods to get the same level of nutrition. Nature makes these packages of healthy foods, does it kind of pretty perfectly already. So please enjoy your eggs and you don't have to limit them. It's just as many as feels good for you. My husband and I go through an enormous amount of eggs and we get our heart checked on a regular basis and cholesterol and things like that, and we're doing perfectly fine with all of those things. So, honestly, eggs one of the healthiest foods, one of the most demonized but most healthiest foods.

Fiona Kane:

And you know who's demonizing eggs a lot of the time. It's important to understand this. I've talked about it before, I think. But it's the cereal companies, because they want you to eat cereal, because if you're eating eggs you're not buying their disgusting cereal, and so they are the ones that really put out a lot of stuff to demonize eggs, because they don't want you eating eggs for breakfast. They want you having their cereal. So when you see who's behind a lot of this demonization of healthy foods, it's often the people that make the alternative junk food that want you to eat that junk food. Anyway, enjoy your eggs and please remember to like, subscribe and share this podcast, and if you are on Rumble or YouTube, you're welcome to comment as well, and I will talk to you all again soon. Have a great week, thank you, bye.

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