I hear and see it all too often. In many settings it could easily be the start of a fist fight. One person swearing egg yolks are the worst thing you can eat, the other touting them as natures perfect food.
Which is right?
I want to establish why egg yolks are far superior than the whites alone…
Nutritionally speaking eggs (and their yolks) are one of natures perfect foods. The yolk is extremely nutrient dense housing minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and healthy fats. I could list them, but it’s so long I don’t want to bore you. If you look at it from a nutrient perspective it’s where all the good stuff is! It’s the healthiest part of the egg.
I eat WHOLE eggs nearly every day. I also have single digit body fat and normal low cholesterol. Why?
I choose quality over quantity. The single most important factor to eating eggs is their quality. If you read the last post you know that there is a drastic difference in what constitutes a ‘good’ egg.
Commercially raised eggs have nutrients less than what we would naturally find as well as fats that are less than ideal in comparison to their pastured/free range counterparts.
Eating the yolks of commercially raised eggs is not optimal. Choosing the more nutrient dense pastured version, most likely those found at your local farmers market, is the way to go.
What about the calories from fat?
Let’s be honest, it’s the reason most people eat whites. Hopefully I can save you some $ cash and some lbs. on the waistline by debunking this one.
Being that the yolks are the most nutrient dense part, less is more. I would rather you eat two whole eggs with yolks than four egg whites. The calories really aren’t that drastically different, but the impact on the body is.
When you combine the fat of the yolk with the protein of the whites you get a balance that allows you to be full longer helping curb the appetite for the remainder of the day. In turn you actually end up eating LESS.
So that means the yolk from quality fats and nutrient density in general will actually help you BURN FAT and DROP WEIGHT as a byproduct!
What about the cholesterol?
Another common question regarding egg yolks is their cholesterol content. Let me put this one to rest as it’s a non issue.
For starters the cholesterol theory or lipid hypothesis is just that, a theory. There has never been any statistically significant evidence that cholesterol in the diet directly affects cholesterol in the blood.
Unfortunately social proof has taken this one from a theory to unquestioned belief. Read more about cholesterol myths and truths here…
These are just a few reasons why cholesterol should not be an afterthought or eliminated in any diet;
-Cholesterol is a precursor to vital corticosteroids that actually help REDUCE inflammation protecting the body from heart disease and cancer, contrary to the findings of the lipid hypothesis.
-Cholesterol is responsible for the sex hormones testosterone, progesterone and estrogen. These are also hormones responsible for lasting fat loss.
-Bile is made from cholesterol making it an important component to food breakdown and assimilation. Assimilation of nutrients is key to feeling full longer.
-Cholesterol is crucial for serotonin levels, the body’s feel good chemical. Low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression, over eating and weight gain.
As you can see cholesterol is important so eliminating it completely from your diet could potentially be more harmful and HINDER your lasting fat loss attempts.
Remember, quality rules supreme.
If you’re still unsure, research it for yourself and put it to the test. Sign up for my free fat loss mini course at the right and find out which foods to buy for sustainable, lasting change.
Brian Johnson
