Cracking egg myths

It’s okay to eat eggs every day. Really.

Three out of five people in New Zealand don’t know this, according to a recent Colmar Brunton survey. Among older people, the proportion of those in the dark is even higher. More than two thirds of people over 60 don’t know healthy people can enjoy eggs every day.

In fact, eggs are not only can eggs be enjoyed every day, they’re one of the most naturally nutritious foods on earth. But most Kiwis are still confused about eggs, so it’s about time we cracked some of those lingering myths and enjoyed eggs for all the goodness they provide.

Myth #1 

• What we thought before: We should eat no more than 3 eggs a week
• What we know now: Healthy people can enjoy eggs every day

It was once thought that the cholesterol in eggs raised cholesterol in the body, increasing the risk of heart disease. Because of this, dietary advice around the world recommended limiting egg intake to three eggs a week. However, a wealth of research since has found that healthy people show no effect of daily egg intake on blood cholesterol levels.

Today’s advice says healthy people can enjoy eggs every day. In fact, the Ministry of Health in 2017 agreed to a statement to help clarify this for New Zealanders that says, “Eggs are a healthy, natural whole food that the New Zealand Ministry of Health Eating and Activity Guidelines state can be enjoyed by most people every day of the week.”

It’s official: Enjoying eggs every day is a healthy choice.

Myth #2

• What we thought before: Only eat the egg white
• What we know now: Both the egg yolk and egg white are good for us

Old recommendations told people to avoid eating the egg yolk as that is where the cholesterol is found. However, we now know that dietary cholesterol doesn’t increase risk of heart disease or stroke amongst healthy people, so now we can relax and enjoy the whole egg.

The egg white and the yolk have different nutritional benefits, so for maximum goodness, it is now recommended to eat the whole egg. As well as a great source of digestible protein, together the white and yolk contain 11 different vitamins and minerals including iron, B vitamins as well as the fat-soluble vitamins A and E.

Myth #3

• What we thought before: Eggs have bad fat
• What we know now: Eggs are highly nutritious

As well as being one of the few food sources of omega-3, the fat in eggs help the body absorb important vitamins found in eggs including vitamins A, D and E.

While the Ministry of Health recommend limiting foods high in saturated fat, eggs only contain a small amount of saturated fat so don’t need to be limited for this reason.

And remember, the New Zealand Ministry of Health Eating and Activity Guidelines state eggs can be enjoyed by most people every day of the week.

To read more about eggs and get nutritional information, recipes, and tips, visit www.eggseveryday.org.nz

Click here to view a clip on all the benefits of eggs.

RECIPE: Easy Carbonara 

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti or other pasta – enough for the number of people you are serving
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-2 rashers of rindless bacon
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Cook pasta in plenty of hot salted water.
2. While pasta cooks, combine eggs in a bowl
3. Cook bacon in a deep pan.
4. When pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pan with the cooked bacon in it.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and gently stir to combine.
7. Finish with a generous grind of black pepper.
8. Leave to stand for 1 min.
9. Serve with grated parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley on top.