As you may have realized, the egg is a staple food that is commonly incorporated into the keto nutrition plan. Hard-boiled eggs, scrambles, omelets, and frittatas are just the tip of the iceberg—eggs are also key ingredients in keto specialties such as chaffles and keto pizza dough. Time and again, the question, “Are eggs bad for you?” travels through keto circles given the past (and sometimes present) demonization of the whole egg, with emphasis on the yolk.
Let’s discuss the components, benefits, and past misconceptions of eggs.
Eggs are a nice mix of quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Some nutrition and medical circles advise to eat the egg white only but so much of the nutrition is found in the yolk. It is popular belief that the yolk doesn’t have any protein, however, it does contain between 2.5 and 2.7 grams (depending on size) which is around 45 percent of the entire egg’s protein composition.
The yolk also boasts the superior omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D, E, B12, and K, riboflavin, folate, and iron.
Although eggs have been deemed detrimental in the past for containing cholesterol, numerous recent studies have cited a consensus that cholesterol, primarily from egg yolks, poses very little risk for adverse effects on LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. [1]
Despite being a nutritious whole food, in 1968, the American Heart Association announced that all individuals should eat no more than three eggs per week due to their cholesterol content. Because eggs contain cholesterol, they have been labeled as an unhealthy food that will contribute to raised LDL (bad) cholesterol and therefore, result in putting one at higher risk for heart disease.
In 2015, the restriction of egg intake was eliminated from U.S. dietary guidelines since there is lacking evidence that cholesterol from egg consumption truly causes heart disease. Many mainstream recommendations urge to consume cereal or oatmeal for breakfast due to being “heart healthy” despite the fact that those selections raise blood sugar (while eggs do not), but studies have shown that eating two eggs for breakfast in place of oatmeal reflects no change or increase in biomarkers related to heart disease. [2]
In fact, more than 50 years of research has shown that the cholesterol in eggs has very little impact on LDL cholesterol levels, and is not associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Some of these studies divided trial participants into two groups—the first group ate one to three whole eggs every day, and the other group did not consume eggs whatsoever.
Egg intake compensates for an array of common nutritional inadequacies, contributing to overall health and lifespan. [7] Recent research shows that eating as many as three whole eggs per day actually increases HDL (good) cholesterol. [8] That’s great news since eggs are commonly incorporated into the keto regimen for reasons such as convenience, versatility, and the added texture to baked goods. If you can’t tolerate eggs or you simply don’t enjoy them, rest assured, there are an array of keto-friendly egg replacements. And for those of you who consume eggs on a regular basis, there is no need to be overly concerned about them like we used to be.
Griffin BA. Eggs: good or bad? Proc Nutr Soc. 2016 Aug;75(3):259-64. doi: 10.1017/S0029665116000215. Epub 2016 Apr 29. PMID: 27126575.
Missimer, A., DiMarco, D. M., Andersen, C. J., Murillo, A. G., Vergara-Jimenez, M., & Fernandez, M. L. (2017). Consuming Two Eggs per Day, as Compared to an Oatmeal Breakfast, Decreases Plasma Ghrelin while Maintaining the LDL/HDL Ratio. Nutrients, 9(2), 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9020089
Jiang Z, Sim JS. Consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched eggs and changes in plasma lipids of human subjects. Nutrition. 1993 Nov-Dec;9(6):513-8. PMID: 7906572
Schnohr P, Thomsen OO, Riis Hansen P, Boberg-Ans G, Lawaetz H, Weeke T. Egg consumption and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. J Intern Med. 1994 Mar;235(3):249-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.1994.tb01068.x. PMID: 8120521
Goodrow EF, Wilson TA, Houde SC, Vishwanathan R, Scollin PA, Handelman G, Nicolosi RJ. Consumption of one egg per day increases serum lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in older adults without altering serum lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. J Nutr. 2006 Oct;136(10):2519-24. doi: 10.1093/jn/136.10.2519. PMID: 16988120
Katz DL, Evans MA, Nawaz H, Njike VY, Chan W, Comerford BP, Hoxley ML. Egg consumption and endothelial function: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Int J Cardiol. 2005 Mar 10;99(1):65-70. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2003.11.028. PMID: 15721501
McNamara, D. (2015). The Fifty Year Rehabilitation of the Egg. Nutrients, 7(10), 8716–8722. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu7105429
DiMarco DM, Norris GH, Millar CL, Blesso CN, Fernandez ML. Intake of up to 3 Eggs per Day Is Associated with Changes in HDL Function and Increased Plasma Antioxidants in Healthy, Young Adults. J Nutr. 2017 Mar;147(3):323-329. doi: 10.3945/jn.116.241877. Epub 2017 Jan 11. PMID: 28077734