Eggs are both nutritious and safe to eat. Many people are concerned about cholesterol levels in eggs. Here we’ll explain how you can safely include eggs as part of a nutritious diet.
Eggs are nutritious
Eggs are nutrient packed – the yolk and white provide several essential nutrients. The egg yolk includes Vitamins A, D, E and B12, riboflavin, selenium and folate while the white provides a good source of high-quality protein. With 5 grams of fat per egg, and no trans fat, eggs can easily fit into your daily fat recommendation. Eggs are a versatile ingredient and can be used in a variety of different ways for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some eggs have omega-3 fatty acids, which may help in the protection against cardiovascular disease. Canada’s Food Guide recommends including a variety of protein foods, like eggs, at each meal.
Understanding cholesterol and eggs
Your body naturally produces cholesterol, a waxy substance that it needs to make hormones and digestive fluids. Your liver is capable of making all the cholesterol your body needs – this is called blood cholesterol. You can also get cholesterol from food – this is called dietary cholesterol. Animal foods like beef, chicken, pork and eggs have cholesterol. Vegetables and plant-based foods do not have cholesterol.
High blood cholesterol levels are a risk factor for heart disease. At one time, it was thought that dietary cholesterol was the main reason for high blood cholesterol levels but more recent research has shown that this is not the case. Although some foods contain high amounts of cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fat have a higher impact on blood cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol. There are many reasons why you may have high blood cholesterol levels. Genetics, and your diet are two factors that impact your blood cholesterol levels.
If you are concerned about your blood cholesterol levels, it is important to limit foods that are high in saturated and trans fats as well as cholesterol. These are important first steps in managing heart disease. Read more about lowering your cholesterol here.
How many eggs can you eat in a day?
As with most foods, eggs should be eaten in moderation. If you are in good health and do not have a history of heart disease, you can include eggs as part of a healthy diet. Studies have not shown a link between eating eggs causing higher cholesterol.
If you have high cholesterol levels, heart disease or type 2 diabetes, you should speak to your dietitian or healthcare provider about how many eggs are right for you. You may be advised to eat no more than 1 to 2 eggs per week and limit foods that are high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
How can a dietitian help?
A dietitian can work with you to plan nutritious meals that meet your specific needs and goals and that consider your medical history, lifestyle and culture. If you are trying to lower your cholesterol, a dietitian will give you specific recommendations on how many eggs you can eat, how much and what kind of fibre to eat, how to reduce saturated fat intake, and much more! Connect with a dietitian today!
Bottom line
Eggs are a good source of protein and many vitamins and minerals. Enjoy them as part of a nutritious, balanced diet. If you have high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or heart disease you should consider limiting eggs to 1 to 2 per week.
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Last Update – June 8, 2022
I’m an egg addict. Despite the fact that “become a stellar cook” makes it onto my list of New Year’s resolutions year after year, life (and a dinky New York City kitchen) has a way of trumping my best intentions.
Enter the egg. Whether in an omelet, on avocado toast, or by itself, eggs feel like a healthy step up from having a bowl of cereal for dinner on a busy day. But with eggs making their way into multiple meals a week, I have to wonder how healthy it really is to load up on all those yolks.
How many eggs per week can you eat?
Luckily, it appears that going through a carton of eggs each week is perfectly normal. “For the average person, two eggs a day is totally fine,” says Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. Phew.
Here's how to tell if the eggs in your fridge are still good:
But there is one major caveat: “A person needs to look at their total diet to see where they’re getting their saturated fat from,” says Gans. “It’s totally healthy to get two eggs a day, but if you like your eggs scrambled with cheese on them, then you’ve just upped your saturated fat and calories by a lot.”
RELATED: 5 Foods with More Protein Than an Egg
But what about the cholesterol in eggs?
Eggs got a bad rep in the past for their high amounts of cholesterol (186 mg per large egg—previous guidelines advised consuming no more than 300 mg of cholesterol total per day). At the time, experts thought dietary cholesterol would affect blood cholesterol—the kind that causes clogged arteries and heart attacks. However, recent research and recommendations have mostly found that it's saturated fat, not dietary cholesterol, that can impact your body's "bad cholesterol."
The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 6 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat. So if you're eating 2,000 calories a day, you shouldn't have more than 120 calories, or 13 grams, of saturated fat. For reference, one large, raw egg has about 1.6 grams of saturated fat. That might not sound like much, but that's before it's cooked in butter or EVOO, and potentially topped with cheese and a side of bacon.
However, Sonya Angelone, R.D., and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says you shouldn't stop caring about cholesterol in your food—nor should you go overboard. While the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans removed the recommendation to limit eggs, they still say that Americans should eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible (although they removed the old recommendation of consuming no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day).
Egg whites are better than whole eggs, right?
Eh...not exactly. Simply switching from whole eggs to egg whites may not cut it nutrition-wise.
“There are certain nutrients in the egg yolk that you’re not going to find if you just have egg whites,” says Gans. “All the fat-soluble vitamins are found in the yolk, so if you remove that, yes, you are removing the fat, but you also remove a lot of nutritional value.” Not great if you’re going for a quick but healthy meal.
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So...can you eat eggs every day?
Ultimately, it's important to mix up your diet a little more, says Beth Warren, R.D.N., founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Living A Real Life With Real Food. "Generally, I don’t recommend eating any one food every day," she says. She recommends rotating your foods every three days or so. "By eating this way, you are also ensured to get a better balance of vitamins and nutrients form a varied amount of whole foods," Warren says.
Still, if you're going to eat something every day, eggs aren't a terrible option. "The immense benefits you get from eating an egg make it a worthwhile, simple, easy, and affordable way to incorporate in the diet—as long as the total saturated fat in the diet per day is accounted for," Warren says.
The bottom line, according to Gans, is that the right amount of eggs is totally dependent on the rest of your diet. A single large egg has about 80 calories, five grams of fat, and six grams of protein. So, if you’re already getting plenty of protein and fat from other meals, eating a five-egg cheese omelet for breakfast every day is not a good idea. But if you know you’ll be on the go and don’t know where your next solid source of protein will come from, go a head and crack an extra egg into the frying pan before you head out the door.
Additional reporting by Korin Miller.
Macaela MacKenzie is a journalist covering women’s equality. Her work focuses on sports, the gender gap across industries, and breaking down stigmas in women's health. She has over 2,000 bylines for outlets including Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle, Women's Health, SELF and Forbes. She's currently working on her first book on women's equality in sports.