The Ultimate Guide to Eggs: What’s in Them, Why They’re Good for You, and How to Prepare Them

The info on eggs can confuse even the savviest shoppers. Once considered bad for you and a promoter of heart disease, eggs have enjoyed a revival and are now back in the health spotlight. And that’s as it should be, considering people have been eating them for millennia. In the United States, people most commonly eat eggs from chickens, specifically the single-comb white leghorn. (1)

In the 1920s and ’30s, egg production was a small-scale affair. Farmers raised their own backyard chickens, often to supply their own families. By the 1940s, farmers were taking steps to make egg production more efficient and sanitary. In the 1960s, smaller farms gave way to large commercial production, which boosted the number of eggs that each hen could lay — a good thing, because demand today is through the roof. (1) Annually in the United States, 50 billion eggs are produced — that’sa lotof omelets, to say the least. (2)

Eggs are a rich source of nutrition, especially when it comes to protein, notes the U.S. Department of Agriculture'sMyPlateguidelines. One large egg contains 72 calories (4 percent of your daily value on a 2,000-calorie diet), 6 grams (g) of protein (12 percent of your DV), and 5 g of fat (8 percent of your DV). (3,4,5) They have nofiber。(3)蛋黄胆固醇- 186供应mg, or 62 percent of the recommended 300 mg limit per day. (6)

For most people, eating one egg per day has been shown to be safe. (7) It supplies a satiating mix of both protein and fat, and it contains 13essential vitaminsand矿物质, like fat-solublevitamin A;vitamin E,vitamin D, andvitamin K; choline, an important nutrient for fetal development during pregnancy; and eyesight-preserving antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin. (8)

Even people with type 2 diabetes, who have a greater risk for developing heart disease, can safely eat eggs. One study looked at adults with type 2 diabetes orprediabetesand found that people on a high-egg-consumptionweight loss dietfor three months didn’t experience any negative effects on theircholesterol levelsor markers of inflammation. (9)

Though you can eat eggs at any time of day, it’s no accident that eggs are most often eaten at breakfast. In a classic study looking at equal-calorie egg or bagel breakfasts, healthy overweight or obese adults who ate eggs as part of a weight loss diet for eight weeks lost 65 percent more weight than the bagel eaters. (10)

Later research seems to confirm the idea that you should trade a traditional carb-y breakfast for a protein-rich egg one. A small study of men ages 20 to 70 found that those who consumed an egg breakfast ate fewer calories during the day than men who ate a bagel breakfast, likely because eggs suppressed appetite hormones and improved satisfaction. (11)

For a long time, it was assumed that because egg yolks contained dietary cholesterol, the nutrient would clog arteries and potentially increase heart disease risk. For that reason, in 1968, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended that people consume no more than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol (the cholesterol in your food) a day and eat no more than three eggs per week, as eggs are a big source of cholesterol. (12) (The Food and Drug Administration still recommends limiting dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day.) (6) However, newer research shows that eggs are not a threat to heart health in healthy folks. Cholesterol is a necessary nutrient that helps your body manufacture hormones and vitamin D. (13) A study of more than 800 men found that egg intake — or cholesterol intake, for that matter — did not buoy heart disease risk, even in those who are genetically predisposed to have higher cholesterol levels. (14) So what actually does raise cholesterol levels? Unhealthy eating, not exercising, and smoking. (13)

It’s also important to remember, as the AHA points out, that eggs containsaturated fat(1.5 g per large egg). When sat fat is eaten in excess, it can increase cholesterol levels, something that does raise heart disease risk. (15,3) While one egg per day has been shown to be safe, talk to your doctor about what’s right for you and your unique health concerns.

Eggs should be purchased from the refrigerated case. (It’s the law in the United States, but not in Europe due to differing production practices.) (16) Flip the carton open and make sure eggs are clean and none are cracked, and don’t purchase expired cartons, advises the Egg Safety Center. (17) When you get home, put eggs in the refrigerator right away in their original carton. (18) Make sure to eat them within three weeks. Here’s how to decipher other egg-label lingo:

• White versus brown eggs:Time to put the idea to bed that brown eggs are better. They’re both the same — the shell color isn’t an indication of the egg’s taste or nutrition. It all depends on the coloring of the hen. For instance, birds with white feathers lay white eggs. (19) The color you choose is your preference.
• Pasteurized eggs:These are eggs that have been treated to destroysalmonella。You can buy these in their shell (it will say "pasteurized" on the carton) or as a liquid pasteurized egg product. You’d want to use these if you’re making a dish that uses undercooked eggs. Homemade Caesar dressing is one example. (18)
• Cage-free eggs:These hens have access to an open area or can move about a barn or poultry house. (20)
• Free-range and pasture-fed eggs:The flock has access to the outdoors. (20)
• Organic eggs:Hens are uncaged and can roam around indoors and out. They also eat feed free of conventional pesticides and fertilizers, in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. (20)
• Natural eggs:As the USDA notes, all eggs are natural — they have nothing added to them. (20)

One of the best things about eggs is their versatility in dishes, meaning that they don’t have to get boring as long as you play around with preparations, including:

• Scrambled
• Hard-boiled
• Fried
• Omelets and frittatas
• Poached

Remember: To reduce the risk of possible foodborne illness, it’s recommended that eggs are cooked until firm, not runny. (21) As an example, that means ordering or cooking fried eggs over hard — not over easy.

Other Ways You Can Use Eggs

• Added to casseroles as a binder (and to increase the protein)
• In crab and fish cakes/burgers, again as a binder
• To soak bread for French toast or French toast casseroles
• In homemade ice cream and eggnog (heat the egg mixture first) (16)
• In meringue
• Deviled
• Egg salad
• Atop a grain bowl
• In carbonara sauce for your pasta
• Poached in tomato sauce (shakshuka)
• Hard-boiled on salad
• Fried atop soup
• In fried rice
• In breakfast tacos

Raw eggs can be contaminated with salmonella, a bacterium from the birds that gets into the eggs before the shells are formed.

But the catch is that you can’t tell just by looking at the eggs themselves. (22) Symptoms like diarrhea, fever, andabdominal paincan appear 6 to 48 hours after eating a bad egg, but fortunately most people recover without treatment.

Reduce your risk by buying pasteurized eggs, refrigerate eggs, don’t eat cracked eggs, and cook eggs all the way through — the whites and yolks should be hard. (22)

Q: How many calories are in an egg?

A: One large egg contains 72 calories. (3) The yolk supplies 55 of those calories, while the white has 17 calories. (4,5)

Q: How much protein is in an egg?

A: You’ll get about 6 g of protein in a large egg. (3) Most of that comes from the white, offering 3.6 g of protein, while the yolk has 2.7. (5,4)

Q: Is there any nutrition in an egg yolk?

A: Yes, the yolks are packed with health-promoting vitamins and antioxidants. They contain vitamins A, D, E, and K, and choline, as well as antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. (23)

Q: Are egg whites better for you than whole eggs?

A: While egg whites supply a goodsource of protein, that’s really all they supply. Skipping the yolk means you miss out on the satiating fat in a yolk plus the vitamins and antioxidants previously mentioned. (23)

Q: Are eggs bad for you?

A: No! Eating eggs is linked to weight loss, thanks to their high-quality protein. While they’ve been previously blamed for causing heart disease, new data suggests otherwise. Research on over a half million adults shows that eating up to one egg per day is actually associated with an 18 and 28 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and bleeding stroke compared with not eating eggs. (24)

What is a good substitute for eggs?

If you’re vegetarian or vegan and do not eat eggs, you can make a flax egg to replace eggs in baking and recipes. For each egg, mix 1 tablespoon (tbsp) offlaxseed餐3汤匙的水;我们坐了五分钟to “gel” up like an egg. (25)

How do I know if my eggs are good?

To reduce your risk of foodborne illness and enjoy eggs, eat them only if you know they’ve been properly refrigerated. (It prevents the spread of salmonella inside the egg.) (26)

If on the way home from the store an egg cracks, you can break it into a separate air-tight container and store in the fridge to eat within two days. (27) When you’re ready to eat your eggs, crack each one into a separate bowl before using to determine if it's good. Cloudy egg whites are fresh. The hue of the yolk matters less — whether it’s a dark or light yellow or even orange in color is more of a reflection of the hen’s diet. (28)

Blood spots are caused by a rupture of small vessels in the yolk, but these eggs are fine to eat.

Luckily, it’s fairly obvious when you have a bad egg in front of you. Toss any eggs that have pink, green, or iridescent whites or black or green spots in the inside. These signs are indications that the egg is spoiled or contaminated. (28)

What is the boiled egg diet?

One new diet trend: theboiled egg diet。News reports explain that this diet involves eating most of your calories from eggs, particularly hard-boiled eggs, in order to lose weight. The diet requires people to eat one and up to nine eggs a day for a week. (29) However, this isn’t endorsed by any major U.S. health organization or medical center, and there aren’t studies to support that eating this way promotes health or weight loss. While eggs do fit into a balanced diet, it’s not recommended to eat nine in a day. When it comes to eggs, they may be packed with nutrition, but moderation is key.