I just got back to work today and the first patient I saw who had diabetes and high cholesterol asked me a common question that I usually get from my patients : are eggs healthy to eat ?  and if so… how many eggs per week are allowed!

Depending on your risk for heart disease, a healthy meal should contain only 300 mg of cholesterol.  If you have diabetes or heart disease, then it is recommended that ones total cholesterol intake per day should be limited to < 200 mg per day.

It is said that the extent to which dietary cholesterol raises blood cholesterol levels isn’t clear. The content of the food on saturated fats and trans fats will have a greater impact than dietary cholesterol in raising blood cholesterol.  Thus when buying foods in the market… look at the food label and analyze not only the cholesterol content but also the amount of saturated fat in them.

Eating one egg with the egg yolk contributes 213 mg of cholesterol to your daily requirement. It is therefore rich in cholesterol and should be eaten in very limited quantity whether you are at risk for heart disease or not.  However, an egg can still be included in your meal plan provided that other sources of cholesterol like those from meat or other diary products should be limited.

Eating egg whites with an egg substitute is one good way to avoid cholesterol from eggs because egg whites do not contain cholesterol.

One other tip regarding food safety in keeping your eggs is to store them in a refrigerator.  This is recommended to avoid Salmonella contamination which can happen whether the shell is broken or not.

So… the next time you enjoy eggs for breakfast…

Think Cholesterol… Limit The

Eggs!

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

An Updated Article was written on this Subject: Can I Eat Egss Everyday? Yes You Can  written March of 2009.

 Fish is everywhere and we know it’s healthy.  The tale about the health benefits of fish started when the green Eskimos who mainly eat fish were noted to have a lower risk of heart disease.  When analysis of their diet was done… their diet was rich in omega 3 fatty acid and less saturated fat. 

But what really makes eating fish healthy? Let me review with you some facts about fish and omega-3:

1.  Omega 3 has been shown to affect ones triglyceride level.  High triglycerides have been shown to affect ones risk to develop heart disease.

2.  Intake of Omega 3 from fish has been shown to also lower ones blood pressure.

3.  Ones risk to develop blood clots has been shown to decrease with omega 3.

4.  Fish is less in calories than meat! A similar size of fish and steak may give you similar amounts of protein but the fish will contain far less fat and calories than the steak.  So eating fish is a better choice for those who want to lose weight!

Likewise… in patients with history of heart disease, studies have shown that intake of omega 3 has been shown to reduce the risk to develop irregular heartbeat and sudden death.

Does it mean we can now go to malls and grab all the omega 3’s we can get?  Definitely not… because the omega 3’s available in the market are marketed as supplements and therefore not regulated in terms of quantities of omega 3 in them nor the purity and quality are assured.  Likewise, abuse of these supplements have resulted in excessive bleeding.

The American Heart Association recommends that to get the necessary quantities of omega 3’s naturally is to EAT FISH 2 to 3 x per week. An omega rich fish of approximately 3 ounces should provide us with the necessary omega 3’s we need.  These include: salmon and mackerel.  But to keep its health benefits…cook it grilled or broiled. Likewise eating fish also provides us with other nutrients like protein, magnesium, potassium and iron which our body also needs.

So the next time you crave for meat…

Think Healthy…Eat FISH!