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Did you know that eggs can be part of a healthy diet?
Eggs are a good source of high quality protein, vitamins, and minerals including choline, folate, iron, zinc and carotenoids, and have only 75 calories per egg. Eggs also contain small amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, which may be involved in the prevention of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. However, eggs have gotten a bad name because of their cholesterol-rich yolk.
Dietary cholesterol should be limited to 300 mg or less each day and just one egg yolk contains about 70% of that. But current research indicates that saturated fat and trans fat have a greater impact on cholesterol levels in the blood, while dietary cholesterol might have a relatively small effect on blood cholesterol.
If you are healthy individual, you do not have to limit eggs as long as you do not have more than 300 mg of cholesterol in a day. Try to avoid having other cholesterol-rich foods on the same day that eggs are eaten. If you are an older person, eggs can be a highly nutritious food that is inexpensive and filling.
Tips:
- To enjoy eggs without as much dietary cholesterol, try using egg whites or one whole egg with a few egg whites.
- Eat only cooked eggs and egg whites as raw egg products may contain dangerous levels of bacteria.
Article written June 2009
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