Is it true that eggs contain cholesterol? And how many eggs can I eat each week?
Eggs do contain a type of cholesterol found in many foods, called dietary cholesterol. Eggs, liver, kidneys and prawns are higher in dietary cholesterol than other foods.
But the cholesterol we get from our food has much less effect on the level of cholesterol in our blood than the amount of saturated fat we eat.
If you are eating a balanced diet, you don?t need to cut down on eggs (or kidneys and prawns), unless your GP or dietitian has advised you to do this.
However, liver is also a rich source of vitamin A, which can be harmful in high amounts. So if you eat liver every week you might want to choose not to have it more often because the body stores vitamin A and levels can build up over many years.
If you need to reduce the cholesterol level in your blood, the most important thing is to cut down on saturated fat. It?s also a good idea to eat more fruit, vegetables and fibre-rich foods such as oats and pulses.
Foods that are high in saturated fat include fatty meat, meat pies, sausages, hard cheese, butter and lard, pastry, cakes and biscuits, cream, soured cream and crème fraiche, coconut oil, coconut cream and palm oil.
Lots of people think that you should only eat a certain number of eggs a week. In fact, most people don?t need to limit how many eggs they have, if they are eating a balanced diet including plenty of fruit and veg, basing meals on starchy foods, having moderate amounts of dairy products and moderate amounts of foods that are good sources of protein, such as meat, fish, eggs, beans and lentils. Remember that we should try to eat a wide variety of foods to get all the nutrients we need.
Eggs are a good source of protein, iodine and vitamins such as D and B2. Poached or boiled eggs are a healthier choice than fried eggs, because you don?t need to add fat during cooking. To make healthier scrambled egg, you could use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk rather than whole milk, and if you normally add butter, use a little low-fat spread instead or some vegetable oil such as sunflower oil.
from the Food Standards Agency