You've probably heard from various sources that eggs are bad for you, and eating them will increase your blood cholesterol levels. You've probably also heard that the cholesterol comes from the egg yolk, and you should stick to egg whites.
The important thing to remember is that, like many things in life, there is no blanket truth for everyone! Human beings vary quite dramatically. How the amount of cholesterol in one's diet can increase one's blood cholesterol varies from person to person. Even eating up to four egg yolks on a weekly basis hasn't been found to increase one's risk of heart disease.
When deciding on whether or not to include eggs in your diet, it's important to consider the daily limits on cholesterol in your food:
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If you are a healthy person, it is recommended that you limit your dietary cholesterol to less than 300 milligrams (mg) a day
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If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or a low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") blood cholesterol level you should limit your dietary cholesterol to less than 200 mg a day
One egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol - all of which is found in the yolk. If you like eggs but don't want the extra cholesterol, an egg white is an excellent option. If you like the taste of yolk, you can also use cholesterol-free substitutes, which are made with egg whites.
But we must remember to treat ourselves once in a while! If you want to have a good, old-fashioned egg, have one! Just remember to limit other sources of cholesterol for the rest of the day.
