Eggs- Good or Bad?

[lyssslynn]

Okay... So I am trying to figure out whether or not eggs are truly something to be avoided or not? I know that we do not want to eat commercial/factory-farm raised eggs, but how about free-ranged from the local farmer? Is there anything truly wrong with them?

I've been eating a plant-based diet for almost a year now and have done some research on eggs and didn't find much negative impacts. But, eggs are good for vitamins B12 and D, which is not available through plant foods. Any suggestions/research articles? I can use all the input I can get!

[Doug_]

You're looking in the wrong places, not by your own fault. It's a sad world we live in, where you can't even get the truth about food when you're looking for it. http://nutritionfacts.org/?s=eggs

I would avoid eggs before even meat. They are loaded with cholesterol, more than any other food we could eat besides brains.

Also, they are chicken periods.

As far as being a "good source" for B12...http://nutritionfacts.org/video/safest-source-of-b12/

[vgpedlr]

Okay... So I am trying to figure out whether or not eggs are truly something to be avoided or not?

Avoid them. They are NOT a health supporting food.

I know that we do not want to eat commercial/factory-farm raised eggs, but how about free-ranged from the local farmer? Is there anything truly wrong with them?

Everything. They are still full of cholesterol, saturated fat, and animal protein, all of which are unhealthy.

I've been eating a plant-based diet for almost a year now and have done some research on eggs and didn't find much negative impacts.

As previously linked, go to nutrition facts.org where Dr. Greger has a number of excellent videos showing negative impact, as well as some industry shenanigans that try to make you believe otherwise. Also read what Dr. McDougall has written on animal protein, such as in The Starch Solution. All of it applies equally to eggs.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2010nl/jan/poison.htm

But, eggs are good for vitamins B12 and D, which is not available through plant foods.

No, they are not. According to the USDA, a whole egg has about 10% RDA B12 and 4% Vit. D. You would need to eat a dozen to get close, at which point you'd have your RDA for saturated fat (any amount raises risk) and 10 times the RDA for cholesterol (any amount raises risk.)

Vitamin D best comes from sun exposure, and B12 is safest from a supplement.

It's helpful to stop thinking of foods as isolated nutrients, and instead see the whole package within the context of the overall diet. When viewed that way, eggs lose out completely.

[BlueHeron]

If animal welfare is a concern for you, all eggs should be avoided. Because male chicks are useless for laying eggs, they are killed in horrible ways as soon as they are hatched. Even if your neighbor has chickens and treats them well, the chickens still come from a hatchery where the males are killed - usually by being sent alive through a grinding machine or thrown into plastic bags to suffocate.

[colonyofcells]

Starch Solution is vegan probably to avoid the slippery slope to too much animal products which plagues rich people and american culture. Vitamin b12 supplement is needed for all vegan diets. For vitamin d, can cook brands of mushrooms with vitamin d.
http://26b.us/pics/main/2012_10/montere ... amin-d.jpg
Monterey mushrooms with vitamin d are sold at costco. If I cook the whole package, I get about 3200 iu of vitamin d2 (8 servings is 8x the daily vitamin d requirement of about 400 iu).
Dr Dean Ornish diet allows egg whites. Pritikin diet allows some animal products for vitamin b12.

[docscience]

In animal research in the 1950's and 1960's, using pigs plus other animals, nothing generates heart disease faster then eggs.
.

[Pumpkin Pete]

If animal welfare is a concern for you, all eggs should be avoided. Because male chicks are useless for laying eggs, they are killed in horrible ways as soon as they are hatched. Even if your neighbor has chickens and treats them well, the chickens still come from a hatchery where the males are killed - usually by being sent alive through a grinding machine or thrown into plastic bags to suffocate.

Furthermore, once the egg production of layer hens ceases or reduces significantly they don't end the rest of their lives in retirement homes. They probably end up in chicken soup or pet food.

[BlueHeron]

The increase in backyard chickens has led to a need for more places to rescue them when the owners either find out that raising chickens is hard or decide to move.

Also, the egg industry is super bad. The egg-free product "Just Mayo" is definitely not on plan, but people here might still be interested in how the egg industry has responded to the "crisis" of its development and increasing popularity.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015 ... -just-mayo

[lyssslynn]

Thank you all for your input! I will definitely continue to look into the information to verify everything.

[Ern2Win]

The yolk of a large egg provides more than the 210 mg of cholesterol in a Hardee’s Monster Thickburger (Hardee’s Food Systems Inc, USA), which contains two-thirds of a pound of beef, three slices of cheese and four strips of bacon (13).

You must read this article!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/

[grid]

Just a short quote from The Starch Solution, in case you haven't read it yet (bold text mine):

Marketing efforts by the meat and dairy industries have convinced us that calcium, iron, and protein are essential nutrients we should seek out in large quantities. In food and supplements, they are sold as a kind of insurance policy against deficiency-caused illnesses. These nutrients are indeed essential, but what the animal product and pill marketers won’t tell you is that illnesses from deficiencies of these nutrients are virtually unknown, and that common plant foods fully meet our calcium, iron, and protein needs. There actually is no known nutritional advantage to choosing red meat, poultry, dairy, or eggs for their high density of particular nutrients. In fact, high nutrient concentrations come at the expense of others: milk and cheese are deficient in iron, while red meat, poultry, and eggs (apart from the shells) provide almost no calcium. These cannot be considered balanced foods: When you eat them you end up with too much of some nutrients and not enough of others. The ones you get in excess pose real and well-documented risks.

[pamelaannberry]

Thanks for posting this. I too am struggling to see the negative in eggs. The cholesterol theory isn't entirely accurate as eggs do provide a lot of good cholesterol. I had backyard chickens for quite sometime and my cholesterol dropped significantly for the better eating more eggs. It depends the type of eggs you are eating. If you do eat eggs, only go for organic non vegetarian eggs. While I'm currently very very sick and any food I eat hurts, eggs are the very few food items that don't hurt as bad. When I can't eat anything, I'm okay with eating eggs. Yes I've read McDougall' reasons and yes I've been reading everything I can so I learn and feel better. If you do eat eggs eat organic NON vegetarian eggs. Chickens are not vegetarian and when allowed to eat bugs etc....provide the best nutrients for the eggs. There's a chicken farmer by me who even breeds his own bugs for his chickens to provide a great balance if nutrients for his chickens. All organic and by far the best tasting eggs I've ever had.

Once I'm able to eat again, will I stop eating eggs? I'm not sure. I want to be mostly vegan/vegetarian but I know how my body feels with certain foods and I am very sensitive to that. My body feels good with eggs. I know that and I'm not sure the argument against that is strong enough for all the positives for me. I'm trying hard just to not be anorexic right now and if eggs can help, then I'm going to eat eggs.

Sorry I'm working and would spend time researching balanced articles if I could.

[BlueHeron]

While I'm currently very very sick and any food I eat hurts, eggs are the very few food items that don't hurt as bad. When I can't eat anything, I'm okay with eating eggs. Yes I've read McDougall' reasons and yes I've been reading everything I can so I learn and feel better.

If you care to share more about why you can't eat, people here might have experience with your specific illness and might be able to tell you what worked for them. If you have digestive issues, boiled potatoes or rice might be good.

I hope that you are able to resolve your problems, but I have to say, you won't find support for eating eggs here. Your body makes all the cholesterol you need. I would highly recommend searching for "eggs" at http://nutritionfacts.org/. These are videos though - perhaps you will have time to watch a few at some point.

Good luck.

[colonyofcells]

Can continue with eggs if not yet ready to give up eggs. Eggs probably won't provide enough calories so can also try eating some starch like sweet potato.

[BlueHeron]

Can continue with eggs if not yet ready to give up eggs. Eggs probably won't provide enough calories so can also try eating some starch like sweet potato.

Absolutely. If you're not ready to give them up, don't give them up. You just probably won't find people here who think they're good for you.

Can you eat bread or toast? That might be a good addition too.