Are Eggs bad for you?

Cholesterol has been getting a bad wrap for quite some time. Although cholesterol can clog your arteries, slow blood flow, and increase your chances of heart disease, the truth behind cholesterol is being misguided by agenda. I am here to tell you that there is a lack of full disclosure in the studies being performed against cholesterol and that there is an overall negative tone forced on saturated fat as a whole. Cholesterol is not the enemy here. High LDL cholesterol is an indication of an underlying issue, that when we take prescription drugs to prevent the production of it, we are only placing a pause on the inevitable. Cholesterol CAN clog your arteries, but WHY is it there in the first place?? AND Is it really eggs that you should be concerned about?? The studies performed on processed foods, sugar and hydrogenated oils seem to avoid the headlines and social media. We are still following suite of a 100 year old theory by Ancel Keys, claiming that Saturated fat was the villain of all heart disease, without ever being proven true. If this were true, why hasn’t the introduction of fake fats, hydrogenated oils and margarine decreased heart disease over the last 100 years??

So, what seems to be making headlines are warnings that come with a built in fear factor of consuming eggs, coconut oil, red meat, and butter.  Over the last century, these food items have been drastically decreased in the modern diet and yet heart disease is still sky rocketing.  Over the years, if a study did not portray the answers they were looking for, it was never published. What about the thousands of articles like THIS by webMD? The majority of the studies have been funded by pharma or food giants. These studies are typically performed on conventionally raised animals.  Yes!  Quality matters!  For example, the omega 3 ratio in grass-fed beef is 2 to 5 times greater than conventionally raised beef (grain-fed).  Typically the Omega 6's remain the same, but your anti-inflammatory omega's INCREASE.  And that is a big deal!

What is the truth behind cholesterol?

• 85% of the cholesterol in your bloodstream doesn't even come from your diet.   Your liver makes it to keep you alive!!

• Trans fats, hydrogenated oils and partially hydrogenated oils are what raises your cholesterol and the potential for heart disease 

  • Canola oil, corn oil, peanut oil, margarine, cottonseed oil, vegetable oil, soybean oil- these are all highly processed, toxic and usually GMO

• Healthy fats actually lower inflammation in the body, in return, lowering your need for patch work on your arteries.

  • Organic virgin Coconut oil, pastured eggs, grass-fed butter, wild salmon

• High cholesterol can typically be controlled through diet and exercise

What is the purpose of cholesterol in the body

• A precursor of bile acids that actually help you to digest fat

• A precursor of all steroid hormones

  • androgens, estrogen, progesterone, glucocorticoids

• A lipid that is part of the cellular membrane structure. Proper cellular function depends on it.

• Required to make vitamin D

• Your liver will synthesize cholesterol, even if it is not in your diet, to stay alive. Hence, why vegetarians (who don't eat meat, eggs or dairy) can still have high cholesterol.

• Cholesterol is not the problem.  High LDL cholesterol level is the evidence of an underlying issue of inflammation or arterial damage.  LDL might just be the bandaid your arteries needed.

Underlying issues for high cholesterol

• Inflammation- from grains, sugars and processed foods

• Chronic cortisol output

• high blood pressure

• vitamin C deficiency

• diabetes

• physical inactivity

• Over consumption of hydrogenated oils

For further information, here are 2 amazing books that I highly recommend

• Put Your Heart In Your Mouth by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD; Natural treatment for heart conditions

• The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz; Why butter, meat and cheese belong in a healthy diet

Here is a chart to help you through the egg jargon. Photo cred: Season Johnson

Ultimately, is eating eggs going to cause cardiovascular disease? NO

I agree that butter, meat and eggs DO belong in a healthy diet, but please consider that “you are what you eat…eats.” The nutrient value as well as the omega ratios change depending on their diet. An animal was never meant to consume processed GMO grains.

Check out THIS article that talks about how eating eggs can actually REDUCE your cholesterol, improve vision and brain function and slash your chances of getting cancer.

Saturated fat has been consumed for thousands of years. Heart disease became prevalent in the 1900’s, around the same time that sugar and grains started to become highly consumed. Food was no longer prepared properly and our animals began eating foreign food themselves, food that animals were never made to digest either.

While navigating through the truths, what is false, and whose agenda is being pushed, keep in mind the following strategies for heart health: reduce processed foods (fake food), sugars (anti-nutrient) and fake fats, exercise more and stress less. Minimizing internal stress and inflammation will naturally lower arterial damage and need for cholesterol.