Jolayne from Harlem asks…

Are Easter and Passover Eggs Healthy to Eat?

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"Great question.  Wondering what to do with all those Easter eggs when Easter is over?  Wondering about the hardboiled eggs leftover from Passover? Should you eat them or throw them out?  What is the latest information about eating eggs?

Well, eggs have been healthy in the past…they are healthy today…and they will be healthy in the future.  If you believe all the hype about eggs in the popular press, you’d think eggs were healthy THIS month, but LAST month they were not and “who knows” next month!

Let’s set the record straight, for once and for all.  Eggs are a great source of protein and can and should replace some of the other types of proteins in your diet, especially high-saturated fat meats.  The protein from eggs comes from the white part or what we call egg albumin.  This egg protein is so nutritious, that it is used as a standard to compare all other proteins to it.  The biological value (the nutrition) of egg protein is 100%.  WOW!

Now, what is the “downside” of eggs?  Well, if you have elevated cardiovascular risk and elevated blood cholesterol (either total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol), then you need to moderate your use of egg YOLK.  And, the word, "moderate" has never meant, "eliminate." Since all the cholesterol in eggs is in the yolk, that means that eating the very nutritious egg white is not a problem, even for people with high cardiovascular disease risk.  Moderating your intake of egg cholesterol is very easy to do.  When you make eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner, make egg white omelets, instead of using the whole egg.  When you cook, add 2 egg whites, instead of a whole egg in recipes.  If you want and can afford it, you can buy egg substitutes in cartoons at the store, but this is really not necessary to do. And, even if you have elevated blood cholesterol, if you want to eat a whole egg, now and then, that is not a problem. However, if you are at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, do not think that, all-of-a-sudden, any amount of eggs is A-OK to eat.  It is not.  The American Heart Association and many other evidenced-based health organizations recommend The DASH Eating Plan, which is high in vegetables, fruits and whole grains and low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium.

By the way, if you insist that your omelets look yellow, you can add a little bit of egg yolk for color…for example, if you are using 6 eggs to make a breakfast omelet for your family, use the whites from 5 or 6 eggs and then add a whole egg.  This will give it the yellow color that your family is used to, but you have cut the cholesterol in this dish by over 80%.  Add mushrooms, spinach or kale, green and red peppers, green onions, a little garlic, salt and pepper…and you have a great looking, nutritious and delicious omelet for breakfast.  Use margarine or “butter-flavored sprays” to cook the eggs and cook in non-stick pans.  Remember that the SATURATED FAT in the butter, the bacon, the ham, the donuts, etc. will raise your blood cholesterol more than the cholesterol in an egg yolk.  This means that it is more important to concentrate on the saturated fat in your diet (from meats, hydrogenated foods, baked goods, etc.) than to obsess about eggs.  And, contrary to urban myths, butter is not healthier than margarines, IF you choose margarines that are low in saturated fat and have no trans fat. There are many of these types of margarines on the market.  Read the nutrition label, not the advertising hype on the package.  Overall, it is the way you live your life that is related to your cardiovascular risk, not just your dietary or blood cholesterol, your saturated fat or, in fact, just simply what you eat.  You must look at the entire risk picture, which means your entire life.

Back to your original question about all those hard-boiled eggs that the Easter Bunny and Passover Pete left you and your family.  What to do with them, especially if high cholesterol runs in your family?  Here is a SIMPLE recipe for no-cholesterol deviled eggs!   First, store hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.  (According to the FDA, refrigerated hardboiled eggs, either with or without the shell, should be safe to eat for up to seven days.)  Remove the shell and slice the eggs in half.  Then, scoop out the egg yolks and throw them away.  Next, take some egg substitute and cook them in a non-stick pan, with some olive oil or butter spray.  When they are totally cooked, put them in a bowl, add some finely chopped onions, parsley, and celery, some low fat mayonnaise, some salt and pepper and mix well with a fork.  Take this mixture, fill the sliced boiled egg whites, sprinkle on some paprika (beautiful) and enjoy.  There you are…simple, delicious, and easy no-cholesterol deviled eggs.  I bet my deviled eggs taste better than yours.

The last thing I want to write about eggs is not to be fooled into paying more money for all those “fancy-schmancy” eggs.  Adding omega-3 fat to the eggs…having the chickens free range, instead of caged…adding extra vitamins to the eggs…all those things are marketing gimmicks and add to the cost of the egg without significantly increasing the nutrition of the egg.  How do you know this?  Remember, the main nutrient in eggs is the egg WHITE and has nothing to do with all the extra stuff being added to justify a higher price.

Both the Easter Bunny and Passover Pete visit out house.   In case you’re curious, Passover Pete brings us matzos and eggs.  Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Joyous Ramadan, Happy Holidays, and Happy Spring.

by Dr. Warren Karp  - "No-Nonsense Nutrition Advice"