Metabolic and Mental Health
Here’s Why I Don’t Eat Eggs Anymore, But I Still Adore Them.
Eggs supported me in my childhood and saved my life when I was a vegetarian. I share five decades of experience.
My love of eggs started in childhood.
This story provides my more than five decades of experience with eggs.
In my childhood, my favorite food was freshly boiled eggs, sunny-side eggs, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, and vegetable omelets. The look and smell of egg dishes appealed to me so much that even in restaurants, I ordered eggs.
I enjoyed them so much that my parents created a small garden in the backyard exclusive to chickens and ducks that gave us fresh eggs daily. Feeding them every morning gave me tremendous pleasure.
Watching ducks while swimming and nurturing their babies put me in a meditative state. I was amazed that mother ducks hatching on chicken eggs looked after their stepkids.
Interestingly, they were amazed the chicks couldn’t swim like their own kids despite their persistent invitation to the pond.
They created so many eggs that we couldn’t consume them. So, I decided to give them to neighbors who gave me pocket money. My altruistic endeavor turned into childhood entrepreneurship.
Interestingly, my father, after his 50s, couldn’t eat eggs. They were increasing his eczema. My mother and siblings had no issues. In my childhood years, I had no side effects from eggs.
Since I consumed significant amounts of eggs, including healthy fats, bioavailable proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, especially choline, I believe the nutrition of eggs influenced my academic performance in my primary and secondary school years.
In later years when I got married and had my own house in Australia, we had chicken in our backyard, giving us fresh eggs every day. They also hatched on eggs at certain times and gave us lovely creatures beautifying our garden with their fertilizers.
Unfortunately, we lost them as the roosters were so noisy in the mornings, waking up the neighbors and affecting the sleep patterns of their kids. Thus, the council took them away and donated them to an animal rescue organization.
Then, I had to go to organic farms to purchase fresh eggs for my family’s needs. They loved it as much as I did. None of us had any issues from eating eggs. Except for me, when I got older, like my father.
Choline is critical for brain and mental health. Therefore, eggs attracted my attention when studying human cognition. Knowing a single egg to give 27% of choline requirements was compelling to me.
In addition, choline protects the liver.
My First 30-Day Experimentation with Egg Yolk
Decades ago, I was suffering from nutritional deficiencies when I was following stringent vegetarian diets refraining from all animal products, healthy fats, dairy, and even nutritious eggs.
One day at a health conference, I met a healthy, fit-looking biohacker. When I mentioned my diet to him, he said I was ruining my health. But, on the other hand, he sounded friendly and sensible.
When I asked him about his secret to health and fitness, he said egg yolks. Of course, it immediately created fear for me as I used to have high cholesterol in those days even though I did not consume any cholesterol-containing foods, particularly refraining from saturated fats.
He wisely pointed out that dietary cholesterol would not impact blood levels. But, unfortunately, it sounded too good to be true to me in those days.
His suggestion was to swallow three raw egg yolks daily for 30 days. After that, he advised me to record my subjective feelings daily and get blood tests before and after a month.
I hesitantly yet optimistically followed his advice. Eating egg yolks was very easy. However, as a caution, I supplemented with digestive enzymes (including protease and lipase) to stop potential digestive issues.
During that month, I did not change anything in my diet except adding three egg yolks daily. Then I measured my subjective and objective results.
Interestingly, within a month, I felt terrific physically and mentally. In addition to increased energy, my focus and attention improved. My mood got better.
More importantly, my hunger pangs and food cravings disappeared. In the same month, I lost two kilos first time during my vegetarian diet. In addition, my waistline shrank two inches.
When I got my blood test, my bad cholesterol level reduced, my testosterone level increased, my Vitamin B12 levels increased, and inflammation markers like CRP improved.
With this inspiration, I tried it for several months and obtained better results. A 30-day nutritional challenge was one of the best investments in my health and fitness journey, which gave me valuable clues about my body.
I was cautious about buying my eggs. I always purchased them from reliable farms as raw eggs might include Salmonella. The risk is believed to be one in twenty thousand eggs. Fortunately, I never experienced Salmonella.
Fear of Cholesterol from Egg Yolks
One of the reasons I refrained from eggs was the fear of cholesterol when following plant-based diets. Knowing a single egg includes 186 mg of cholesterol was a concern to me.
Sadly, I did not know egg yolks could paradoxically reduce cholesterol. For example, as documented in this review paper:
“Extensive research has been conducted on egg yolks, specifically on the health benefits of egg yolk phospholipids. Egg yolk phospholipids lower the cholesterol level and improve fatty liver and brain function.”
After trying eggs, my perspectives on cholesterol changed. I delved into the literature and undertook significant experimentations with help from friends from nutrition science backgrounds, dieticians, and sensible biohackers.
I documented my decades of experience and reviews on cholesterol in a recent article titled Cholesterol Paradox and How It Impacted My Health Positively.
Addressing Nutritional Deficiencies Matter
Experimentation with eggs taught me the importance of nutritional deficiencies and how small actions could contribute to our well-being.
Sadly, my brain was shrinking at a young age due to a lack of healthy fats, proteins, and nutritional deficiencies because of my wrong beliefs and assumptions influenced by the thought leaders of the time.
I falsely believed that vegetables would meet all nutrients needed for my body and the brain as default. I did not know the importance of supplementation in plant-based diets. Some vegans are successful as they diligently monitor their nutrition and supplement for deficiencies. I lacked this rigor and thus suffered.
One of the reasons for experiencing 12 entangled health conditions was nutritional deficiencies. I was ignorantly deprived of my body and what it needed.
The lack of essential fats and amino acids in my diet caused nutritional deficiencies. In addition, experiencing a deficiency of micronutrients like minerals and vitamins was a serious problem.
Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and magnesium deficiency particularly caused severe health issues for me. Therefore, I keep highlighting their importance in my health stories.
Eggs were the starting point of my nutritional health journey. In addition to fixing numerous dietary deficiencies, they gave me bioavailable choline that my brain needed to create the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Eggs as the Most Bioavailable Protein Source
Undoubtedly, protein is an essential macronutrient for the body. Proteins are building blocks of our cells, tissues, and organs.
When I checked the nutrition literature, I noticed that eggs provide the most bioavailable protein after mother’s milk. In addition, they give even better-utilized protein than meats.
One hundred grams of eggs provides 54.9 grams of proteins creating only 230 kJ. So, while giving satiety, essential nutrients, and healthy fats, it is relatively low calories. Thus, it can be a handy weight loss nutrition.
As an additional benefit for weight management, eggs are a good source of biotin used by the body to improve fat and sugar metabolism.
Fat Composure in Eggs
Unlike perceptions, eggs include healthy fats in small amounts. For example, 100 grams of whole eggs only contain 10.6 grams of fat, according to Nutrition Data.
Regarding the fat composure, only 3.3 grams come from saturated fats. But, more importantly, 4.1 grams come from monounsaturated fats, believed to be healthier.
One hundred grams of eggs also include 1.4 grams of polyunsaturated fats. In addition, they contain 78 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for the body and the brain.
I documented the importance of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) in this article titled The Necessity of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for the Body and Brain.
Vitamin and Mineral Composure of Eggs
Eggs include numerous vitamins and minerals in good ratios. They are ideal macro and micronutrients.
According to the nutrition database:
100 grams of eggs provide 225 mg Choline, 0.6 mg Betaine, 586 IU Vitamin A, 0.3 mg Vitamin E, 0.5 mg Vitamin K, 0.1 mg Riboflavin, 0.1 mg Thiamin, 0.1 mg Vitamin B6, 44.0 mcg Folate, 1.1 mg Vitamin B12, and 1.4 mg Pantothenic Acid.
Regarding minerals:
The same source documents that 100 grams of eggs include Calcium (50 mg), Iron (1.2 mg), magnesium (10.0 mg), Phosphorus (172 mg), Potassium (126 mg), Sodium (124 mg), Zinc (1.1 mg), Selenium (30.8 mcg), Fluoride (4.8 mcg). In addition, eggs include 1% of daily Copper and Manganese requirements.
Unsubstantiated Claims for Eggs
Like all good things, eggs were blamed as unhealthy, causing concern to people and stopping them from eating them. Unfortunately, I was one of them when following plant-based diets.
On the contrary, the credible studies indicated the opposite. After reviewing hundreds of papers on the benefits of eggs, I am convinced that eggs are not an unhealthy food. Far from it, they look healthier than many other foods.
The biggest concern was cardiovascular health to refrain from eggs. I am glad those faulty hypotheses were debunked.
For example, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that:
“People with prediabetes or type II diabetes who consumed a 3-month high-egg weight-loss diet with a 6-month follow-up exhibited no adverse changes in cardiometabolic markers compared with those who consumed a low-egg weight-loss diet.”
The paper pointed out that “A healthy diet based on population guidelines and including more eggs than currently recommended by some countries may be safely consumed.”
As documented in an article by American Health Association, Jo Ann Carson, professor of clinical nutrition at Southwestern Medical Center, said that “Eating an egg a day as a part of a healthy diet for healthy individuals is a reasonable thing to do.”
Why I Removed Eggs from My Diet
You may wonder why I gave up eating eggs if they are so healthy.
I never regretted eating eggs, and I still adore them. My family members consume as I buy them from organic farms for their consumption.
However, interestingly, after several years of consuming eggs, like my father after my 50s, eggs also caused me some intolerance and digestive issues.
I started feeling minor digestive issues, especially when I began the keto-carnivore diet. However, I did not have any side effects from eggs when I was on plant-based diets. Perhaps, I was consuming less fat and protein on those days.
One of the side effects of eating multiple eggs a day is increased itching. It was not an allergy but more of a food intolerance creating discomfort.
When I slowly reduced the number of eggs a day, the intensity of itching decreased. When I stopped eating eggs for a few weeks, the itching disappeared.
Since my personalized diet (keto-carnivore) includes all nutrition I need, removing eggs from my diet was not a big issue. However, I still miss its delicious taste.
I am not religious about food. I choose whatever gives me the best benefits without causing discomfort. Nutrition is a health matter. I introduced my transformed diet in an article titled Keto-Carnivore Diet 101.
Conclusions and Takeaways
From my years of experience, observations, and reviews, eggs are an excellent nutrition source providing bioavailable proteins, healthy fats, minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients like choline.
Even though eggs gained a lousy reputation due to biased research and other reasons, their health benefits are well documented in the literature.
Millions of people globally use eggs as the primary source of cheap and bioavailable protein.
In addition to minerals and vitamins, interestingly, even though it is an animal product, eggs even include sugar. For example, a single egg has around one gram of sugar.
However, every good thing comes with exceptions. Thus, eggs might cause problems to some people as they did to my father and me.
Eggs might not suit everyone. For example, eggs are known to create food intolerance and even allergies for some people.
Therefore it will be wise to observe discomfort from eggs and eliminate them for a while. Discussing nutritional and health issues with qualified healthcare professionals is a good approach.
As a caution, we need to be careful with consuming raw eggs, as one in 20,000 eggs might include Salmonella causing diarrhea, fever, cramps, and vomiting, as documented in this source.
To conclude, as we all have different metabolism and genetic makeup, a personalized diet with help from qualified dieticians or nutritionists is an ideal approach for health and well-being.
If you enjoyed this story, check another food story highlighting the nutritional value of beef liver from my experience.
Here is a glimpse of my fat loss journey.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters.
Petechiae, ALS, Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorders, Anemia, Dysautonomia, cardiac output, and urinary track disorders.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, Cod Liver Oil, and other nutrients.
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