Eggs Health-Wise.

Benefits and negative effects you should consider if you want to be healthy and full of energy.

“I do understand the point about meat and dairy, but what’s wrong with eggs? Vegans cannot answer this question!” This is what I’ve heard several times from my friends.

The answers are actually there, and there are valid reasons why one shouldn’t consume eggs from ethical and health points of view. From the health perspective, there are a lot of advantages but downsides too. Here I’ve just attempted to collect the essential information from reading scientific articles, listening to podcasts and experiencing. While the material is abundant online, it all still requires digging deeper, as there is plenty of contradictory information and paid-through articles by those interested in you purchasing the product.

Egg yolk first

Egg yolk is an incredible source of nutrients. It includes many vital vitamins and minerals, all the essential amino acids.

· Omega 3 fatty acid, for example, is deficient in many people regardless of whether they are vegans. Yet it is an essential nutrient for preventing heart diseases and vision problems; it fights inflammation and autoimmune disorders, vital for kids’ cognitive functioning and central nervous system development, to name but a few.

· Egg yolk has Vitamin B12, which is also deficient in many. Without this vitamin, one just won’t survive. It is needed for red blood cell formation, supports bone health and heart health, gives energy, is essential for hair and skin condition and lots more.

But!

The Vitamin B12 factsheet, updated in 2022, shows that up to 40% of Western populations develop Pernicious anemia, the most common cause of which is B12 deficiency. Not all of them are vegans Jas you might initially think. For example, just to demonstrate, the study of 2019 showed that only 3% of the whole USA population was vegan; in the UK, this percentage was between 2–3 for the same year. Even if to assume that most of them have a vitamin B12 deficiency, why do the remaining 37% develop it too?

Yes, even if you eat meat, you can still have this deficiency. In fact, vegans are now quite aware of this problem, as you hear about B12 from every corner when going for this lifestyle. So they are the first who do their blood analysis to check their B12 level and supplement themselves. Also, interestingly, cattle and chickens are nowadays ingested vitamin B12 too, as they are mainly fed soy and corn, which don’t have bacteria that allow them to synthesize B12. So, what you mainly get from animal products are supplements that you can purchase separately and get better quality ones.

Although pastured chickens (not free-range, careful with that!) should have naturally synthesized B12 in their eggs.

· Egg yolk is infamous for a high amount of Cholesterol. It is bad for the blood system; as one’s blood vessels get stuffed with it, it prevents normal blood flow and, thus, oxygen supply to our organs. However, egg yolk also has a record-high level of lecithin, which lowers or neutralizes cholesterol. A very popular nowadays, dr. Berg suggests that the high-density lipids egg yolk contains help remove excess cholesterol from arteries, and he backs it up with scientific research.

· Vitamin K2 in egg yolk prevents calcium salt deposit formation in arteries, thus decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease. It also protects against cancer.

· Vitamin D3, a “sunshine vitamin”, is necessary for calcium absorption and, thus, prevention of osteoporosis. It is another indispensable vitamin deficiency in many populations; according to studies, the deficit worldwide is growing.

These are just a few vital nutrients that egg yolk contains. The list is quite long, and it is all over the internet.

Egg yolk can remove any deficits in the body and is also fat, a source of energy. I’ve heard from some vegans and raw vegans that egg yolk was their saviour when they developed deficiencies from a vegan diet.

What about egg white?

Egg white is a “complete” protein, an antigen in our body. Also, whilst cooking, the protein becomes denatured, making it difficult for our body to digest. Part of it gets broken down into amino acids, and then our body synthesizes the proteins it needs; part remains waist, and if it gets to the bloodstream, our immune cells can attack this protein. It is a “nice” contribution to autoimmune diseases.

Furthermore, as some authors claim (need some more research on that), in the process of egg white petrification, as it doesn’t digest fully by our bodies, toxic compounds form (cadaverine and putrescine), which are partially neutralized by the liver and excreted by urination and defecation. In contrast, part of them stays in the liver causing gallstone formation and getting into the bloodstream, poisoning our body. The results are premature aging, headache, brain fog, and weakening of the immune system, etc.

However, eggs are still way less harmful products than red meat and dairy.

To get the maximum benefit from them, you ought to get pastured organic eggs. Otherwise, besides being fed genetically modified soy and corn, the chickens are also ingested with hormones and antibiotics, which might not be neutralized even by cooking.

Additionally, it is better to eat egg yolk and exclude egg white, which might seem like a waste, but wasting your health is way worse. Also, while cooking, part of the vitamins and minerals get destroyed, so it is more beneficial to eat egg yolk raw. There is a risk of getting salmonella, true. Therefore it is important to know where you purchase your eggs from. Also, I found out you can just put an egg into boiling water for 20–30 seconds. It does destroy salmonella, but this time is not enough to destroy vitamins and minerals in egg yolk.

So, if you read till the end, make your conclusions. I made mine several years ago. In fact, for the last 3 years, I haven’t eaten anything with eggs because of health and ethical reasons. I’m aware that all the necessary vitamins and minerals can be obtained from plant sources and supplements, so I don’t see the need to eat eggs. However, someday, when conditions allow, I’ll rescue a few chickens and might have yolks from their eggs, especially if I develop deficits. This is just a thought so far.

Some sources to check on:

Antibiotic debate overview: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/safe/overview.html

Cooking Losses in Minerals and Foods and its Nutritional Significance: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2081985/

Dietary Cholesterol, Serum Lipids, and Heart Disease: Are Eggs Working for or Against You?: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29596318/

Vitamin B12. Factsheet for Health Professionals: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/

VeganNewstm: https://vegannews.press/2020/03/06/vegan-america-study/

Worldwide Growth of Veganism: https://www.vegansociety.com/news/media/statistics/worldwide

Vitamin B12 Deficiency: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28722952/

Whole eggs better for muscle building and repair than egg whites:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171220122054.htm