Eggs - The Power house of nutrition, the good the bad and more

Eggs are power house of nutrition and are part of a healthy balanced diet for most people, consumed throughout the world mostly during breakfast as fuel for the day due to its wholesome nutrition.

Why they are the power house of nutrition

Eggs provide about 55-80 calories/egg depending on their size, around 0.6 g of carbohydrates, and 6-7 g of an excellent source of lean protein whereas egg white has a little more protein than the yolk. They are filling but are low on calories which is helpful if you want to lose weight. It has less than 6 g of healthy fats, vitamins A, B12, D, and E, minerals like iron, zinc, phosphorus, selenium, folate, carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin which are good for eye health and choline which boost brain health. Depending on the chicken feed, egg nutrition may be modified to contain other nutrients like omega 3, vitamins, low cholesterol etc and are called designer eggs.

Concerns about cholesterol, how to cook and its effect on digestive health

 With saturated fat of about 1.6 g, monounsaturated fat of 2 g and cholesterol of 212 mg, eggs were feared to add to the risk of heart disease but according to a recent study, it is the red meat which is the cause of concern and not eggs as they do not increase your cholesterol levels. And also, it is important to cook eggs properly unless they are pasteurised to avoid salmonella (bacteria) which can make you sick with symptoms like diarrhoea, fever, abdominal cramps, headache, nausea and vomiting. Another study reveals that egg does not cause any imbalance in your gut microbiota and positively modulates their function.

Allergies and sensitivity

However, some individuals are allergic to eggs or foods that contain eggs as their immune system overreacts to proteins found in eggs. Symptoms of allergies vary from person to person from rash, wheezing, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea. In such cases, it is better to avoid eggs after consulting your doctor. A small percentage of people are sensitive to eggs with milder symptoms like nausea, vomiting and bloating. Most of the time eggs may not be the reason for a stomach issue, but one has to experiment to rule it out. Sometimes, the way eggs are cooked matters. Boiled or pouched eggs may be easier to digest than fried eggs. Heating destroys allergic protein in egg white.

In some individuals with stomach conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eggs may worsen symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain etc. It is advisable to cut down or avoid eggs temporarily, if such symptoms persist, it is better to avoid them. Again, this is not the case in all IBS patients and it is also found that for most irritable bowel syndrome patients’ eggs are a tolerable source of protein. It is important to experiment with one food at a time to investigate which exact food may be the cause of any kind of digestive issue (for example any form of fiber, gluten, FODMAP that is fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols etc.).

Overall, it is better to consult your doctor or a registered dietician, who can provide personalized advice to rule out if egg is the reason for stomach related issues before eliminating an ideal food like egg from your diet.

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