Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.
December 2009
It wasn't too long ago that we were told that eating more than a couple of eggs per week would send our cholesterol and our heart attack risk through the roof. That kept a lot of us from enjoying a good source of protein as well as vitamins D, E and A. Although two eggs do provide us with 350 to 500 milligrams of cholesterol it's not the cholesterol in our diet that sends our blood levels up. It's the saturated fat in egg helpers such as bacon, ham and cheese. Several studies involving tens of thousands of people show no link between egg consumption and coronary heart disease.
Egg white is a complete protein because it contains all the essential amino acids that humans require. A medium-sized egg has about 6.5 grams of protein.
Stone Agers were probably pretty good at finding eggs, especially those of birds that nested near the ground. Stone Age wild hens, unlike their distant descendants in today's crowded poultry barns, had a varied diet that included insects, worms and scores of different types of plant material. The eggs that they produced were similarly rich and varied.
According to some "eggs-perts" there is a considerable difference in the flavor, yolk color, shell quality and nutritional value of eggs from hens that are allowed to roam free instead of being penned and fed on standard meal.
Your local supermarket may already feature designer eggs. Manipulating chickens' diets with such ingredients as canola oil, kelp, flax seed and various plant extracts results in eggs that are several time richer in omega-3 fatty acids. The right kind of feed can also yield eggs that are lower in cholesterol or saturated fat or higher in vitamin E than standard eggs.
Organic eggs are only slightly more nutritious than standard eggs. In order to qualify for the organic label the producer must verify that the birds were fed with certified-organic feed and that no synthetic pesticides were used for parasite control in the flock.
During the 1980s there were occasional outbreaks of disease due to Salmonella bacteria from contaminated eggs. The industry has controlled that problem well but be sure to buy them fresh, keep them refrigerated and cook them thoroughly.
Eggs have been part of the normal human diet since the Stone Age. You can enjoy several per week. Just watch those egg helpers!
Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. is the author of Health Secrets of the Stone Age, Better Life Publishers 2005. Contact him at drphil@stoneagedoc.com.