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Eggs provide protein and fat and are a rich source of micronutrients like choline, selenite, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, biotin, vitamin B6, omega3 and omega6 fat acid. Moreover, eggs also contain a great deal of lecithin, a healthy kind of fat which can regulate the amount of cholesterol in one’s blood. Thus, healthy people can eat up to one egg a day.

Egg whites are rich in nutritional minerals like niacin, potassium, riboflavin, magnesium, and do not contain fat, which is good for health. The yolks have less protein than the whites, but are an abundant source of vitamin A, B6, B12 and D, calcium, folate and omega-3, cholesterol, and necessary fat acid. Therefore, egg yolks are believed to be richer in nutrients than whites.

For people wanting to lose weight, it is possible to have breakfast with eggs because they can make you feel fuller than other foods, but you may still need to have it with about 1-2 slices of bread, greens and fruits to ensure the number of calories and not to feel hungry later. Children can have one egg per day, which helps provide an abundant amount of choline and support their brain and cognitive development.

Some people worry that too many eggs will increase the amount of cholesterol in blood. People with fatty liver or high blood fat are not obligated to stop eating eggs, but they should control the number of eggs and prioritize healthy cooking methods like boiling, steaming, making soup and limit oily fried eggs. People with fatty liver should just eat 2-3 eggs per week on average and should eat boiled eggs instead of fried eggs. For individuals with fatty liver disease or elevated liver enzymes, especially those with moderate to severe cases, it is best to replace egg with other healthier sources of protein.

Overall, even for healthy people, the most essential thing is to build a diet rich in greens, fibers, fishes, good protein, and limited saturated fat, with priority given to greens and fruits, whole grain cereal, fishes, less fat protein from lean meat, poultry without skin, tofu, all kinds of beans, good fat from olive oil, soybean oil, canola oil, nuts like almonds, walnuts (with moderate use), less fat milk.

Limit fat, animal organs (livers, intestines, hearts, kidneys…) containing lots of cholesterol and saturated fat, red meat with lots of fat, poultry skin, pre-processed meat like sausages, hams, oily fried food, especially foods fried in reused oil, foods containing refined sugar, alcohol.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung
National Institute of Nutrition