When you think of classic breakfast foods, what comes to mind? Cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, sausage, and bacon top the list. There’s one more common breakfast food worth considering: eggs. Before you eat eggs for breakfast every day, it’s worth considering whether they are good for you.

Benefits

Eggs have a lot of good things going for them. They’re a decent source of protein in a small package. Each egg packs in 6 grams of protein, making up 24 out of the 78 calories. Eggs are a good source of vitamin D, choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Vitamin D facilitates calcium absorption in addition to supporting your bone health and your immune system. Choline helps with liver function and metabolism. The lutein and zeaxanthin found in the yolks support eye health by reducing the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.

Concerns

For all the good things about eggs, there are also a few things that may be concerning for some. Cholesterol content is chief among them. Eggs contain around 186 mg of cholesterol, a pretty significant amount. It’s all in the yolk which is why some people prefer to only consume egg whites rather than the whole egg. The good news is that the cholesterol found in eggs seems to raise HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) more than LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).

Best Ways to Eat Eggs

How you choose to cook your eggs makes a difference. There are a ton of different options: baked, poached, boiled, fried, scrambled, microwaved, and turned into an omelet. Some eat their eggs raw, but that comes with an increased risk of salmonella. In addition to being safer, cooking eggs makes nutrients like protein and biotin more available for your body to absorb. Using high heat can backfire and damage some nutrients. The healthiest ways to cook eggs are those that use low heat, require less cooking time, and don’t use extra fat calories.

As with most things, eggs can be beneficial when consumed in moderation. Eating too much of anything, including eggs, can be more detrimental than beneficial. So the next time you choose to have an egg for breakfast or a quick snack, don’t feel bad about it. As long as you include them as part of a balanced diet, eggs are just fine to eat.

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