Eggs and Cholesterol, Too High for the Diabetic Diet Menu?

The person with diabetes is faced with the need to make many lifestyle choices, not least of which is what foods should be included in their diabetic diet. Deciding on whether to include traditional foods can be a problem, perhaps they have too much sugar, too much salt, too much fat. Even eggs, a traditional breakfast food, are questioned. The cholesterol content of eggs has caused many persons with diabetes to omit them from their diabetes menu, mainly because cholesterol is associated with heart disease and heart disease is a major cause of illness and death in people with diabetes.

But the reputation attached to eggs, that they are not good for your health, is somewhat undeserved and they are really a fine source of quality protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals packaged by nature into just 75 calories.

Saturated fat, not cholesterol, is the culprit
Eggs are without doubt high in cholesterol, with about 213 milligrams in a large egg, but studies in recent years have shown that it is the saturated fats in the diet that is really the cause of elevated blood cholesterol levels, not dietary cholesterol.

In a UC Berkeley Wellness Letter of March 2008, it states that cholesterol in eggs does not raise blood cholesterol in most people and the letter further claims that eggs may be good for the heart because dietary cholesterol can cause the production of HDL, known as the “good” cholesterol. It appears that HDL has the ability to actually remove LDL from the walls of blood vessels and deliver it to the kidneys. The newsletter also pointed out that whatever LDL is produced is apparently of a larger particle size that does not pose the same dangers to health as does small particle sized LDL.

A guidebook on diabetes from the American Diabetes Association states that it not necessary to eliminate eggs from the diabetic diet menu. The American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic both advise that people with diabetes should limit their cholesterol intake to 200 milligrams of cholesterol daily, just a little less than in a typical large egg which has about 213 milligrams of cholesterol. The American Heart Association suggests choosing medium or small sized eggs instead of the large.

Nutrient packed
Eggs are an excellent source of high-quality protein and contain all the essential amino acids needed by the body but that cannot be made by the body. Eggs are rich in vitamin D and are also a good source of Vitamin K, a vitamin that helps build bones, and they have an abundance of other minerals needed by the human body. Those are all good reasons for eggs to be included in the diabetic diet menu, and especially since eggs do not affect blood glucose levels. And all of the above for about 75 calories, that is really nutrition packed.

Author’s Comments:

As a type-2 diabetic of many years I have become accustomed to questioning which foods are appropriate to include in my diabetic menu. I have written on many topics in addition to foods such as the above, all related to diabetes and the diabetic condition, for more information please visit Eggs – Yes or No? and also Diabetic Menu Guide. Worth a visit, check it out!