Poached, scrambled, or sunny-side up, eggs just got a nutrition upgrade that could put them back on your breakfast plate without fear that the incredible edible will crack your cholesterol levels.
With 6 grams of hunger-satisfying protein and just 71 calories in one large cackleberry, eggs have long been a dieter's dream. But if worries about your high LDL cholesterol have put them on your "do not eat" list or led you to dump the yolks and just cook the whites, here's welcome news: Ordinary eggs today have 14% less cholesterol and 64% more vitamin D than they did a few years back. (Discover other light, luscious, low-cal eats.)
What's behind this egg-cellent change? (Okay, we'll stop.) Upgraded chow for laying hens is producing healthier eggs. And if you have a little extra cash, you can buy eggs with high levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, too. A regular large egg has about 37 milligrams, but hens fed flaxseeds, chia seeds, or even algae or fish oil may have two to three times that. "Pastured" hens (they run around in the grass, eating plants and bugs) may also produce eggs with higher-than-usual levels, as well as more vitamins A, D, and E.
You only get this good stuff if you eat the whole egg, yolk and all. As long as you keep your daily cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams (one large egg now contains 185), you probably can enjoy a few a week, worry free, as part of a low-fat, healthy diet. Now there's something to cluck about!
Medically reviewed in August 2019.
