--- title: Eggs Nutrition and Health Benefits description: Are eggs healthy? Eggs provide calories and protein, and don't have a negative impact on cholesterol, according to nutrition experts. canonical: https://time.com/3450058/should-i-eat-eggs/ author: Mandy Oaklander article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-16T12:00:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T03:59:10.000Z article:section: Health og:title: Should I Eat Eggs? og:description: We polled 5 experts to answer the great breakfast conundrum og:url: https://time.com/3450058/should-i-eat-eggs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Should I Eat Eggs? twitter:description: We polled 5 experts to answer the great breakfast conundrum twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Should I Eat Eggs? > Sponsored content. 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Updated: Dec 14, 2023 3:59 AM UTCPublished: Oct 16, 2014 12:00 PM UTC  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 14, 2023 3:59 AM UTCPublished: Oct 16, 2014 12:00 PM UTC _Welcome to_ Should I Eat This?—_our weekly poll of five experts who answer the food questions really gnawing at you._  There’s a lot of debate about [eggs](http://time.com/5285672/eggs-lower-heart-disease-stroke/). While eggs provide protein and important vitamins, some people fear that yolks are [full of cholesterol and saturated fats](http://time.com/4536939/egg-white-yolk-cholesterol/). We asked nutrition experts: are eggs healthy? **4/5 experts say yes.** The great breakfast conundrum seems a lot simpler when you ask a bunch of science types who know eggs inside and out (and sunny-side up). And most of them are pretty wild about eggs. Each of the five experts noted that eggs are a fantastic source of vitamins—“one of nature’s most perfect foods,” gushes Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, a nutrition expert at Cleveland Clinic, since a fatty neon yolk makes lots of those fat-soluble nutrients way easier for your body to use. Unlike many other foods packed with vitamins—like kale, say—you don’t have to combine eggs with fat to get the most out of them. “Whole eggs are a source of highly bioavailable lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids that protect against oxidative stress, inflammation and age related macular degeneration,” says Maria Luz Fernandez, PhD, professor in University of Connecticut’s nutritional sciences department. One egg contains 35% of your daily choline, a key component for cognitive function that may protect against Alzheimer’s disease. You can make a compelling “vitamin-filled” case for nearly any food Mother Nature manufactures, but egg’s secret sauce is what it _doesn’t_ have. “When we eat more of A, we eat less of B,” says David Katz, MD, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center. Eating eggs in the morning, for instance, helps steer us away from the carbier, meatier breakfast offerings, and that’s a good thing. A recent study showed that when people followed a low-carb diet for a year, they [lost more weight and cut their heart disease risk factors](http://time.com/3222213/low-carb-diet-beats-low-fat/) more than the low-fat group. Eggs don’t wreak havoc on your heart or cholesterol, several experts pointed out. Recent clinical studies have debunked that myth, and some evidence suggests they might actually be good for cholesterol. “They help raise your HDL ‘good’ cholesterol and may help in the prevention of some eye diseases,” says Thomas Wilson, associate professor of nutritional sciences at University of Massachusetts Lowell. And they keep you full. One large egg has 6 grams of protein. ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It? From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Healthiest Sweetener? Take a taste of the unsettled science of sweeteners. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Should I Go Paleo? The pros and cons of eating like a caveman. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad? Here's what really happens to your joints when you snap, crackle and pop. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Running on a Treadmill as Good as Running Outside? You'll fool your body into thinking it's outside with this one small treadmill tweak. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Does Laughing Have Real Health Benefits? Here's proof that everybody could use a belly laugh. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What Is My Poo Telling Me? If you listen hard enough, you'll hear all kinds of health stories from #2. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME Our lone dissenter Ronald Ross Watson, PhD, professor at the University of Arizona College of Public Health, doesn’t take issue with the nutritional composition of eggs—“When cooked and/or processed otherwise, they become a great source of essential protein, lipids, vitamins & minerals,” he writes in an email. He’s more miffed by the misappropriation of eggs, whose noble destiny is species survival and life development in birds, not to become your fancy frittata. “It remains a shame to use eggs for such purpose as feeding,” he says. Sorry, chickens—but it looks like the egg comes first in this debate. _Read next:_ [_You Asked: Will Eating Before Bed Make Me Fat?_](http://time.com/3020266/you-asked-will-eating-before-bed-make-me-fat/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3450058/should-i-eat-eggs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3450058/should-i-eat-eggs/"},"headline":"Should I Eat Eggs?","datePublished":"2014-10-16T12:00:07.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-14T03:59:10.000Z","description":"Are eggs healthy? 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