Friday, November 10, 2006

Throw Off the Yolk of Idiocy!

It’s amazing how many idiots are out there. All right, it’s not amazing. Still, I’m always both amused and annoyed to see so many people–all right, idiots–ordering egg whites for breakfast, presumably under the mistaken impression that egg yolks are bad for you, a veritable poison. So what do these idiots do? They order an egg white omelette with cheese and bacon or sausages. I see this all the time–at the corporate cafeteria, at the deli takeout counter, at the Greek diner. Are these people so deluded? Are they that stupid? The only logical answer to one or both of these questions has to be “yes.”

Egg yolks contain dietary cholesterol–this is true. But dietary cholesterol has very little to do with creating cholesterol in the human bloodstream (there are numerous studies and governmental reevaluations), and it’s blood cholesterol levels that put one at risk for heart disease (though this theory has its naysayers*). Saturated fats create and elevate blood cholesterol–saturated fats in foods like cheese and bacon and sausages. These egg-white people–er, idiots–are doing much more potential damage to their health than if they had eaten three whole eggs (preferably fried in olive oil–tastes great) without the cheese or meat.

I always feel like saying something, showing them the error of their ways, but I never do. When all is said and done, I’m really a wimp. So I vent here.

By the way, don’t worry about the dietary cholesterol in shellfish either.

* See Thomas J. Moore's Atlantic Monthly article here but ignore the rest of the linked commercial website.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also read in Men's Health some time ago that the lecithin in eggs reduces our body's ability to absorb the cholesterol in eggs. So, as they said, you can eat one or two eggs a day and not worry about it. And eggs are also a great low-fat source of protein. Take that, egg white weenies.

12:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Peter wrote, "By the way, don’t worry about the dietary cholesterol in shellfish either."

Krill oil, from Antarctic deep-sea shellfish, can lower bad LDL cholesterol levels by 34 per cent and boost good HDL cholesterol by 44 per cent. The packaging wording to look for is "Neptune Krill Oil" (NKO), and this brand is licensed to a number of vitamin and supplement companies. It is considered very safe, and numerous studies suggest that is far superior to standard fish oils. Since I rarely eat fish, I take both Krill Oil and standard fish oil capsules every day.

Bill

3:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't think you're a wimp at all. I think you're article was very "mean spirited".

3:13 PM  
Blogger Peter Cherches said...

Is that a good or a bad thing?

10:59 PM  

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