Scrambled Eggs at the Buffet? Not So Fast!
One of the "safest" things to order for breakfast in a restaurant from a "low carb" or even blood sugar management point of view is eggs. And one of the most popular ways to eat them is scrambled.
Now the last thing I want to do is add to your anxiety about food choices (we're already too close to becoming totally paranoid about what to eat and what not to eat) but here's something worth thinking about when you consider how you take your eggs.
You're probably aware of the (in my opinion, highly misguided) level of paranoia about cholesterol that exists in this country. In fact, the cholesterol in eggs is one of the reasons why people order egg white omelets (also highly misguided as you've heard me say many times).
But what you might not know is that the beginnings of this whole cholesterol madness started back in 1913 when a Russian researcher named Nikolai Anitschkov fed cholesterol to rabbits who later developed a kind of atherosclerosis (cholesterolosis) .
Of course rabbits are vegetarian and never eat cholesterol in the wild, but that's another story. Nearly 50 years later, another researcher tried to duplicate Anitschkov's research, but he was very careful about not letting the cholesterol lie around the rabbit cages where it was exposed to air, which of course, causes it to oxidize pretty quickly.
And guess what? The rabbits didn't develop atherosclerosis.
Now all the nutritionists and MDs I respect have said for years that cholesterol isn't a problem in the body until it's oxidized, though that message tends to fall on deaf ears as a 20 billion dollar a year industry continues to demonize cholesterol of any kind in any amount (but that's another story). The point is that oxidized cholesterol actually is a problem. And unfortunately, when you scramble eggs you break up the yolk (where the cholesterol is found) and expose the cholesterol in it to a lot more air (and potential oxidative damage) than you would if the yolk were whole (as for example in poached or hard boiled eggs).
Again, I'm not- repeat not- telling you this so that you will be afraid to eat scrambled eggs. And if you eat them fairly soon after scrambling and cooking, and if you're healthy in every way and taking your antioxidants (or eating plenty of antioxidant rich foods), you should be fine.
But I do think you might want to think twice about serving yourself the scrambled eggs in a breakfast buffet, particularly when it's a good bet they've been sitting out there in the light and air for hours.
Now the last thing I want to do is add to your anxiety about food choices (we're already too close to becoming totally paranoid about what to eat and what not to eat) but here's something worth thinking about when you consider how you take your eggs.
You're probably aware of the (in my opinion, highly misguided) level of paranoia about cholesterol that exists in this country. In fact, the cholesterol in eggs is one of the reasons why people order egg white omelets (also highly misguided as you've heard me say many times).
But what you might not know is that the beginnings of this whole cholesterol madness started back in 1913 when a Russian researcher named Nikolai Anitschkov fed cholesterol to rabbits who later developed a kind of atherosclerosis (cholesterolosis) .
Of course rabbits are vegetarian and never eat cholesterol in the wild, but that's another story. Nearly 50 years later, another researcher tried to duplicate Anitschkov's research, but he was very careful about not letting the cholesterol lie around the rabbit cages where it was exposed to air, which of course, causes it to oxidize pretty quickly.
And guess what? The rabbits didn't develop atherosclerosis.
Now all the nutritionists and MDs I respect have said for years that cholesterol isn't a problem in the body until it's oxidized, though that message tends to fall on deaf ears as a 20 billion dollar a year industry continues to demonize cholesterol of any kind in any amount (but that's another story). The point is that oxidized cholesterol actually is a problem. And unfortunately, when you scramble eggs you break up the yolk (where the cholesterol is found) and expose the cholesterol in it to a lot more air (and potential oxidative damage) than you would if the yolk were whole (as for example in poached or hard boiled eggs).
Again, I'm not- repeat not- telling you this so that you will be afraid to eat scrambled eggs. And if you eat them fairly soon after scrambling and cooking, and if you're healthy in every way and taking your antioxidants (or eating plenty of antioxidant rich foods), you should be fine.
But I do think you might want to think twice about serving yourself the scrambled eggs in a breakfast buffet, particularly when it's a good bet they've been sitting out there in the light and air for hours.
Jonny Bowden, PhD, C.N.S. is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health and is the author of several best-selling books.
I did not know about the oxidation connection! Thanks so much for the information. Diana Fletcher
You're so welcome, Diane! Thanks for posting!
jb
I didn't know that, very interesting. But to be honest I never eat those buffet scrambled eggs anyway, they are always sort of watery, tasteless and have a weird texture. I think it's cos I like my scrambles with proper butter, which they definitely don't use.
Our ancient anscestors most likely ate eggs raw (as I know you do). They also ate the eggs of animals that roamed free and ate "Their" natural diet.
All this makes a difference when considering the health of what you are putting in your mouth.
The info on and implications of Oxidized cholesterol in eggs was quite informative in your book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.
Another interesting thing I'd love your comments on at those breakfast buffets are those vague tasting fruits they have. Melons that are almost their natural color and almost have taste.
Does oxidation effect things like strawberries, blueberries and melon like they effect apples, pineapple and papaya?
Dr. T in Miami Beach
Wow, I knew this - you just explained it better than I could. Thanks!
What about cooking them overeasy or over medium and breaking the yolk after they are cooked as you eat them, will that make a huge difference? We have a farmer down the road that sells cage free brown eggs and its all we use. One other quick question, do some buffets use powdered eggs mixed with real eggs to stretch a dollar?
Your 150 healthiest foods is the most read book in our house, my 19 year old son lives by it as do my wife and I!
I love getting your new info. I also had no idea about that. Because of this article, I will change my egg-eating. I love poached anyway.
Thanks again for your wealth of information.
Is concern reg high cholesterol (LD) misguided? And without oxidation, say in boiled eggs, is there no contribution to plaque? Any sources u could give us for further reading?
K.Gopal rao
Wow - I knew this! You explained it better than I could. Thanks for all you do to educate people. Vivian Sauter
Do you think this would apply to anything baked with eggs since the yolk is broken up and then exposed to high heat and air?
Hi-
Dr. T- less important because we're specifically talking about oxidized cholesterol which isn't in any of those foods.
Blake- don't know about the buffets and powdered eggs, but thanks so much for the wonderful kind words
Jason- thank you!No need to be too overly concerned if you don't eat them at buffets where they've been sitting out for any length of time, but why not be on safe side if you like poached or hard boiled anyway..
KGR- very complicated and controversal subject. The cholesterol in food has virtually no effect on blood cholesterol. I believe the over-concern about blood cholesterol is misplaced and that it is not a particularly strong predictor of heart disease. For a completely debunking a great place to start is with the book THe Great Cholesterol Con by Anthony Coppollo, or the website for The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics website, www.thincs.org where you'll find some powerful stuff. Or anything at all by Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD who has written extensively about this. Be prepared to have some cherished beliefs blown apart.
warmly
jb
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