Eggs and Fertility
The quick answer: In case you didn’t get the email, it’s once again healthy to eat eggs, in moderation.
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Nutrition Myths
Most of what you hear about nutrition is wrong. Consider these myths:
- Shouldn’t we count calories? No, it's not necessary, Mother Nature has got your back. If you eat the right food (and exercise), you’ll fill up on fiber before you overload on calories.
- Should we take vitamin pills? No, unless prescribed by an informed doctor. Get your vitamins the natural way, in whole foods.
- Is it bad to eat fat? No, again. The fat phobia of the last 50 years was a big mistake. Your body needs all the traditional fats (but it's best to avoid the modern fats).
- Carbs make you fat, right? Not so much; whole carbs eaten in a healthy diet won’t make you fat. But refined carbs, like the sugar and white flour we love so much, might.
- Eggs are bad for us, right? No, it's a traditional food, but a nice segue for this week’s subject.
Eggs
Easter seemed the right time to talk about eggs. The experts have been back and forth on eggs—they were good, then bad, and now maybe okay to eat. Unfortunately, not everyone got the email so a shadow lingers over the consumption of eggs. Bottom line: Eggs are healthy to eat, in moderation. (Diabetics should consult their doctor.) Here are some egg benefits:
Vitamins: Eggs are a good source of fat-soluble vitamins (K, A, D, and E) plus B complex vitamins, including B-12 and choline (see below). We discussed sources of vitamin D last week but eggs are one of the few foods with natural D, about 20 IU per egg.
Choline: Eggs are rich in choline (113 mg per yolk, about 1/4th of the daily requirement). Choline is an essential vitamin B complex nutrient and over 95% of Americans are said to be deficient. Choline reduces inflammation, is required for the DNA process of methylation, builds cell membranes, and enables muscle activity, and brain function. Pregnant women have the highest need for choline during development of the fetal nervous system. Have you been pregnant and craved eggs? Could be your body putting in an order for some choline.
Carotenoids: Eggs are the best source of two carotenoids essential to vision—lutein and zeaxanthin. If you’re at risk for cataracts or macular degeneration, it’s essential you get these carotenoids and eggs are one good source. (Spinach is another source.)
Fat: Eggs offer a balanced source of fat; a large egg contains 4.8 gm, mostly in the yolk, composed of: 1.8 gm monounsaturated, 1.4 gm saturated, and 1 gm polyunsaturated fat (with a healthy ratio of omega-6 and omega-3). Free-range chickens produce eggs with the highest level of omega-3; special diets including linseed and kelp can help but more study is needed. We eat the enhanced omega-3 eggs but would prefer to buy eggs that were genuinely free-range.
Protein: Eggs are a perfect protein source (about 12 grams, contained in the "white"). "Perfect" means they contain all the essential amino acids in the right ratio.
Fertility
It’s logical to combine the topic of eggs with fertility, or the other side of the coin, infertility. The chronic diseases (heart disease, cancer, stroke, etc.) caused by the modern American diet (MAD) take decades to appear so by the time such diseases make their deadly appearance our habits are well established and difficult to change. What if we had some early warning signs of poor diet? Well, we do—for children it’s dental cavities. For teenagers the MAD food plan is a risk factor for acne.
For young families, the next sign of poor health can be heart breaking—infertility. About 1/3 of fertility problems are due to the female; another 1/3 to the male; and the last 1/3 appears to have a mutual cause, both contribute. The recent rise of infertility, and the emergence of fertility clinics, is an ominous sign. There are various causes of infertility, some structural like blocked fallopian tubes, but lifestyle, particularly diet, plays an important role in ovulation and semen health.
If someone you know struggles with fertility issues, check this post for 10 things you can do before resorting to the fertility clinic.
Please comment: There isn’t a fixed number for eggs in moderation, but some sources suggest six per week. Please share your experience with the topics of this post, eggs and fertility. Do you have a source for healthy eggs (from healthy chickens)? Did you crave eggs when pregnant?
Need a reminder? Download our Healthy Change reminder card. Print and fold, then place in your kitchen or on your bathroom mirror to help you remember the Healthy Change of the week.
Monday, April 2, 2012 at 9:53PM | by Skip Hellewell | 16 Comments | 5 References | Share Article | in fertility, healthy change | Email Article
Reader Comments (16)
I have some comments for this and your previous post "Diet and Fertility":
When my husband and I decided we wanted children I had also recently decided that the diet laid out in the Word of Wisdom would be best for us. (I do most of the cooking and shopping). We've been following it fairly well for the past 6 months. I've always felt strongly about care taking of the earth and the animals/plants on it so progressing from eating organically to eating more plants/grains is (for us) a natural progression.
We both love it!
A couple things...
I have a sensitivity to milk and full-fat dairy is the worst on my stomach. Should I continue eating the non-fat stuff to avoid the digestive troubles? Or use (the harder to find organic) lactose-free full-fat dairy products?
My husband has trouble digesting nuts and legumes so we avoid them in daily or even weekly cooking. Any suggestions for ones that are easy to digest or won't cause allergic reactions?
I would love to see more recipes! I've been following Mark Bittman's blog and NY Times cooking articles for ways to cook grains but I still haven't found many recipes that will be repeated. Can you recommend any cookbooks?
Now the hard thing to say...I've been told by my doctor that I have PCOS and might not be able to conceive ever. I still have some hope though! With some more small changes to my diet and exercise I'm trying to get down to a healthy weight and hope that jump-starts ovulation. I'm hoping that the next 6 months will bring a healthier me.
That comment on moderation is interesting because 6 eggs per week is exactly how many a healthy hen will lay during her prime.
Hi Gwen. If your body doesn't like certain foods, it's wise to listen to your body. That said, I haven't heard of anyone having difficulty with all legumes, or all nuts. There is great variety in nature and usually we can find combinations that work while avoiding those we don't tolerate. But do try to eat a diet of whole rather than refined foods.
I'm not a doctor so don't give specific medical advice. Moreover, there is a lack of solid research on how to avoid PCOS and what changes to make when you are diagnosed with it. This is sad, but true in many areas of medicine besides PCOS. But I do encourage you to move beyond small changes in the six-month period you mentioned and live as healthy a lifestyle as you can. Hopefully you have a doctor who understands the healing power of correct nutrition.
Regarding recipes, we'll keep working to give a good one each week. Last week's recipe (Classic Seafood Salad) was pretty simple, I was almost embarrassed to put it up. But the truth is, most people don't eat enough seafood, or enough salads. So it made sense to put up such a simple recipe.
I like Mark Bittman, but agree that most of his recipes aren't going to become mainstream. I think the food editors try to be too exotic, to be novel or chic. We focus on mainstream food using the ingredients most plentiful on the planet, in the most natural form possible.
We wish you every success in the next six months and ask that you report back a few times as you progress. Best to you.
During my pregnancy, I couldn't get enough eggs! It's interesting to know why now. My midwife also told me that eating eggs while pregnant helps keep the amniotic sac healthy and strong so it doesn't tear or separate from the uterus prematurely.
In response to Gwen's comment, is it possible that the sensitivities to full fat diary are caused by homogenization? I don't know the answer, I am just wondering. It is hard to find non-homogenized milk, but it is out there.
As far as eggs go, I get mine from azurestandard.com. I prefer Mission Mountain, or the Azure Husbandry eggs- which they don't currently have. My children didn't like eggs until we switched to Mission Mountain eggs. They had darker yolks and a different taste than the store bought eggs we were used to, and the kids loved it. I've tried even the best eggs at Whole Foods, and they didn't compare. Several friends get Stiebrs from Azure as well and love them. I don't think I've craved eggs during pregnancy, but I'm too sick to crave much anyway. I do crave them when breastfeeding a baby.
Loving this blog. Thanks so much for sharing your insight.
I am heading towards week 18 with my second pregnancy. My egg craving has waned a bit, but for the first 12-15 weeks I ate egg salad (made with 2 eggs, a bit of may, a squeeze of siracha and a dash of salt) on rice crackers (I'm gluten sensitive) for breakfast every morning. I found myself looking forward to it in the evenings! Now I'm back to my regular occasional fried egg for breakfast, or boiled egg in salads. I have always loved eggs, but that craving was so strong! (Interestingly, with my first pregnancy I only wanted to eat chicken noodle soup for the first trimester.)
Gwen... just a word of encouragement: my sister in law was diagnosed with PCOS and then conceived twins naturally a couple of months later.
I've been buying my eggs from a local farm and crave them cooked over easy, which I never used to like. I read that uncooked egg yolks provide excellent nutrition that doesn't even have to be digested.
http://www.cornucopia.org/organic-egg-scorecard/
A guide to healthier chickens and their eggs.
We have a farm we can buy eggs from, the the plan is to get chickens in the backyard soon! So that'll be fresh, pastured eggs out out door.
About digestibility of foods, many times you can soak legumes, nuts, grains with an acidic element to help ease digestion. Also look into sprouting. Or in general once your diet is better your digestive tract health will probably improve too. Just some thoughts of things to research. Good luck!
I am one of those who craved eggs during my pregnancies. Interestingly enough, my two oldest both had/have egg allergies. I've wondered if there is a correlation. Perhaps the quality of the eggs I ate was poor!
Gwen - Do you drink raw fresh milk that's NOT pasteurized/homogenized? If not, that is most likely your problem. Pasteurized milk & homogenized milk are BAD stuff. And in a Word of Wisdom book written in 1950 by Elder Widtsoe, he even said to never drink pasteurized milk. www.realmilk.com and www.naturalnews.com have even more information on this subject. If you drink store milk, you might consider going to raw whole fat milk instead. When we made the switch, ALL of our problems with milk went away. It even contributed to my weight loss, mucous & sinus issues went away, gut problems from milk went away. It was AMAZING. We'll never go back. Raw milk as long as the FDA let's us. And if they don't... We will fight! :)
I am pregnant and one of the few things I crave and can actually eat are eggs. I love them! My Mother in law keeps chickens so a lot of the time I can get fresh eggs from her. Hopefully someday we will get chickens of our own :)
Hi Gwen, I also have PCOS and have 4 children, so don't ever lose hope. First one came after clomid, second after Artificial Insemination (non-surgical, very simple procedure at the infertility dr), third came as a lovely surprise on his own, and the fourth came after another 3 rounds of A.I. Good luck to you!
I have been an egg craver through all 4 pregnancies!
My sister-in-law had serious fertility issues--she diagnosed at 26 with premature ovarian failure and given less than 1% chance of conceiving. She felt very inspired to completely change her diet--only organic meat (very sparingly!), tons of fruits and veggies, only organic eggs and no dairy, sugar, soy, or yeast. She now has a healthy 1 year old (which was a total miracle) and (at last check) the doctors said her ovaries look completely normal and her hormone levels are normal, too. Her journey really solidified for me the need to be more intentional in my food choices.
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