How many eggs can you eat per week?

Easter is a time when eggs traditionally dominate Polish tables. Professor Mariusz Korczyński from the Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences argues that you should not limit yourself in their consumption. – Healthy people without cholesterol problems can eat 12 eggs a week, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Dietitians say even more: two a day – said Korczyński.

A chicken egg, which weighs on average 60 grams, provides not only 90 kilocalories of energy, but also 25 percent of the amino acids, minerals and vitamins necessary for every body. As argued by prof. Korczyński, in the egg “there are all the substances necessary to create a new organism, a new life.” – The yolk contains virtually all vitamins known to nature, including B12, but also A + E, and folic acid. There are also phospholipids that have built-in long-chain fatty acids. Thanks to them, our brains and hearts function well. However, protein, in terms of the content of individual amino acids, is considered one of the two standards of an ideal protein – explained the professor.

Consumers in individual countries have different preferences in this respect. According to prof. Korczyński, Poles prefer eggs with a brown shell, and, for example, consumers in the USA buy only those with a white shell. – It's similar with the color of the yolk. Polish consumers prefer more colored ones, although the light color of the yolk does not mean that the egg contains fewer nutrients. Besides, the French prefer orange yolks and that's what they get. The yolk is colored with plant dyes supplied in feed, such as corn grain or dried and powdered carrots, he said.

Eggs from organic, barn and cage farming are available in stores. Individual types of breeding differ due to the well-being of the hens, but all eggs have a similar nutritional value. – There are a lot of myths around eggs, so it is worth explaining, for example, that the color of the shell is genetically determined and the feeding of hens has nothing to do with it. It is not true that eggs with a white shell are less healthy or less tasty than those with a brown shell, the scientist said.

Professor Korczyński also revealed how to assess the freshness of an egg. All you need to check is a glass of water. If the egg lies flat on the bottom, it is ready to eat. If the egg floats to the surface, it is better to refrain from eating it.