I often have patients tell me that they only eat egg whites, as they fear there is too much cholesterol and fat in the yolk. I'm not sure when exactly this rumor started, but it's definitely not true.

Eat the whole egg.

Why?

Read this excerpt from a recent Shape Magazine article:

1. Eating a little more dietary cholesterol does not lead to increases in your cholesterol levels.

2. Your total cholesterol level is not as important of a risk factor for cardiovascular disease as we once thought. Considering that more than 35-percent of coronary heart disease occurs in people with low total cholesterol levels, it was crucial to find a more accurate marker (perhaps a topic for a future Ask the Diet Doctor).

While most of the buzz about eggs has focused on potential dangers of the high cholesterol content, whole eggs contain numerous nutrients that are key to good health. The yolk portion of an egg contains choline, an essential nutrient for brain health. Plus, whole eggs have an antioxidant capacity equal to that of an apple, an iconic symbol of good health, according to research published in Food Chemistry.

My recommendation, eat 4-10 eggs from pasture-fed chickens. Eggs from these free roaming, grass fed chickens contain 4-6 times more vitamin d, 1/3 less cholesterol, double the amount of Omeg-3 fatty acids and three times more vitamin E then there conventionally raised (unhappy, crowded and hormone pumped) chicken counterparts.