Lower fat versions

Most people over age 50 have at least some concern with the amount of saturated fat in their diet, for the well-known reasons of its strong link to heightened blood cholesterol levels and the subsequent increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Eggs have long been near the top of the list of dietary “no-no’s”, but as a study carried out for the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency shows, the Canadian egg has changed through the years.

The eggs you eat today (if you eat them) have 22 percent less fat and 31 percent less cholesterol than the eggs you ate as a child. The latest data available shows the average egg contains only 4.7 grams of fat, down more than 20 percent from the six grams recorded in Health Canada’s Canadian Nutrient File prior to 1989. In 1989, the file was updated to show that 50 grams of egg, no shell, had five grams of fat.

“Dietary cholesterol is not a health issue for most people but the level of fat in diets can be a problem for some,” says Anne Kennedy, a registered dietitian employed by the Egg Agency. “What this means is eggs fit easily into a balanced diet and can be eaten frequently,” she says.