Eggs have been labelled as the cholesterol raising food, but according to Dr Paul Mason, eggs are the perfect food to eat on the Defeat Diabetes Program, because they’re low in carbs, nutritionally dense, and will keep your blood sugars stable.
He chats to Dr Peter Bruker about exactly which nutrients we love in eggs, and why he called them ‘nature’s multivitamin’.
Dr Peter Brukner: So Paul, can people with type 2 diabetes eat eggs?
Dr Paul Mason: Absolutely! I mean I think it's a fantastic option. Because first of all, they don't contain carbohydrates or sugar in any meaningful amounts. So basically, you can consume eggs and have very stable blood glucose levels. But perhaps, even more importantly, is the nutrients they contain.
Dr Paul Mason: I like to consider eggs as being nature's multivitamin. If you think about it, every single egg contains all the nutrients needed for life and you can't do much better than that.
Dr Peter Brukner: So what about the egg yolk and the egg whites? What are those "egg white only" omelettes that people have been eating for years?
Dr Paul Mason: Well, I think people are having those type of egg-white omelettes they're missing a trick because all the nutrients actually contained in the yolk. The egg white itself is fantastic, it's got a very rich source of complete protein but the micronutrients there in the yolk.
Dr Peter Brukner: Aren't you worried about the amount of cholesterol in eggs?
Dr Paul Mason: Not at all. This has been studied laboriously time and time again. And there's absolutely no convincing evidence that the cholesterol in our diet, including from eggs, leads to any deleterious health outcomes at all. In actual fact, cholesterol is essential for human life.
Dr Peter Brukner: So really, you don't have any problems with eggs.
Dr Paul Mason: Personally, no. And I think that's well supported by the science.
Dr Peter Brukner: Great! I had a couple of nice eggs this morning myself so I'm happy about that.
