How many eggs can I have per week?

There is no recommended daily allowance or limit, and eggs can be enjoyed as part of a healthy, balanced diet. ‘It’s a myth that eggs are bad for your heart, but it can be a source of confusion because advice has changed over the years about how many we should eat,’ explains Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation. ‘Cholesterol in eggs is less likely to affect your blood cholesterol level than the amount of saturated fat you eat from foods like butter, fatty meat, cakes, biscuits and chocolate.’ Current research shows that moderate egg consumption does not increase the risk of heart and circulatory diseases in most people. However, if you have familial hypercholesterolaemia (one in 500 in the UK are affected), the British Heart Foundation advises no more than three or four eggs a week. TAKE ACTION: The way you cook eggs, or the foods you serve alongside them, are more important than the eggs themselves. Poaching or boiling is healthier than frying in bacon fat or scrambling with butter. To help you explore just how versatile and delicious eggs can be, turn to page 130 for GH’S Virtue Bowl, and page 145 for Lemon and Berry Meringue Roulade.