Eggs

Eggs are a near-perfect food whose value is profoundly shaped by the chicken's diet, with the cholesterol content and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) profile shifting dramatically under industrial agriculture. 3 Peat observed that since the 1930s, the cholesterol in eggs has steadily decreased while the PUFA content has increased due to feeds designed to fatten animals quickly, a practice that spread from the pork industry to poultry. 2 When chickens are fed a more traditional, saturated diet—such as orchard waste, whey, tortillas, and bugs—the resulting egg fat is much safer and the egg itself can be considered a perfect food. 2 Peat argued that the cholesterol in eggs is one of their key nutritional merits, noting that dietary cholesterol increases the oxidative stability of lipid particles in the bloodstream, making them less atherogenic. 3

The protein in eggs is of exceptionally high biological quality, acting as a powerful insulin secretagogue. 2 Peat explained that the high-quality amino acids in eggs strongly stimulate the pancreas, causing insulin to clear free amino acids from the blood for energy production, fat storage, or muscle building, which can transiently lower blood glucose. 5 He noted that egg protein is technically surpassed in biological sufficiency only by potato protein. 2 Beyond their specific nutrients, Peat believed eggs contain unidentified biological factors that contribute to their health effects. 4 He also highlighted that egg whites contain ovalbumin, which binds iron effectively, and that the lecithin from egg yolk uniquely exerts a bactericidal and virucidal effect, unlike other forms of lecithin that can stimulate microbial growth. 1

Peat consistently recommended minimal cooking to preserve the egg's protective and nutritional properties. 3 He stated that raw egg yolk is germicidal and helps disinfect the intestine, with this antiviral and antibacterial action being somewhat decreased by cooking. 2 A slightly undercooked egg with a runny yolk is preferable because the polyunsaturated fats are easily oxidized by heat, and over-oxidization degrades both the taste and the food's quality. 2 Peat cited cases where individuals with diagnoses of leukemia and lymphoma recovered using a raw eggnog formula of egg, milk, sugar, and orange juice. 3 He considered soft boiling the best cooking method, and while scrambling causes some heat damage, the difference in vitamin content is too small to matter. 2

Peat addressed the cholesterol myth directly, explaining that the body's hepatic cholesterol synthesis is inhibited by dietary intake. 8 In experiments, it took feeding medical students 22 eggs per day to show an increase in serum cholesterol, while 15 eggs per day produced no increase because the liver simply reduced its own production. 8 He attributed the fear of egg cholesterol to a campaign by the seed oil industry, particularly cottonseed oil producers, who marketed their products on the basis of lowering cholesterol. 8 Georgi Dinkov has extended this perspective by noting that an oxidized cholesterol metabolite, 7-ketocholesterol, is directly atherogenic, and that supplementing chicken feed with vitamin K can improve eggshell robustness as a biomarker of the bird's health. 10