This is the kind of challenge that makes the buzz on the networks. Joshua Allard, 25, creator of content based in Oklahoma City, won an ultra-restrictive diet: swallowing 150 eggs in five days, or 30 per day.
A radical diet based … eggs
Five daily meals punctuated their days, each made up of half a dozen eggs, without any other food or supplement.
“I became very, very thin”, He explains in a video published on June 16 on his YouTube channel. Supporting photos, his body appears visibly sharp. “It almost became addictive“, He adds, comparing his diet rich in lipids and carbohydrates to that of a carnivore or … from a bear in pre-hibernation. Result? A great fatigue in the evening, but a deep and restful sleep that he does not regret.
If this experience seems extreme, the young man insists: he does not recommend eating 30 eggs per day. But estimates that six in the morning and four in the evening can be a good base for a balanced protein diet.
The egg, a superfood?
Beyond performance, this experience poses a simple question: is eating so many eggs dangerous for health, especially with regard to cholesterol? Another follower of these nutritional challenges, Nick Norwitz, doctoral student at Harvard, also tried the experience: 24 eggs per day for a month, or more than 700 eggs in total. Surprise: at the end of the challenge, its “bad” cholesterol (LDL) rate had… fell.
“This experience is interesting because it shows once again that it is not foods rich in cholesterol that increase cholesterol in the blood”explained Raphaël Gruman, dietitian-nutritionist in a previous article. “Food only brings fifth of the LDL rate in the blood. The remaining 80 % is produced directly by the body” he adjusted.
The real risk factor: overweight
In other words, it is not so much the egg – however rich in cholesterol – which poses a problem, but rather the lifestyle as a whole. “What really makes cholesterol climb is overweight”specifies Raphaël Gruman. The key, according to him, lies in a global food rebalancing, associated with regular physical activity.
Rich in high quality protein, amino acids, vitamins and good fats, the egg can therefore find its place in a healthy diet. On condition, however, not to fall into excess, nor to consider it as a miracle food.