How Many Eggs Is Too Many To Eat Each Week? Registered Dietitians Explain

Even if you consider yourself to be pretty well-educated about what foods are healthy and what foods aren't, eggs can be a conundrum. On the one hand, they're high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids (that's the good type of fat). On the other hand, eggs contain cholesterol, and aren't cardiologists always saying to be mindful of that?

The cholesterol in eggs is found entirely in the yolks, which is why some people only eat the white part of eggs. This raises another question about eggs: Is eating egg whites healthier than eating the whole egg? (You could say that it's an egg-cellent question.)

If you're an egg-lover, you might have them for breakfast every single day. And if you don't eat much meat, you may also like integrating this particular food into your lunches and dinners to up your protein. But how many eggs is too many to eat a week?

Parade brought all these questions to registered dietitians, who were happy to explain all about the health benefits of eggs and how many it's considered healthy to eat a week. Let's get cracking.

Related: Here's What Happens to Your Body if You Eat Eggs Every Day

Are Eggs Healthy?

PSA: Eggs are absolutely a healthy, nutrient-rich food. "Eggs get a bad rap because they have cholesterol. But guess what? Cholesterol doesn't raise your cholesterol. Saturated fat from foods such as cheese, butter and red meat raises LDL cholesterol. Not that we shouldn't ever consume those foods-all foods fit in moderation-but eggs aren't the culprit," Dr. Theresa DeLorenzo, DCN, RD, a registered dietitian and adjunct professor at Russell Sage College and SUNY Oneonta, tells Parade.

Scientific research backs this up. According to a 2024 study, men who ate more than five eggs a week did not experience higher LDL cholesterol levels when their diet was high in fiber. A 2025 study found that a diet that included two eggs a week actually resulted in lower LDL cholesterol than an egg-free diet. The key, the researchers found, was to make sure one's overall diet was low in saturated fat, which, as Dr. DeLorenzo explained, does raise LDL cholesterol.

Related: Here's What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Fermented Foods Every Day

"Eggs can be a very nutrient-dense food," says registered dietitian Johannah Katz, RD, noting that eggs contain protein, choline (a nutrient that supports brain health and muscle function), vitamin B12, vitamin D, selenium, lutein and zeaxanthin (which are both key nutrients for eye health). That's a lot of nutrients packed into one food!

Are Egg Whites Healthier Than Egg Yolks?

Here's the thing: If you want to reap all the glorious benefits eggs offer, both registered dietitians say that it's important to eat both the egg whites and egg yolks. If you eat just the egg whites, you'll miss out on a lot of the nutritional benefits.

"Don't throw away the yolk. Egg white sandwiches are one of my pet peeves," Dr. DeLorenzo says. "Egg yolks contain a really beneficial antioxidant called lutein, which protects our eyes from damage caused by our computers, phones and TVs. Lutein also protects our brain from cognitive decline."

Katz agrees with this, adding that the yolks also are where the brain-healthy choline is found.

That said, Katz notes that eating only the egg whites can be beneficial to some people, depending on their health goals. "Egg whites are a great option if someone wants extra protein without fat or extra calories, but they are not nutritionally equivalent to whole eggs," she says.

Related: Here's What Happens to Your Body if You Eat Bananas Every Day

She explains that a practical middle ground could be mixing one whole egg with the whites from two eggs. That way, you're getting lots of protein from the eggs and still getting the nutrients from the yolk while keeping calorie intake more moderate.

🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊

How Many Eggs Is Too Many To Eat Each Week?

Now that you know how nutrient-rich eggs are, comes the big question: How many should you aim to eat each week, and is there such a thing as eating too many eggs? "For most healthy adults, about one egg per day, or seven eggs per week, is a reasonable evidence-based target. The American Heart Association's dietary cholesterol advisory says healthy individuals can include up to one whole egg per day as part of a heart-healthy dietary pattern, and that older adults with normal cholesterol may be able to include up to two eggs per day," Katz says.

Considering that most people cook two to three eggs for an egg-centric breakfast, the recommendation of eating one a day can be confusing. This is when it's more helpful to consider the seven-egg-a-week guideline. That means it's considered healthy to have two eggs for breakfast three times a week, and to integrate another egg into another one of your meals sometime throughout the week.

If you like to eat one to two eggs for breakfast every day, both registered dietitians say that this is perfectly fine, as long as the rest of your diet is low in saturated fats. (That means going easy on foods like red meat, dairy and fried foods). Especially if you have high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, obesity or are at risk for cardiovascular disease, Katz says that it's important to be mindful of your saturated fat intake.

Katz also emphasizes that it's important to pair eggs with other nutrient-rich foods; they are not a balanced meal on their own. "The health impact of eggs depends a lot on the meal they are part of. I usually recommend pairing eggs with fiber-rich foods, like vegetables, avocado, beans, fruit or whole-grain toast, rather than making the plate mostly processed meat and refined carbohydrates. That keeps eggs in the context of a heart-healthy, nutrient-dense meal pattern," she says.

If you're eating more than two eggs a day every single day, both registered dietitians say that's when you want to think more about what other nutrient-rich foods you could be missing out on. Eggs are certainly healthy, but there are many other delicious, nutritious foods too. A diet that contains a wide range of nutrient-rich foods will provide the body with a better mix of nutrients than eating the same foods every single day.

If you're an egg-lover, rest assured that you can keep eggs as your go-to breakfast for most of the week. Just don't forget about all the other nutritious foods out there.

Up Next:

Related: Here's How Eating Salmon Actually Impacts Your Heart, According to Cardiologists

Sources

• Dr. Theresa DeLorenzo, DCN, RD, registered dietitian and adjunct professor at Russell Sage College and SUNY Oneonta.
• Zhou, X., Mott, M. M., Yiannakou, I., et al. (2024). Eggs and a Fiber-Rich Diet Are Beneficially Associated With Lipid Levels in Framingham Offspring Study Adults.Current Developments in Nutrition. 8(3):102062.
• Carter, S., Hill, A. M., Yandell, C., et al. (2025). Impact of dietary cholesterol from eggs and saturated fat on LDL cholesterol levels: a randomized cross-over study.The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 122(1):83-91.
• Johannah Katz, RD, registered dietitian with a master's degree in applied nutrition and dietetics.
• Choline. National Institutes of Health.
• Carson, J. A., Lichtenstein, A. H., Anderson, C. A. M., et al. (2019). Dietary Cholesterol and Cardiovascular Risk: A Scientific Advisory From the American Heart Association. Circulation. doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000743.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 2:25 PM.