Should Patients with Nephritis Avoid Eggs

Eggs are common foods in our diets. But when one gets Nephritis, should he/she avoid eating eggs? Is eating eggs good or harmful for patients with Nephritis?

Nutrients from eggs

Eggs are one of the nutrient sources for human beings. It can provide a good amount of vitamins, minerals and high-quality biological proteins. The calorie provided by an egg equals that from half an apple or half cup of milk. Other nutrients from eggs also include: 8% phosphorus, 4% zinc, 4% iron, 12.6% protein, 6% vitamin D, 3% vitamin E, 6% vitamin A, 2% vitamin B, 5% vitamin B2 and 2.4% vitamin B6. Those are essential nutrients for humans and participate in repairing of body tissues, formation of new tissues, consumption of energies and the complicated metabolism process.

It is suggested that every 100g egg contains 12.8 proteins which can provide eight essential amino acids for human body. Absorption rate of egg proteins by our body can reach up to 98%. Each 100g egg contains 11-15g fat which mainly exists in egg yolk. In addition, egg yolk contains rich cholesterol, up to 1510mg in every 100g. Once it is suggested that the cholesterol content from egg yolk can increase one’s risk of atherosis. As is recently detected by scientists, in spite of the high cholesterol, the lecithin from eggs may prevent the deposition of cholesterols on vascular walls. Thereby, the elderly with normal blood cholesterols are allowed to eat one to two eggs each day.

Should patients with Nephritis avoid eggs?

People with Nephritis generally should control their intake of proteins. Eggs contain rich proteins; each 100g egg contains 13g protein, and protein from two eggs equal to that from 50g fish or lean meat. If one doesn’t have obvious reduction of kidney function, the intake of proteins is suggested to be 0.6-0.8g/kg.d. That means a 50kg need protein 30 to 40g each day. Egg whites can be included into the diet and the volume should be counted.

A diet for Nephritis should be a low-sodium, low-fat and high quality protein one. Egg yolks are not suggested because of the fat content. In our daily diets, there are several cooking methods of eggs, such as frying, steam, boiling, etc. For better absorption and digestion of eggs, boiling and steaming are better choices. People with Nephritis don’t have to avoid eggs in their diet, but just count how much they take for their health.