The egg white omelette or the egg white scramble – the most boring options on the breakfast menu. You may think by ordering these you’re making the healthy choice, but nutrition experts are changing their tune.

The good news? You can enjoy eggs with their sunny and delicious middle and forego the egg white options. Although people have been hesitant to indulge in the yolk because of its high cholesterol, eating cholesterol doesn’t necessarily impact your blood cholesterol.

In short, cholesterol levels are largely determined by genetics, not your dietary cholesterol intake. Modifying your diet to change the levels isn’t going to do much (unless you are diagnosed with a genetic condition like hypocholesteremia), so you might be better off eating the egg yolk. Here are a few reasons why:

Cholesterol is important
Cholesterol has a bad rap but it’s necessary for a functional and healthy body. For instance, it’s linked to many hormones, it’s necessary for growth and your cells wouldn’t function properly without it.

Eggs are satisfying – and can lead to weight loss
Eggs whites are primarily made up of protein and water – and they’re pretty tasteless. Eating the whole egg is so much more satisfying as the yolk has all the flavor and all the nutrients.

Whole eggs are a great protein source and higher protein breakfasts have been known to lower overall food intake and in turn, contribute to weight loss.

They’re nutrient dense
Speaking of nutrients, egg yolks contain a mix of saturated and unsaturated fat, another nutrient that is necessary for a healthy diet. Yolks have vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as added benefits like B-12 and folate. They also have nutrients that help eye health and are known to protect against inflammation.

They help reap the benefits of vegetables
A recent study notes that consuming eggs with raw vegetables increases their nutritional value. When people ate whole eggs with salad, their bodies absorbed approximately 9 times the carotenoids, including lutein and zeaxanthin from the eggs and alpha carotene, beta carotene and lycopene from the veggies.

It’s widely known that Canadians aren’t eating enough vegetables. So if we can increase our nutrients by simply adding an egg, why not do it?

So the next time you crack open an egg, don’t let the yolk slip away. Enjoy the taste and all the added health benefits too!