The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Scientific Report as submitted to USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends eggs as a first food for infants and toddlers. It places new emphasis on choline, a nutrient that is lacking in most people’s diets. Eggs are an excellent source of choline.

Early introduction of eggs may help prevent egg allergies, the expert committee said. The panel also recommended eggs for pre-teens and adolescents and noted that eggs are a source of vitamin D, a nutrient of public health concern because it is under-consumed by most Americans.

The scientific report did not identify dietary cholesterol as a nutrient of public health concern, nor did it restore the old recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 milligrams per day. The report’s comments on cholesterol are consistent with the previous 2015 report. Commenting on the report, the Egg Nutrition Center said: “The vast majority of scientific evidence shows egg consumption is not associated with cardiovascular disease. In fact, a recent Harvard University study that evaluated more than 30 years of data reaffirmed that eating eggs is not associated with cardiovascular disease. Leading health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, also state that eggs can be part of heart-healthy diet patterns.”