An egg is cooked on pavement in Phoenix Ariz.

"What it comes down to is an understanding that it's not cholesterol in food that raises blood cholesterol," says nutritionist Wendy Hiebert. "It's fat, particularly saturated and trans fat."

The studies show that fats in foods -- not the cholesterol naturally found in foods such as egg yolks, meat, fish, poultry and milk products -- increase blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

"Saturated and trans fats are found in foods such as pastries, whipped toppings and many prepackaged foods," says Hiebert. "Eggs are low in saturated fat (there's 1.5 grams in one large egg) and do not contain any trans fat."

She adds that the recently revised Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating "considers a two-egg serving in the meat and alternatives food group. It used to be one to two, but now it is two."

Food shoppers have a few more decisions to make when buying eggs, Hiebert adds.

"When it comes to organic eggs, it's important that consumers realize that they aren't getting any better nutritional value from them," she says. "They are just getting eggs where the chicken that laid the egg isn't getting any feed that has had fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides for three years."