A study by Bord Bia shows that you can eat an egg a day without making your cholesterol shoot up.
"It's very much a question of getting the balance right," says Sinéad McCarthy, co-author of the nutritional review. Cholesterol is necessary for digestion and cell formation, therefore the right amount is necessary for a healthy daily diet, she says.
Egg sales in Ireland increased by 12 per cent in 2005, with retail sales at an estimated €53 million, or about 248 million eggs sold during the year, according to Bord Bia's figures.
More than 33 per cent of eggs are sold in Dublin, followed by Munster, at just over 28 per cent, according to the study.
Bord Bia will begin a national advertising campaign with the message "An egg a day is OK" to coincide with Easter, says Teresa Brophy, Bord Bia's Ireland market manager.
The Irish Heart Foundation is also endorsing the message.
Eggs are a nutrient-dense food, meaning they contain a high amount of nutrients and a low amount of calories, Ms McCarthy says.
The study says two eggs supply almost one-third of an average woman's daily protein requirements and nearly a quarter of an average man's daily protein needs.
An average daily diet requires between 100mg-400 mg of cholesterol, according to researchers.
An average egg contains 76 calories and 60mg of cholesterol, with smaller eggs containing about 50mg of cholesterol. Eating poached eggs instead of fried can save about 27 calories.
Edel Duffy, co-author of the review, says a child between four and six months old can eat egg yolk, and well-cooked egg white can be given to a child starting at a year old.
However, parents should be careful when feeding eggs to children under a year.
In some cases, allowing a child under a year old to eat eggs can cause the child to become allergic, especially if the family has a history of allergies to eggs, Ms Duffy adds.