But, in the midst of all the anti-egg fear programming I was subjected to, there was a glitch. Something I had seen as a kid told a different story about raw eggs: Rocky Balboa cracked an egg into a cup and drank it raw. 

The scene shocked me the first time I saw it. Knowing that eggs would kill you, I asked my Dad why Rocky didn't die. He clarified that eating raw eggs only had a chance to kill you; death by raw eggs wasn't certain, but that the painful death that came with them should you be unlucky wasn't worth the risk.

Yet the scene stuck with through the years and into adulthood. Rocky survived the raw eggs. He ate the eggs for strength, and with the power given to him by raw eggs, he was able to go the distance against Apollo Creed and earn a split decision. 

The world was telling me raw eggs were bad and would lead to death. Rocky was telling me they were good and would lead to vigor and vitality. Which of the two were right?

I experimented with eating raw eggs in small amounts for a few years, mostly because of that movie. I never at more than one at a time, just to be safe. But it was something I did somewhat regularly. 

Then one day my sister told me that the bacteria that causes the painful death only lives on the shell of the egg; all you have to do to eat them safely is rinse off the shell first. My eyes were opened. I not only could get strong like Rocky without the risk of a stomach flu, but I would never have to scrape the burnt remants of a cooked egg off a pan ever again.

I started eating 2 raw eggs a day immediately. I would have done more, but everyone always said that eggs would raise your cholesterol. Years later, I discovered that body builders on Twitter were talking about eating 4 to 6 raw eggs a day. Apparently, the best part about eggs is not the protein - it's the cholesterol. The reason I hadn't been eating too many eggs is the reason these guys were eating half a dozen a day. Raw eggs are a great source of cholesterol, and cholesterol is an essential requirement for the body to make testosterone. So I started taking up to 4 raw eggs a day.

Today, I not only eat raw eggs - I also drink raw milk. Pasteurization was taught as the most important thing ever to happen to milk. But again, just as with cooking eggs, it wasn't necessary. As soon as I found out about it, I started drinking raw milk. It doesn't taste much different than regular milk, but it feels different. It feels alive.

The point of all this is that truths can be hidden in the most unlikely places. In this case, I found the truth about raw eggs hidden in a film with masculine characters and heroic virtues. Today, I eat 3 raw eggs daily. And I know there are tons of people who eat as many or even more. Despite this, the anti-egg programming continues, and largely successfully. That the experts have been mistaken or even lying to you your whole life is a painful realization to come to. Their programming hardens us and leaves us trapped inside a shell, isolated from the truth. But even the hardest shell can be cracked open. And if you're still alive in there, it's time to peck your way out.