Just because you're not eating the whole eggs, does not mean that you're not eating whole FOODS.
And I agree, it's about where you like to *spend* your calories.
Whew...this could go on for ever lol...no, personally I don't consider part of an egg, a whole food....just my opinion...if you would rather discard the yolk, or buy the cartons to get the calories down, it is totaly your call.
I agree that the guilt has to go out of the window. Guilt for eating whole eggs, guilt for throwing away the yolks - guilt for choosing grocery store eggs - guilt for spending money of free range eggs - all are ridiculous. The food guilt has to stop!
Biodegradable trash is the least of our problems when it comes to natural resources, with the amount of crap we throw away that we don't have to (or shouldn't have had to use like over-packaging), worrying about an egg yolk down the drain or in the trash is absolutely insane.
When I make an omelette, I use one whole egg and a couple of egg whites, and I get it from both ends. Friends telling me that I should eat the whole eggs, friends telling me I should only eat the egg whites, telling me I should buy different eggs, friends telling me I should buy eggbeaters (NO WAY, that one makes no sense, especially on the grounds that it's "less wasteful," forgetting about the carton and all the resources used to make the egg product).
Understand the choices and then choose. I'm not going to tell you it's the wrong choice for you, and I'm not going to listen when you tell me my choices are wrong for me. I've already done my homework, and I'm satisfied with my choice.
Yeah, I know I sound a little ranty, I just think the subject is one of those molehill to mountain issues that creates a debate out of a simple choice. There are good reasons for all of the choices (I admit I don't get the "eggbeaters" one, as they're more expensive, with more artificial ingredients, not much more convenient, waste more resources, and I just don't think they taste as good as any of the other options - but it's an argument I usually don't pull out unless someone is criticising me for not using them).
personally I don't consider part of an egg, a whole food....just my opinion...
By that definition, you should really be eating the shell as well (it is edible, and many people and animals do eat it).
And if you eat meat, you also should be eating the fat, the blood, ALL of the internal organs, the skin, and the bone. No animal in a natural setting eats only the muscle meat and refuses the rest, and that includes man (shunning all but the muscle is a relatively rare habit in the world, even today). Early man ate the whole critter, and many cultures (most with fewer health problems than ours) still do.
The SAD is one of the most depleted diets because we've shunned the practices that were associated with being poor (eating whatever could be obtained including everything from an animal that is edible). Many cultures still do, but shunning the foods of poverty is an unfortunate and nearly universal side effect of prosperity that is seen repeatedly across time and nation.
I eat whole eggs because I prefer the taste. I tried eating egg whites, but I'd rather have something else like chicken/turkey to get my protein if that's my only option.
I prefer to spend my calories on a smaller, more flavourful (in my opinion) omelette without cheese. Others may prefer the larger, bulky, egg white omelette. That's their preference. It all comes down to the fact that we're individuals with the capacity to make choices.
A lot of assumptions are being made in this thread, wow.
Firstly, I don't "waste" any yolk, I feed them to my cat, who is probably more biologically suited to eat them and isn't obese
Secondly, egg whites are not void of nutrition. They have a ton of protein by percentage which helps keep hunger at bay, helps build lean muscle and helps in carb-linking (such as in an insulin resistance diet).
I get my saturated fat from a vegetarian source, virgin organic coconut oil, which in my humble opinion, is nothing short of a miracle food (and skincare product).
I am not at all scared of fat or cholesterol (and I do eat the whole egg when I hardboil eggs) - but when making an omelet or scrambled eggs, I honestly cannot taste the difference after all my tasty (and more preferable to yolks) additions.
I also buy free range organic eggs.
I don't subscribe to the "wasting food" mindset. Me becoming more obese because I don't want to "waste" that egg yolk won't help anyone starving in Africa. Me getting fit enough to raise money for starving children by donating the money I am not spending on extra food, or by being able to participate in walk-athons, or by being able to tithe more rather than spend money on health insurance co-pays, or me being able to stand on my feet for several hours at a food kitchen because I am not morbidly obese...etc... *could* actually help hungry people.
Truthfully, and I mean no disrespect, but I think people should concern themselves with their own eating/dietary habits before they put their oar into a canoe that didn't ask for paddling help
I find the turn this thread has taken to be a bit off-putting.
Last edited by MyBestYear; 04-10-2010 at 08:13 PM.
P.S. Whole foods by definition are unprocessed foods in their natural state. It doesn't mean LITERALLY the whole food. Unless of course, you eat all your mushroom stems, strawberry caps, orange pithes, and onion skins.
P.S. Whole foods by definition are unprocessed foods in their natural state. It doesn't mean LITERALLY the whole food. Unless of course, you eat all your mushroom stems, strawberry caps, orange pithes, and onion skins.
P.S. Whole foods by definition are unprocessed foods in their natural state. It doesn't mean LITERALLY the whole food. Unless of course, you eat all your mushroom stems, strawberry caps, orange pithes, and onion skins.
Sheesh.
Unnecessary, much? I think the first part of your post was really all that was required.
Ditto what Loverboy said earlier. My cholesterol was pushing 300 when I started my changes early last year, and one of those changes was giving up cereal and milk for breakfast in favor of all sorts of various proteins. I started making eggs a regular part of my day, maybe 4-5 days a week, and gave up a whole lot of simple carbs in favor of higher protein/higher fats. Last month - 213, the 3rd consecutive drop.
Agreed, it's what you like, what likes you, and how many calories you can devote. But to fear eggs because of cholesterol is just "old school". Yolks, for those that don't like them or can't afford the calories, can absolutely transform damaged hair, BTW!
Nearly as unnecessary (imo) as the assumptions that people who eat egg whites:
are scared of fat or cholesterol
are wasteful
don't know what the best part of an egg is
don't eat whole foods
eat nutrition-less foods...
I could go on but I am removing my energy now and focusing on my plan, my success, my journey. I don't feel I am setting myself for success in further participating in a thread which seeems to me to be thriving and focusing on criticizing the choices of others.
Last edited by MyBestYear; 04-10-2010 at 08:33 PM.
I prefer to spend my calories on a smaller, more flavourful (in my opinion) omelette without cheese. Others may prefer the larger, bulky, egg white omelette. That's their preference. It all comes down to the fact that we're individuals with the capacity to make choices.
For the record, I was never trying to be accusatory in any fashion, just genuinely curious, as I noticed that when people post their menus on here it's all egg white this, egg white that and I have never really thought of that before. I feel like there is a lot of misinformation going around about eggs.
As far as my statement about not liking to throw them away, it's not because I'm worried about the cost of eggs and wasting them or wanting to eat them anyway, it's because it's the most nutritional part of the egg, and it just seems to be a shame to throw it out. And if you know some uses for just the yolks like for your cat food or whatever than you are just being resourceful and that is awesome.
Do I have some guilt issues or not wanting to waste food like mentioned in this thread? Yeah probably, who can be over 300 pounds and not? I know I have a problem, and I'm here to fix it. But eating whole eggs (not including the shells) did not make me 300lbs... It was more like the cookies and candy and chocolate cake, and just not knowing when to stop.
Anyway, if I was ever rude in this thread, I'm sorry. I was not trying to start any heated debate. I respect all of you people here and I'm sure you have great reasons for what you do. I was just curious.
Yeah... I dunno. I DID get to 250something pounds by eating things like eggs. I just ate TOO MANY of them! We are all where we are for different reasons and we all do the things we need to do to get healthy. I'm very aware of the nutritional contents of every single food I choose to put into my mouth. Tons of egg yolks just don't fit into my plan right now. Even if they were the healthiest food on the planet I'd probably choose other things to eat instead... I, honestly, just don't like them enough .
For the record, I was never trying to be accusatory in any fashion, just genuinely curious, as I noticed that when people post their menus on here it's all egg white this, egg white that and I have never really thought of that before. I feel like there is a lot of misinformation going around about eggs.
Keeping in mind, I'm not picking on you here. I know your intention wasn't to be divisive. It was to educate, but I think you didn't realize that there may have been less ignorance than you originally thought. If you look at the responding posts, they've not been for the most part "hey, I didn't know that" but rather they reflect that most people have made an educated decision. They have made a choice based on information, not misinformation.
I think that there's a lot less misinformation going around here than is often thought (on just about any weight loss subject). These types of threads happen a LOT here. Whenever there is a choice to be made, it seems someone assumes that there's "a lot of misinformation going around" when they see different choices than their own. (I'm not being critical, it's an easy assumption to make).
To a point it's true, but I do think most people here are more educated on the issues than they're given credit for.
I think an open-ended question like "do you eat eggs -the whole egg, only the yolk, only the white, only eggbeaters, and why?" Will inspire a less heated "debate" than stating an assumption that people are uninformed and don't realize what they're missing. You may be right, but even so, the question can easily be perceived as condescending by someone who has consciously made a different choice.
As I said, these threads are very common. Anyone who's been here a while has seen them (and the same defensiveness and debate) on a host of topics. Eggs are one of the most popular topics as are water (does it help weight loss, does it have to be plain and how much of it do you need), Coffee (does it help weight loss, is it hazardous or beneficial or neither, is it dehydrating how much, do you have to drink extra water to compensate for it) artificial sweeteners (which are safe, which are hazardous, and why), low-carb (is it effective, can it work, who is it right for, is it sustainable), exercise (is it necessary, how much, what kind).....
Every time these and similar subjects comes up (where there's a difference of opinion on the best choice), the thread starts with some variation of
"I think there is a lot of misinformation about...." with the OP proceeding to educate the ignorant on the best (in their opinion) choice, assuming that the people who are making a different choice (or at least a great number of them) are making a poor and uneducated decision.
I've done so much weight loss research over the past four decades that it's probably the equivalent of master's degrees in nutrition, biochemistry, sociology and exercise physiology (and I'd add psychology, but I already have that degree, which as it's in developmental psychology incorporates some coursework in the "other" areas as well).
Yet, I've often been accused of being misinformed on the very subjects I feel that I have researched to death. The natural instinct is to say "Oh no, it's YOU who are misinformed, because......"
It's very easy to believe that a person who makes a different choice is doing so because they're ignorant or misinformed, but I think more often they've been differently informed. Or they have ALL of the information they need to make a different choice.
It's amazing how many times people say "everyone is different, but" and then proceed to state how anyone who isn't doing things their way is probably misinformed. It comes accross as, "Most people should be doing it my way. A few of you may be making a different choice for a good reason, but most of you just don't know any better, here let me show you the way)".
I know this may seem like a bit of a rant, and it is - but not against you. Against the perception that "most" of us on 3FC don't know what we're doing.
I've been here a long time, and it constantly amazes me that 3FC members are some of the MOST educated people in regards to weight loss science. It constantly amazes me how informed we are as a whole. We have people here without a high school diploma who know more about nutrition than the average MD, and not only could but HAVE taught their own doctors (and I admire even more the doctors who are willing to learn from patients, because they're so much rarer).
I think that sharing information (and even misinformation) tends to come across more positively than "correcting misinformation." Because when someone says "this is what I believe," and someone else says "I disagree because ....." it's a psychological exchange of information (equality based), whereas trying to teach someone you believe is misinformed (before you've found out whether they've been misinformed) often is interpreted as disrespect.
It's easy to say "never make assumptions," but the fact is people do. It's going to happen. It's also going to be responded to with defensiveness.
This debate has occured DOZENS of times here on the topic of eggs alone, with very similar arguments (do the same for water, coffee, and artificial sweeteners) and you'll find the same thing. And it's likely to be brought up dozens more times in the future.
Oh and a completely unrelated point. I think the articles are somewhat misleading about the Omega-3 levels in eggs, because they don't stress enough that this is only if the eggs are Omega-3 enhanced or free-range, pasture-fed chicken. Even free-range eggs will be a poor source of omega-3 fats if the chickens have been grain fed.
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