Egg Whites--Can Someone Explain To Me Why I Should Not Eat Whole Eggs?
So, I have been curious as to why most people (or so it seems) only eat egg whites vs. the whole egg. I love eggs, and I just don't feel that I would be satisifed just eating whites. So I googled it, and this is one article I came across. If this is true, what is the purpose of only eating egg whites?
Egg yolks were terrible for you...that's where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is." We've all heard this statement before. But is it correct? This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!
By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you're essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients... it's not even worth trying to list them all. In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolk.
Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids.
Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids. And now the common objection to saying that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg..."But I heard that whole eggs will make my cholesterol skyrocket." This is FALSE!
First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol, your body down-regulates its own internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.
Secondly, if you don't eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has tons of important functions in the body. And here's where it gets even more interesting...There are indications that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.
Thirdly, high cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease is a disease...but high cholesterol is NOT. Cholesterol is actually a VERY important substance in your body and has vitally important functions... it is DEAD WRONG to try to "lower your cholesterol" just because of pharmaceutical companies propaganda. In addition, the yolks contain the antioxidant lutein as well as other antioxidants which can help protect you from inflammation within your body (the REAL culprit in heart disease, not dietary cholesterol!), giving yet another reason why the yolks are actually GOOD for you, and not detrimental.
In a recent University of Connecticut study that one group of men ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%, while their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study. However, another group ate egg substitutes (egg whites) and saw no change in either and did not see the improvement in good cholesterol that the whole egg eaters did.
So I hope we've established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body... instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites.
And can we all please STOP with this sillyness about eating an omelet with 4-5 egg whites and only 1 egg yolk... If you want real taste and real health benefits, we'd all be better off eating ALL of our eggs with the yolks.
So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior, you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.
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I always eat the whole egg But I know that a lot of dieters stick with the whites...I guess the theory it is that it eliminates the fats?
I'm like you though, I love eggs. And the times I've eaten just the whites, it's been rather disappointing (bland). I think some fat is good every now and then and I consider a hard boiled egg in it's entirety a very healthy snack for me!
I eat egg-whites to keep calories, fat, and cholesterol low while still getting protein. I don't eat just egg-whites though. I usually mix in one egg and then add 1/4- 1/3 cup of egg whites. I'd be skeptical of ezine articles as they're not credited by anything. Just by reading the article, you can see that is made for hype. I'd consulted credible organizations like medical associations, nutrition groups etc. You can find anything about nutrition ...just compare Weston Price to Dr. Joel Fuhrmann or Dr. Mercola to US Food Guide...or even the Canadian food guide to the American one. It's all different...
My reasoning is that there are loads of calories and fat in the yolk. If I have one egg for breakfast I'll have the whole egg, but if I have scrambled eggs or an omelette I'll use 1 egg white and one whole egg. It saves 50+ calories.
I realise that the yolk is good for you, but if I ate 4 eggs (214 calories, 5g fat, 6.3g pro) every morning like I eat 4 egg whites ( 51 calories, 0.2g fat, 10.8 pro.), the calories would add up way too fast for my liking. Plus I eat the eggwhites every single morning, I doubt that eating 4 eggs every single morning would be healthy... Sometimes I add a whole egg but usually not...
I prefer the whole egg, but I think many people go with whites-only to limit the calories. A large whole egg can be around 90 calories, with the white only being around 30 for the same amount of egg material. With one egg that may not seem like much, but when you calculate it out, it means you can have (for example) the equivalent of a 3-egg omelette in egg whites for the same calorie count as one egg.
I tend to split the difference. Some mornings I'll have 2 fried eggs, other mornings I'll have scrambled (egg whites/one egg). I also make waffles with egg whites, mainly because they work better. Out of egg whites one morning I used a whole egg and the texture was off. I never toss the yolks though. I buy eggs and a 3-pk of egg whites from Costco.
I eat both, depending on what fits better into my calorie needs.
For a breakfast omelet, 4 egg whites is a heck of a lot more protein and quantity of food than 1 whole egg for about the same amount of calories. For an afternoon snack, I'll go for a whole hard boiled egg.
calories - I have 3 eggwhites and 1 whole egg every day. 1 whole egg isnt big enough to encase my 2-3 cups of veggies. 2 eggs is more calories than I want and less filling.
If I have fried eggs I have whole eggs.
I dont really care about the fat or cholesterol part. (except that the fat is why the calories are high)
... but if I ate 4 eggs (214 calories, 5g fat, 6.3g pro) every morning like I eat 4 egg whites ( 51 calories, 0.2g fat, 10.8 pro.)...
Not to be contrary, but 4 whole eggs have more protein than 4 egg whites because with the whole eggs, you have the added protein in the yolk (it's 2.7g of protein in the yolk alone and 3.6 in the white).
But I understand that the lower calories and fat is attractive at times. I eat them both ways.
Not to be contrary, but 4 whole eggs have more protein than 4 egg whites because with the whole eggs, you have the added protein in the yolk (it's 2.7g of protein in the yolk alone and 3.6 in the white).
But I understand that the lower calories and fat is attractive at times. I eat them both ways.
You can't really compare 4 whole eggs to 4 egg whites - they're not the same amount of food. With the 4 whole eggs, you get more calories, more fat, and more volume. Of course a whole egg has more nutrition than a fraction of an egg - it's the distribution of that nutrition (it's density and proportion) within the parts that is important.
Egg whites have a higher protein content per volume, than whole eggs do (as well as less fat). So egg whites are a better bargain for the volume.
In an exchange plan, like the one I'm on:
1 egg = 1 protein (75 calories) but
3 to 4 egg whites = 1 protein (50 - 70 calories)
So an omelette made with 6 egg whites is equivalent to a 2 whole-egg omelette (not an omelette made with 6 whole eggs).
My preference is a compromise of 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites.
Egg Whites--Can Someone Explain To Me Why I Should Not Eat Whole Eggs?
But I know that a lot of dieters stick with the whites...I guess the theory it is that it eliminates the fats? 
I've been eating whole eggs for years....on average 14 a week.
