Is Egg Yolks Or Egg Whites Good For You?

[erickok]

Is Egg Yolks or Egg Whites Good for You?

The true fact is that the YOLK is the Healthiest Part of the Egg. This is contrary to most people who mistakenly think that egg yolk is the worst part of the egg. It contains the most nutrient rich, 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. Where as, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks. Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid visibility and make the protein more bio-available. Not to 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.

When you eat food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates its internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.

On the other hand, 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 amazing...

There are indications that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than bad LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.

High cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease IS...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 that everyone on the planet should be on statin drugs.

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 damaging.

Another interesting thing about eggs...a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs. groups of people that ate cereal or bagel based breakfasts. The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight.

It was conjectured that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings.

Enjoy your eggs and get a leaner body!

Source: Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/whole-eggs-or-egg-whites.html

[bkkjames]

Wish the experts would make up their minds.

When I grew up two eggs a day was the 'healthy' way.

Then we were told that 'cholesterol' from eggs were bad - cut back on consumption.

Now we are told they are good once again...leaves the question...

"Which came first, the experts or the eggs?". 

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

eating the yolk raw or very lightly cooked is best because the healthy fats oxidize and damage with heat. The whites delicate proteins also damage with heat.

Eating raw whole egg causes a slight problem because the raw white has substance which blocks the absorption of the yolks Biotin.

For that reason some people alternate eating the raw yolk one day and the raw white the next day. Some people lightly cook the white and eat the yolk raw.

Raw yolks taste amazing

[bkkjames]

Raw eggs? No salmonella worries or can we just put wasabi on it like we do with sashimi? 

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

salmonella is a good question. I should have included that.

In the US the FDA etc test for salmonella presence and calculate it takes consuming about 20,000 eggs for every case of salmonella. That is a lot of eggs. Obviously getting a bout of salmonella is not pleasant. For a healthy person it can result in a case of the diarhea etc. Taking a probiotic will clear that up quickly.

For very young or old people with compromised immune systems then salmonella can be fatal in some rare cases and as such probably better to err on the safe side and cook the eggs.

There are ways to test or observe the health of an egg before consuming it.

The classic tests are

- check for any cracks or strange coloration of the shell

- rock the egg gently on flat service. A healthy egg would wobble

- Unhealthy whole eggs in a shell will usually float while healthy ones tend to sink in water.

the floating is because bacteria produce gas and the gas is lighter than air.

- don't eat an raw egg with a yolk that is not firm and distinctly separated from a white

- look for any unusual sight or smell of the egg when broken

Follow some or all of those basic checks and don't worry about salmonella

[bkkjames]

salmonella is a good question. I should have included that.

In the US the FDA etc test for salmonella presence and calculate it takes consuming about 20,000 eggs for every case of salmonella. That is a lot of eggs. Obviously getting a bout of salmonella is not pleasant. For a healthy person it can result in a case of the diarhea etc. Taking a probiotic will clear that up quickly.

For very young or old people with compromised immune systems then salmonella can be fatal in some rare cases and as such probably better to err on the safe side and cook the eggs.

There are ways to test or observe the health of an egg before consuming it.

The classic tests are

-  check for any cracks or strange coloration of the shell

-  rock the egg gently on flat service. A healthy egg would wobble

-  Unhealthy whole eggs in a shell will usually float while healthy ones tend to sink in water.

    the floating is because bacteria produce gas and the gas is lighter than air.

-  don't eat an raw egg with a yolk that is not firm and distinctly separated from a white

-  look for any unusual sight or smell of the egg when broken

Follow some or all of those basic checks and don't worry about salmonella

What about Bird Flu mate? 

Anyways, I prefer my eggs slightly runny - poached, boiled or over easy. 

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

yeah eating raw eggs would definitely enhance a person's chance of getting bird flu. Especially if there were bird flu outbreaks currently.

The handling of the egg and preparation would be important also. If a food handler touched the raw egg with the virus and transferred it without proper heating then could still get the virus. All aspects of the handling, preparation and plating would need to be meticulous.

If your really worried about bird flu then cook the eggs well. Runny would not get the job done.

Edited July 5, 2010 by CobraSnakeNecktie

[eslteacher]

Egg yolks are absolutely phenomenal. Eat them, they are the best and most nutritious part of the egg. Also, always cook eggs. You absorb the nutrients more easily as opposed to eating them raw.

Edited July 5, 2010 by eslteacher

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Egg yolks are absolutely phenomenal. Eat them, they are the best and most nutritious part of the egg. Also, always cook eggs. You absorb the nutrients more easily as opposed to eating them raw.

you absorb the yolks biotin because the avidin of the egg white has been destroyed by heating. Normally Avidin interferes with this absorption. Cooking however greatly damages and mangles many of the eggs valuable nutrients. It's harder to absorb a lot more nutrients if they were signinicantly reduced by heat damage during cooking.

The biotin of the yolk is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin (vitamin B7) and very susceptible to heat damage.

Avidin is a biotin-binding protein produced in the oviducts of birds, reptiles and amphibians deposited in the whites of their eggs. Avidin is destroyed by heat.

There are better and worse ways of cooking them however. Eating scrambled eggs that have been sitting around for anytime after cooking is the worst way of cooking because the complete cooking damages everything and the stirring motion causes more air to oxidize (early rancification) the fats. Steamed, poached, soft boiled better because less heat has been allowed to damage the proteins, B vitamins and lipids.

As with most foods cooking can release some nutrients and reduce other nutrients. It's a good case for some raw and some cooked just like vegetables.

A lot of people find raw egg does not cause as many allergy problems. Also it should be noted many athletes prefer the raw egg because they find it works better for building muscle etc.

The raw egg white can best be described as having the consistency of nasal snot. For that reason people tend to like to blend the raw egg white into a smoothie or drink with other beneficial things like protein and fiber.

[Tinkelbell]

Egg yolks are absolutely phenomenal. Eat them, they are the best and most nutritious part of the egg. Also, always cook eggs. You absorb the nutrients more easily as opposed to eating them raw.

I concur.

Having eating the egg york for ages. Even when the time there was a report claiming that the egg york is bad for you. But I'm the type of person that listens to my body.....always craving for the york. Offen some of the people surround me look horify when seeing me consuming the yellow part.

I'm still healthy, have not been sicked a day of my life, that's certainly something to brag about for a 60+ y/o .

[MAJIC]

Told by a Doctor:I have high cholesterol so he advised limiting eggs to 2 a week.

BTW,Ducks eggs have 4 times more cholesterol than chickens eggs,Goose eggs 6x plus.

[jaideeguy]

And the difference between farm fresh free range eggs is like night and day. I know because my free range chickens just finished their laying cycle and I'm having to eat the 'factory' eggs with pale pasty yolks that are flat and the whites just flatten out in the pan because Thai egg farmers don't refridgerate the eggs and mostly just leave them out in the hot sun in the back of a pick up truck. I really miss my fresh home grown eggs!!

It is said that free range eggs have more vitamins and less cholesterol than factory eggs and I believe it.

[Boksida]

The method of ingestion is also important. My doctor told me that eating raw egg yolks does indeed result in a high cholesterol intake but, when taken as a suppository, they are completely harmless.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

okay I will bite. Your making raw egg yolk suppositories? why? and how?

[erickok]

There are ways to test or observe the health of an egg before consuming it.

The classic tests are

- check for any cracks or strange coloration of the shell

- rock the egg gently on flat service. A healthy egg would wobble

- Unhealthy whole eggs in a shell will usually float while healthy ones tend to sink in water.

the floating is because bacteria produce gas and the gas is lighter than air.

- don't eat an raw egg with a yolk that is not firm and distinctly separated from a white

- look for any unusual sight or smell of the egg when broken

Follow some or all of those basic checks and don't worry about salmonella

Thanks for the invaluable advice. Another smart move is to buy eggs produced by reputable farms that observed the established 'international health standards'.

[jsflynn603]

salmonella is a good question. I should have included that.

In the US the FDA etc test for salmonella presence and calculate it takes consuming about 20,000 eggs for every case of salmonella. That is a lot of eggs. Obviously getting a bout of salmonella is not pleasant. For a healthy person it can result in a case of the diarhea etc. Taking a probiotic will clear that up quickly.

For very young or old people with compromised immune systems then salmonella can be fatal in some rare cases and as such probably better to err on the safe side and cook the eggs.

There are ways to test or observe the health of an egg before consuming it.

The classic tests are

- check for any cracks or strange coloration of the shell

- rock the egg gently on flat service. A healthy egg would wobble

- Unhealthy whole eggs in a shell will usually float while healthy ones tend to sink in water.

the floating is because bacteria produce gas and the gas is lighter than air.

- don't eat an raw egg with a yolk that is not firm and distinctly separated from a white

- look for any unusual sight or smell of the egg when broken

Follow some or all of those basic checks and don't worry about salmonella

While I agree about your advice to check the quality of eggs, Salmonella is a bit of an exception.

Salmonella is endemic within chicken populations which means that it's rather normal to them and causes no disease or symptoms.

If a hen is commensally colonized (non symptom producing) with Salmonella, the hen can produce healthy appearing eggs, with no cracks, ect. but with small amounts of Salmonella within the health egg. If the egg is kept properly refrigerated the quantity of Salmonella will not multiply, but if not refrigerated the organism can multiply and that healthy appearing egg can cause Salmonellosis.

I used to be Plant Nurse on occasion at Hubbard Farms in New Hampshire. Hubbard sells and ships (millions of) "breeder chicks" and fertile eggs to incubate to over 100 countries. Their concern about Salmonella is so great that they take a piece of straw from every single hen's nest every day, and culture it. If a single colony of Salmonella is found the entire house (meaning thousands of layers) is destroyed. The birds are euthanized and properly disposed of along with all nesting materials, then the entire building is fumigated. The house is then repopulated with salmonella free hens from their own stock.

The bottom line is that one cannot tell if an egg has Salmonella by inspecting it. If the egg comes from a hen which came from Hubbard you are unlikely to have a problem if it is undercooked. But a hen can be infected later in her lifecycle. Salmonella can occur within an egg in the process of the creation of the egg, damage does not need to occur. Thus any raw or undercooked egg carries some risk.

Most Salmonellosis in never even reported and the person quickly recovers, but for some Salmonella can kill.

This is from CDC.gov:

Q. What are the symptoms of salmonellosis?

A. Most people experience diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 8 to 72 hours after the contaminated food was eaten. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms usually disappear within 4 to 7 days. Many people with salmonellosis recover without treatment and may never see a doctor. However, Salmonella infections can be life-threatening especially for infants and young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, and older adults, who are at a higher risk for foodborne illness, as are people with weakened immune systems (such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant patients).

I used to make milkshakes with raw eggs and no longer do, it just doesn't seem worth it anymore.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

unless your very young or old or have a compromised immune system then why is the risk so great?

Just keep a bottle of probiotics in your fridge.

For that matter in Thailand eating from food carts and unregulated restaurants means that Hep A/B and salmonella are constant threats. Even if you cooked an egg it does not mean it could or would not be transmitted from the food worker or utensils.

I have gotten a dodgy stomach few times in the last 10 years perhaps from eggs. Not exactly armegeddon.

[tominbkk]

Told by a Doctor:I have high cholesterol so he advised limiting eggs to 2 a week.

BTW,Ducks eggs have 4 times more cholesterol than chickens eggs,Goose eggs 6x plus.

Foods higher in cholesterol don't necessarily give you high cholesterol. You get high orchestral when your insulin levels are too high, which is caused by too much sugar/starch.

[JSixpack]

Told by a Doctor:I have high cholesterol so he advised limiting eggs to 2 a week.

BTW,Ducks eggs have 4 times more cholesterol than chickens eggs,Goose eggs 6x plus.

Foods higher in cholesterol don't necessarily give you high cholesterol. You get high orchestral when your insulin levels are too high, which is caused by too much sugar/starch.

http://www.(you)tube.com/watch?v=FSeSTq-N4U4

http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307272702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317287824&sr=8-1

[Tolley]

Eggs are great especially in the morning when the body needs protein. Best taken boiled or poached and best if they are organic or free range.

High cholesterol levels are not caused by eating eggs full stop.