Egg White or Whole Egg: Which Is Healthier?

I truly thought this antiquated idea that egg whites are preferable than egg yolks had been squashed. I mean, what is this, 1976? Are we back to fearing all fat – despite the overwhelming evidence that fat is awesome for you?

Apparently.

Three things happened that inspired me to write this. 1) My grandmother’s assisted living facility feeds her eggs whites every morning. Along with pancakes and fake maple syrup. I wish this was a joke. 2) A friend ordered egg whites at lunch because she didn’t “want all those calories.” (side note: she followed brunch up with a pastry from a coffee shop). 3) I was reading about the Redskins’ diet and the fact that their dietitian serves egg whites. EGG WHITES. To grown ass men. To professional athletes! To a group of dudes that burn more calories than I even eat in a day.

I’ve had enough. I’m here to promote the incredible edible (whole) egg. Because egg whites are bullshit.

The outdated idea that whole eggs are in any way associated with weight gain or heart disease has been thoroughly disproven.

Have you heard the saying?

We need to stop focusing on calories and start focusing on chemicals.

It’s true. Because calories are not the enemy. Fat is not the enemy. And dammit, whole egg are a superfood if I’ve ever seen one. It’s rich on omega-3s, vitamins A and D, it’s rich in minerals, particularly choline – which is necessary for a healthy pregnancy. Let’s compare the nutrition of an egg white with an egg yolk, shall we?

BOOM. Look at all those nutrients in a whole egg!

If you’re wondering if the fat in the yolks are bad or lead to heart disease, wonder no more. They don’t. Researchers at the Yale Griffin Preventive Research Center gave 49 adults two eggs a day for six weeks and found this had no effect on total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, or triglycerides.

The Yale researchers followed this up with a second study in which they gave adults with high cholesterol two eggs a day. Yet again, they found that whole egg consumption had no detrimental effects on cholesterol levels.

There’s a reason for this that this woman, an RN and Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant explains beautifully,

It is a myth that the amount of cholesterol contained in a food is what influences your body’s cholesterol level. In fact, the majority of cholesterol in your bloodstream comes from what your liver is manufacturing and distributing. This is because 95% of the cholesterol in your body is made by the liver. So, you should be looking to avoid foods that cause your liver to pump out more cholesterol. The truth is that diets high in carbohydrates, especially sugar, lead to increases in blood cholesterol levels. Carbohydrates are processed and changed to blood glucose (sugar) in the body. The blood glucose is absorbed into the blood stream and then used for energy. If there is extra blood glucose that is not used for energy, the body converts the glucose into triglycerides. The triglycerides (also known as fat) are then stored in the fatty tissues. This, in turn, causes weight gain and increased cholesterol levels. That’s why people with high triglycerides often have a high levels of LDL (“bad”) and lower levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, too. As a result, those looking to lower cholesterol naturally should remove or greatly reduce the following foods from their diet: Breads, rolls, muffins, sweets, sugar, candy, doughnuts, cakes, cookies, and cereals.

So next time you think about tossing the yolk, the most important part of the egg – don’t. Remember this article. Don’t throw away the healthiest part of a food because it is more calorically dense. We need to stop focusing on calories and start focusing on nutrients.

Sources:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/112/2

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/111/2

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904713/#B31

Lowering Cholesterol Naturally: An Egg a Day is Okay