Are Egg Whites Better than Whole Eggs?

It seems as if there are stories and questions that we never hear the end of…

Will carbs make me fat?

What’s the BEST exercise for fat loss?

Does THIS fat burner work?

How do I burn more belly fat?

And, finally … one that just came up again this AM … is it OK to eat whole eggs or should I just eat egg whites?

There’s usually the concern about cholesterol.  Then fat itself.

So it’s time to revisit this and HOPEFULLY put an end to the myth that egg yolks are bad.

Here’s the deal.  The yolk has all the cholesterol and fat.  That is correct.  It also has ALL the nutrition!

While some still shun the yellow goodness in the egg, egg yolks are fantastic for you.

There has NEVER been a connection between eating eggs and heart disease.

A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut supported the notion that eggs are fantastic for you, despite the high levels of cholesterol in them.

They found that after feeding groups an additional 640 mg of dietary cholesterol through egg yolks (about 200 mg of cholesterol/yolk) the plasma (in the blood) levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol) were significantly higher than those who did not eat the additional dietary cholesterol from egg yolks.

You see, while it was once though that eating dietary cholesterol meant it went directly to your arteries to form plaque, we now know that dietary cholesterol doesn’t play much of a role in plasma cholesterol…or heart disease for that matter.

In fact a study published in 2007 fed participants eggs daily, upwards of over 6 per week (so around 1 or more per day) and they concluded that “regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases.”

Here’s the deal – the body makes cholesterol.

When you eat dietary cholesterol, your cholesterol production slows.

Or the reverse holds true – you don’t eat enough, which usually means way too little dietary fat, your body will make more to meet the body’s needs.

Outside of the cholesterol "concern," eggs are high in some nutrients that may be otherwise difficult to get in the diet – choline, which is great for brain health, carotenoids, which are important for eye health, and zeaxanthin, which is an antioxidant.  And those are just a few of the benefits.

Research shows eggs boost weight loss!

Another recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity fed subjects an egg based breakfast (2 eggs/day) or a bagel based breakfast for 8 weeks.  It’s well known eating breakfast boosts fat loss.  This took it one step further.

Their findings?

Those eating the egg based breakfasts had a 65% greater weight loss and 34% greater decrease in their waists.

Sold on the yolks yet?

3 Take Home Points:

1. Egg yolks provide at least 13 important nutrients – egg whites don’t offer much outside of protein.
2. Dietary cholesterol is NOT the devil it was once thought to be.
3. Eggs may boost weight loss when compared to a same calorie carbohydrate heavy breakfast

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