Egg white only benefits?

I've taken to eating egg white only omlette but I'm not quite so sure if leaving out the yolk is actually any good? I don't particularly mind the taste of white only, so really I'm not complaining. I suppose my question is is this a healthy meal for a light lunch? I usually just take it with some red onion (a lot of it!), a tomato and maybe some lettuce leaves. I'm not a big meat eater, so I don't really want to add any to it.

Bubs

Replies

  • Carmella9
    Carmella9 Posts: 171 Member
    The benefit of this is that the the egg yolk holds the most calories so the egg white is very low cal
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    It isn't NOT "healthy", but by getting rid of the yolks you are getting rid of a lot of the nutritional benefits of the egg. The whites are pretty much protein... though only about half that of the eggs as a whole. You are also losing all the healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Personally, I would rather deal with the calories and get all the goodness because it helps round out my diet better in all (but I also don't eat eat as low calories as MFP says because I find more success in TDEE minus 15%-20%).
  • pearlmorning
    pearlmorning Posts: 86 Member
    For myself, I either eat 2 whites and 1 yolk, or only whites. I really enjoy Southwestern Egg Beaters too. I do this because I had an elevated cholesterol count and by watching my foods I have gotten off the Statin pill and my cholesterol is less than half of what it was and well into the normal range. I also get the benefits of the protein from the egg without the yolk.
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    I ate yolks!

    People leave out yolks cos it has high cholesteror and fat content, like 95% of whole egg. But it also has 95% of all the good vitamins and minerals in the egg.

    This idea of leaving yolks out works if you think that all the fat is bad and only way how to lose weight is by eating less fat. We all know this is not true - it's 95% about calories not how much of fat you ate. Also we know that there are good fat that is good for your health (such as fat in olive oil) and some bad fat what has no benefits (such as fat in pork). Yolk has good fat in it (omega 3). Also it has good type of cholesteror (yes, there are two types same as fat) and a ton of other great vitamins. If you are not eating yolks you are missing a lot and gaining nothing! Egg whites are same as why protein powder - low in calories, amazing for pure protein but apart from that ZERO nutritional value.
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
    All the goodness is in the yolk. No benefit other than to fill you up for less calories.
  • monjacq1964
    monjacq1964 Posts: 291 Member
    when i make eggs, i use one whole egg, one egg white, that way i up the protein, but still get some of the benefits of the yolk.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    The idea that eggs are bad because of high cholesterol is outdated. Although the yolks do contain some cholesterol, it is "good" cholesterol (like olive oil is "good" fat), and as others have said there are also lots of other vitamins and minerals. A whole egg is only about 65 calories 9depending on size) so eat the whole egg and enjoy the benefits.

    Especially poached with asparagus...mmmmmmmmmmm
  • mushroomsontoast
    mushroomsontoast Posts: 118 Member
    Especially poached with asparagus...mmmmmmmmmmm

    Now you're talking! :tongue:
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    I've taken to eating egg white only omlette but I'm not quite so sure if leaving out the yolk is actually any good? I don't particularly mind the taste of white only, so really I'm not complaining. I suppose my question is is this a healthy meal for a light lunch? I usually just take it with some red onion (a lot of it!), a tomato and maybe some lettuce leaves. I'm not a big meat eater, so I don't really want to add any to it.

    Bubs

    The majority of the nutrients are in the yolk, so you are in effect, throwing a lot of the goodness down the drain.
  • jayce54321
    jayce54321 Posts: 110 Member
    [/quote]

    "The majority of the nutrients are in the yolk, so you are in effect, throwing a lot of the goodness down the drain."
    [/quote]

    Along with most of the taste.
  • Armyantzzz
    Armyantzzz Posts: 214 Member
    The yolks have protein :smile: and the yolks contribute to cholesterol levels....:huh: Eggs are good for you either way... in moderation..:smile: I love boiled eggs... which always seem to include the egg yolks...:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Egg yolks are gross. The benefit of eating egg whites only is you don't have to taste the horrible yolks.
  • Binkie1955
    Binkie1955 Posts: 329 Member
    I'm using the ketogenic calculator so I have to get enough fat for my program to work. i'm low carb, high fat, moderate protein so I need the yolk.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    Not only are almost all the nutrients in the yolk, but all the benefits of expensive eggs are there, if you buy organic-free-range-pastured eggs.

    My favorite WTF moment is when I meet people who go on and on about buying healthy eggs ... and then go on and on about tossing all the yolks. They're buying "Omega 3 Eggs" and paying a premium for them ... and literally throwing out the Omega 3 they're paying for.
  • LB2812
    LB2812 Posts: 158 Member
    They've got some debatable negatives (like the cholesterol) but some good points too (all those nutrients!). If I'm making myself eggs, I usually do 1 egg with a yolk and 1-2 egg whites. But if I'm eating out I usually opt for the egg white omelette, just because if I'm getting an omelette out it could have 3 eggs in it and I don't want all of those yolks and I don't like the taste of it.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    benefits of eating only egg whites: you can get a lot of protein in a meal for very few calories. Useful if you want to bump up your protein intake without adding too many extra calories. Some people, for medical reasons, may need to avoid eating the cholesterol in egg yolks, but they can still enjoy eggs without the yolks, because the cholesterol is in the yolk.

    costs of eating only egg whites: the yolk is chock full of nutrients, it's a very good source of fat soluble vitamins and the healthy kind of cholesterol and other healthy fats. Fat =/= bad... fat is an essential nutrient and egg yolk is a really good source of it. The vast majority of people don't need to worry about the cholesterol in egg yolks, and also cholesterol is an important nutrient for many things in the body.

    Some people eat some of the yolks but not all of them, e.g. making an omelette from 5 egg whites and one whole egg, so it's not an either-or situation. You can eat yolks sometimes and leave them out other times, depending on your calorie budget, if that's what works best for you.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    I love the yollks. All the nutrition, and all the flavor. I'll make you a deal. You all send me your yolks, and I will send you all my whites.
  • totem12
    totem12 Posts: 194 Member
    I started adding some egg whites to my scrambled eggs to give me a little bit more bang for my buck. Hardly any calories yet I feel fuller much longer. Still two yolks though, because they are clearly the best bit...
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member

    "The majority of the nutrients are in the yolk, so you are in effect, throwing a lot of the goodness down the drain."
    [/quote]

    Along with most of the taste.
    [/quote]

    QFT.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The majority of the nutrition is in the yolk...you're just throwing away the actual nutrition by eliminating the yolk. Yes..the yolk does also contain most of the calories...but it also contains all of the nutrition. With the white you're basically just getting protein. I use whites (I buy them seperately as to not waste a whole egg) when I need a big protein boost without the calories, but otherwise I eat the whole egg.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    Oh, and dietary cholesterol has little to no impact on blood serum levels. The vast VAST majority of your cholesterol is made by your own body. The old science is being shown to be incorrect.