Egg whites? Why not the whole egg?

lorelei68

I have been reading over recommend diet plans etc and keep seeing where they will use several egg whites as opposed to two whole eggs.

Are they meaning like the egg beater carton equivalents? or are they buy whole eggs, separating out the whites and throwing away the yolks?

I spent most of my childhood on my grandparents farm. My grandma would be so confused by what she would see as 'waste' in throwing out a perfectly good part of the egg!

Yes, I do get the whole cholesterol argument. But, this is so ingrained to not throw out something that can be used.... Guess I'm a little kerfuffled at the concept.

:ohwell:

jayrudq

Egg whites are...egg whites. Whether you buy them in a carton, or separate them from a yolk. They are egg whites.

Why? Well, not because yolks are bad for you. They are not. Nor is the cholesterol in them. That nutritional mistake has long been corrected. What egg white are is pure protein and low calorie. You can bulk up any egg dish with egg whites for a low calorie impact - they are only about 10 calories each. That is the only reason I use them. And I always use fresh and just give my extra yolk to my skinny kid or husband (who both eat eggs just about every single day of their lives). Eggs are just about the perfect food. But unless you need the calorie deficit, I would eat the whole thing, and like your Grandma, I would never throw away the best part of the egg.

Hauntinglyfit

Because like ohemgee, yolks are yellow!

notnikkisixx

it is all about cutting calories while still having protein. If you feel wasteful throwing away the yolk, save it and make a nutrient-rich hair masque.

RaggedyPond

I love eggs. I will eat four whole eggs for breakfast or lunch sometimes. You don't get high cholesterol from eating cholesterol.

SkimFlatWhite68

Hey Lorelei,

I just had an omelette for lunch. I used 5 x egg whites and 1 whole egg. The reason that I do this is that I have limited calories for the day to use (around 1500-1600) and I like to eat a lot of food. So if I use egg whites, I get a big fluffy omelette that really fills me up, and is high in protein but with less calories than if I used 6 eggs. I like my macros for the day to be around 150g protein; 100g carbs; 50g fat, so it works for that combination as well.

My omelette was about 330 calories. However if I used 5-6 whole eggs it would have been about 600-700 calories.

I'm not at all worried about the cholesterol, as I dont think eating cholesterol gives you cholesterol.

And yes, I do throw out the yolks (I've never purchased eggs any other way but in their shells), to me that's just like cutting fat off meat, yes, it's probably a waste, if I had some way to use them, like make mayonaise, I would, but I don't use mayonaise!!

neanderthin

Because you can have more for less calories, and most of the protein is found in the white. The yolk is not "bad" for you, but it is easier to cut calories while still being able to eat eggs when tossing the yolk.

I keep hearing this but not very accurate information. Almost half of the protein is in the yolk and a yolk has about 50 calories, so not so much of a saving especially considering the nutrients lost when leaving out the yolk. Many people do use a combo of whole and whites, which I guess might be better but personally I never could understand tossing the yolk.

kristieshannon

I make scrambles with 1 whole egg and 2 whites. Not because of worrying about calories or cholesterol, but because it makes the eggs nice and fluffy. It's all a matter of taste!

Lyadeia

I typically make omeletes with 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg simply because I need to get the protein from the egg without a lot of extra calories. I eat omeletes with 3 whole eggs when I am not on a deficit trying to watch my calories. Nothing wrong with the yolk, just saving calories for other things.

ElsaVonMarmalade

I always eat the yolks. Full of nutrients and yes, protein.

sybrix

I always eat the yolk. It's the most delicious part to me. Love me some sunny side up eggs with whole wheat toast! I rarely eat more than 2 eggs in a day so the 140 calories don't set me back much.

BearEssentials

I always separate eggs. Whites for meringues, yolks for carbonara sauce, om nom nom

jetlag

Because you can have more for less calories, and most of the protein is found in the white. The yolk is not "bad" for you, but it is easier to cut calories while still being able to eat eggs when tossing the yolk.

I keep hearing this but not very accurate information. Almost half of the protein is in the yolk and a yolk has about 50 calories, so not so much of a saving especially considering the nutrients lost when leaving out the yolk. Many people do use a combo of whole and whites, which I guess might be better but personally I never could understand tossing the yolk.

This is what I thought, as well. Besides, all the rest of the goodness is in the yolk.. A 3 egg omelette is very filling and only 240 calories. This focus on more protein at the expense of actual nutrients is just another "carbs are evil" hysteria.

Google "reasons to eat egg yolks". Here's a good one to get you started:

http://primaldocs.com/opinion/10-reasons-to-eat-your-yolks/

jetlag

Because you can have more for less calories, and most of the protein is found in the white. The yolk is not "bad" for you, but it is easier to cut calories while still being able to eat eggs when tossing the yolk.

I keep hearing this but not very accurate information. Almost half of the protein is in the yolk and a yolk has about 50 calories, so not so much of a saving especially considering the nutrients lost when leaving out the yolk. Many people do use a combo of whole and whites, which I guess might be better but personally I never could understand tossing the yolk.

ok so more protein per calorie

And considerably less choline, chromium, sulphur, vitamin k, etc etc.

There is more to food than bloody protein!

__Di__

A whole egg contains approx 6g of protein, take out the yolk, it leaves around 4g, so yes much of the protein is indeed in the white however, nearly all of the nutrients are in the yolk.

An egg is just 70 calories, is full of nutrients and is HDL cholesterol meaning it is a good cholesterol - it goes around the bloodstream removing the bad cholesterol otherwise known as LDL.

jayrudq

"This is what I thought, as well. Besides, all the rest of the goodness is in the yolk.. A 3 egg omelette is very filling and only 240 calories. This focus on more protein at the expense of actual nutrients is just another "carbs are evil" hysteria."

No, this would come under the "calories are evil" hysteria. There are no carbs in eggs or egg yolks.

jetlag

Sorry, misworded, I meant it's just another example of the carbs are evil TYPE hysteria, but in reverse. Protein is king, regardless of the cost. They'll throw away the egg yolk and take supplements, which might not even work, to replace the stuff they threw away. It's insane.





Note: eggs do have carbs, but only a tiny bit.

cubsgirlinny

I don't care for the yolks. Once in a while if the eggs are scrambled, they are tolerable, but my taste buds say no more often than not. I save then and use them when I cook for the rest of my household.

LeanneGoingThin

"This is what I thought, as well. Besides, all the rest of the goodness is in the yolk.. A 3 egg omelette is very filling and only 240 calories. This focus on more protein at the expense of actual nutrients is just another "carbs are evil" hysteria."

No, this would come under the "calories are evil" hysteria. There are no carbs in eggs or egg yolks.

It's an easy way to cut calories, that's all.

succubaeangel

Tossing the yolk is like tossing protein powder away in the garbage. Of course, the yolk protein is much cheaper and tastes better.

Also, I think that birds like the yolk so if you hate it, you can give it to them.

rduhlir

Because you can have more for less calories, and most of the protein is found in the white. The yolk is not "bad" for you, but it is easier to cut calories while still being able to eat eggs when tossing the yolk.

I keep hearing this but not very accurate information. Almost half of the protein is in the yolk and a yolk has about 50 calories, so not so much of a saving especially considering the nutrients lost when leaving out the yolk. Many people do use a combo of whole and whites, which I guess might be better but personally I never could understand tossing the yolk.

ok so more protein per calorie

And considerably less choline, chromium, sulphur, vitamin k, etc etc.

There is more to food than bloody protein!

Not to mention Omega 3 and Omega 6! And Zinc, potassium, magnisium (sp?), etc... While yes the whites are less in calories, the yoke holds 90% of the nutrients in the egg. Not to mention healthy fats which have been proven to help hold off hunger.