Eggs vs egg whites

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  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,325 Member
    edited August 2018
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    whole eggs. <3 free range
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,966 Member
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    A recent study found that although egg whites and whole eggs provided the same amount of amino acids for muscle building, in practice for some reason the eggs consumed whole ended up being utilized to build more muscle. The reason why is unknown at the moment. However, this would not be the first instance in which whole foods operate differently from theoretically identical partial foods.

    "By using those labeled eggs, we saw that if you ate the whole egg or the egg whites, the same amount of dietary amino acids became available in your blood," Burd said. "In each case, about 60 to 70 percent of the amino acids were available in the blood to build new muscle protein. That would suggest that getting one's protein from whole eggs or just from the whites makes no difference, as the amount of dietary amino acids in the blood after eating generally gives us an indication of how potent a food source is for the muscle-building response."

    But when the researchers directly measured protein synthesis in the muscle, they found a very different response.

    "We saw that the ingestion of whole eggs immediately after resistance exercise resulted in greater muscle-protein synthesis than the ingestion of egg whites," Burd said.

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171220122054.htm

    I mostly eat whole eggs myself, and almost always combine egg whites with at least one whole egg when I eat them, but this study seems to ignore the fact that in the real world, people utilizing egg whites for a post-workout regimen are probably doing it so they can get more protein than their calorie budget would allow if they ate whole eggs. The study compares identical protein amounts from eggs and egg whites, which is interesting, and certainly defensible from the standpoint of wanting to have a one-to-one comparison, but I'm not sure it tells us much about the results from the things that people actually do.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    A recent study found that although egg whites and whole eggs provided the same amount of amino acids for muscle building, in practice for some reason the eggs consumed whole ended up being utilized to build more muscle. The reason why is unknown at the moment. However, this would not be the first instance in which whole foods operate differently from theoretically identical partial foods.

    "By using those labeled eggs, we saw that if you ate the whole egg or the egg whites, the same amount of dietary amino acids became available in your blood," Burd said. "In each case, about 60 to 70 percent of the amino acids were available in the blood to build new muscle protein. That would suggest that getting one's protein from whole eggs or just from the whites makes no difference, as the amount of dietary amino acids in the blood after eating generally gives us an indication of how potent a food source is for the muscle-building response."

    But when the researchers directly measured protein synthesis in the muscle, they found a very different response.

    "We saw that the ingestion of whole eggs immediately after resistance exercise resulted in greater muscle-protein synthesis than the ingestion of egg whites," Burd said.

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171220122054.htm

    I mostly eat whole eggs myself, and almost always combine egg whites with at least one whole egg when I eat them, but this study seems to ignore the fact that in the real world, people utilizing egg whites for a post-workout regimen are probably doing it so they can get more protein than their calorie budget would allow if they ate whole eggs. The study compares identical protein amounts from eggs and egg whites, which is interesting, and certainly defensible from the standpoint of wanting to have a one-to-one comparison, but I'm not sure it tells us much about the results from the things that people actually do.

    However, if that extra protein from the egg whites doesn't get used in muscle but is simply excreted, is it of any benefit? Would eating one egg yolk cover several egg whites? We simply don't know at this point, there need to be more studies.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    i think its kind of hard to make reliable valid judgements when the study consisted of 10 young men engaged in a single bout of resistance exercise and then ate either whole eggs or egg whites containing 18 grams of protein.

    if it had been a larger study group; or a study with a control and an experimental group, or even repeated the experiment several times - it would be more reliable
  • rcreynol3090
    rcreynol3090 Posts: 174 Member
    edited August 2018
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    I eat the whole egg, usually 2 hard-boiled with my morning oatmeal, and sometimes a couple fried for supper. All with the blessing of my cardiologist. I also have my own flock of free-range hens, so don't buy eggs, either whole or cartons of whites. ;)
  • WJS_jeepster
    WJS_jeepster Posts: 224 Member
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    When I was little my mom was going through both a "breakfast for dinner" phase and a "children must remain at the table until their plates are cleared" phase. She served over-easy fried eggs for dinner. I didn't much like the runny yolk. I ate all the white around the quivery yolk but refused to eat the yolk. I sat there until 9:00 at night (dinner was at 5:00). There were many tears but she was immovable. If I didn't eat the yolk that night, it would be waiting for me at breakfast. At that point it was totally congealed and disgusting.

    I finally plugged my nose, threw it down and drank an entire glass of water.

    To this day I can't eat visibly separate egg yolks. I can have scrambled if they are fully mixed and fully cooked. I LOVE to buy just egg whites in the cartons.

    PS - my mother is HORRIFIED that she did that to me and has absolutely no memory of it...
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,147 Member
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    I figure whole eggs are evolution-tested for effectiveness. Also, they come in those handy serving (or partial serving) sized containers, and the containers are not only biodegradable, but diversely useful, from crafts to de-acidifying houseplant soil. They keep really well for a long time in there, too. ;)
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    I eat 3 eggs a day on average.. that would be 210 cals a day unaccounted for.. just saying
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,966 Member
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    A recent study found that although egg whites and whole eggs provided the same amount of amino acids for muscle building, in practice for some reason the eggs consumed whole ended up being utilized to build more muscle. The reason why is unknown at the moment. However, this would not be the first instance in which whole foods operate differently from theoretically identical partial foods.

    "By using those labeled eggs, we saw that if you ate the whole egg or the egg whites, the same amount of dietary amino acids became available in your blood," Burd said. "In each case, about 60 to 70 percent of the amino acids were available in the blood to build new muscle protein. That would suggest that getting one's protein from whole eggs or just from the whites makes no difference, as the amount of dietary amino acids in the blood after eating generally gives us an indication of how potent a food source is for the muscle-building response."

    But when the researchers directly measured protein synthesis in the muscle, they found a very different response.

    "We saw that the ingestion of whole eggs immediately after resistance exercise resulted in greater muscle-protein synthesis than the ingestion of egg whites," Burd said.

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171220122054.htm

    I mostly eat whole eggs myself, and almost always combine egg whites with at least one whole egg when I eat them, but this study seems to ignore the fact that in the real world, people utilizing egg whites for a post-workout regimen are probably doing it so they can get more protein than their calorie budget would allow if they ate whole eggs. The study compares identical protein amounts from eggs and egg whites, which is interesting, and certainly defensible from the standpoint of wanting to have a one-to-one comparison, but I'm not sure it tells us much about the results from the things that people actually do.

    However, if that extra protein from the egg whites doesn't get used in muscle but is simply excreted, is it of any benefit? Would eating one egg yolk cover several egg whites? We simply don't know at this point, there need to be more studies.

    I think to the extent that we're disagreeing at all, it is a glass half-full or half-empty kind of disagreement. I'm saying that the study doesn't really examine the way many or most people use egg whites in the real world, and thus is of little value in making a decision about whether those real-world practices are useful. You seem to be saying -- correct me if I'm wrong -- that the study doesn't show that what many people do in the real world is effective, and that it would help if someone studied that.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,966 Member
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    When I was little my mom was going through both a "breakfast for dinner" phase and a "children must remain at the table until their plates are cleared" phase. She served over-easy fried eggs for dinner. I didn't much like the runny yolk. I ate all the white around the quivery yolk but refused to eat the yolk. I sat there until 9:00 at night (dinner was at 5:00). There were many tears but she was immovable. If I didn't eat the yolk that night, it would be waiting for me at breakfast. At that point it was totally congealed and disgusting.

    I finally plugged my nose, threw it down and drank an entire glass of water.

    To this day I can't eat visibly separate egg yolks. I can have scrambled if they are fully mixed and fully cooked. I LOVE to buy just egg whites in the cartons.

    PS - my mother is HORRIFIED that she did that to me and has absolutely no memory of it...

    When my mother reupholstered some dining room chairs after all her children had passed the stage of being as likely as not to spill something during dinner, she found years-old dried lima beans stuck in the corners of the underside of the seats of the chairs my two oldest brothers sat in. Another downside of the sit-there-until-you're-finished rule.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    Whole eggs. They just taste better. I prefer having smaller quantities of food, rather than give up taste. I am the person that is fine with one really good cookie instead of 6 bland ones for the same calories.
  • WJS_jeepster
    WJS_jeepster Posts: 224 Member
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    When I was little my mom was going through both a "breakfast for dinner" phase and a "children must remain at the table until their plates are cleared" phase. She served over-easy fried eggs for dinner. I didn't much like the runny yolk. I ate all the white around the quivery yolk but refused to eat the yolk. I sat there until 9:00 at night (dinner was at 5:00). There were many tears but she was immovable. If I didn't eat the yolk that night, it would be waiting for me at breakfast. At that point it was totally congealed and disgusting.

    I finally plugged my nose, threw it down and drank an entire glass of water.

    To this day I can't eat visibly separate egg yolks. I can have scrambled if they are fully mixed and fully cooked. I LOVE to buy just egg whites in the cartons.

    PS - my mother is HORRIFIED that she did that to me and has absolutely no memory of it...

    When my mother reupholstered some dining room chairs after all her children had passed the stage of being as likely as not to spill something during dinner, she found years-old dried lima beans stuck in the corners of the underside of the seats of the chairs my two oldest brothers sat in. Another downside of the sit-there-until-you're-finished rule.

    That's awesome. My children will never know the suffering as we have two black labs that lurk under the table at dinnertime looking for handouts. One will turn up her nose at most vegetables, but the other is game for anything.
  • elsie6hickman
    elsie6hickman Posts: 3,864 Member
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    I have a question about adding egg whites to whole egg. What ratio do you use? Like one whole egg and add how much egg white. This idea appeals to me, because I cannot eat just egg whites.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    edited August 2018
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    I have a question about adding egg whites to whole egg. What ratio do you use? Like one whole egg and add how much egg white. This idea appeals to me, because I cannot eat just egg whites.

    It's really personal preference. I prefer a two whole egg to one egg white serving (46g) ratio but sometimes do it one to one. The latter is a bit more bland but I still enjoy it.
  • mountainmare
    mountainmare Posts: 294 Member
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    So what do you suppose happens to all of the yolks discarded to make egg whites in cartons? I never thought about all that waste before.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
    edited August 2018
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    So what do you suppose happens to all of the yolks discarded to make egg whites in cartons? I never thought about all that waste before.

    They separate the whites and the yolks and sell them for different products/to different companies. There are tons of products that use just yolks. Ice cream is a big one.

    ETA: Before I started buying the carton of whites, I would separate them and freeze the yolks in ice cube trays to use for baking later on.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    kami3006 wrote: »
    So what do you suppose happens to all of the yolks discarded to make egg whites in cartons? I never thought about all that waste before.

    They separate the whites and the yolks and sell them for different products/to different companies. There are tons of products that use just yolks. Ice cream is a big one.

    Mayo, salad dressings, custard.
  • mountainmare
    mountainmare Posts: 294 Member
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    OK that makes sense, I had visions of a yolk river
  • melissa6771
    melissa6771 Posts: 894 Member
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    I have a question about adding egg whites to whole egg. What ratio do you use? Like one whole egg and add how much egg white. This idea appeals to me, because I cannot eat just egg whites.

    I eat one egg with three egg whites every day, I also scramble a half ounce of low-fat cheese in
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    So what do you suppose happens to all of the yolks discarded to make egg whites in cartons? I never thought about all that waste before.

    @mountainmare
    ?Creme brulee?