Post by Tim Wescott on Jun 8, 2004 18:39:00 GMT -5
This is why I`ve been eating 18 raw whole eggs a day lately. 
All About Eggs:
Fitness enthusiasts have always had a strange way of eating their eggs. First, there's my friend Patrick. Every morning he will add raw eggs to his protein shake. Then there's my Aunt Debbie who has lifted for the past six years and flat-benches 110 pounds. She regularly eats eggs, but only the poached whites, never the yolks.
Even outside the fitness community, eggs and health have mixed messages. Heart-healthy diets or cholesterol-lowering diets have typically recommended reducing egg intake. Conversely, low-carb diets don't hesitate to recommend eating a lot of eggs, even if they are drenched in Hollandaise sauce.
As a large cell that contains the necessities to create a life, eggs pack a terrific nutritional punch in their 75 calories. Furthermore, eggs are inexpensive, readily available, and easy to prepare. What is a person to do?
Eggs and heart health
No other diet gives eggs a bad name like "heart-healthy" diets. For heart-attack survivors, bacon and eggs are out, tofu and oatmeal are in. The American Heart Association used to recommend that egg yolks be limited to three or four per week. Under revisions in 2000, they "no longer make a recommendation about how many eggs yolks can be eaten per week." But then in the next breath -- and they do admit to being confusing -- they state one whole egg provides nearly the daily recommended allowance of dietary cholesterol. A person should eat 300mg of cholesterol per day, they claim, and one normal-sized egg contains 213mg.
Coronary heart disease is associated with high blood cholesterol levels. The thinking is that since our liver produces its own cholesterol, any consumed in the diet will only increase blood cholesterol levels. Heart-healthy diets limit cholesterol, as well as the saturated and trans fats, in an attempt to bring these levels down. Cholesterol is found only in the egg yolk, which perhaps led to the creation of the egg-white omelets that can be found on health-conscious menus.
However, studies showed that some people who ate two eggs a day did not have high levels of cholesterol. When more closely investigated it was revealed that their diet was low in saturated fats. This prompted Dr. Howell of the University of Arizona to investigate the role between cholesterol levels and saturated fats. Her paper in the 1997 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that it is the amount of saturated fat, not the amount of cholesterol in the diet, that determines blood cholesterol levels. The Harvard School of Public Health also duplicated this study. The current thinking is that avoiding egg yolks because of cholesterol levels is unnecessary.
Eggs and fats
These studies may bolster the credibility of the low-carb diets, yet many still dump the yolk, and that is because it contains saturated, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. For the fitness professional or weightlifter dieting for competition, the yolk's five grams of fat can still be seen as too much. In fact almost half the calories of an egg are derived from the fat. One shouldn't be too alarmed; of the five fat grams only 1.5 grams are of the bad, saturated fats. The unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do not increase cholesterol levels or increase body fat.
Eggs and fat doesn't stop there -- in response to "low-carb" consumer demand, designer eggs have been made that contain high levels of the polyunsaturated fat n-3. Hens fed a diet rich in healthy fats produce these "Omega-3" eggs, and the n-3 content has been raised to 350mg from 60mg. To buy these eggs and then to toss out the yolk would be an act of pure folly. There are absolutely no fats in the white.
Eggs and protein
Even with the high fat levels, eggs are still a favorite with the "muscle-building" crowd. First, if the whole egg is eaten, the polyunsaturated fats are essential for muscle growth. Secondly, eggs are a fantastic source of six grams of protein. Their biological value (efficacy with which protein is used for growth) is 93.7%. Comparatively, a steak has a biological value of 74.3%. This high biological value has made eggs the benchmark for protein research in food science. And when you consider their cost, eggs are the best protein money can buy.
Unlike fat, egg protein is found equally in both the yolk and the white. Therefore, people remove the yolk to remove the fat and only consume the three grams of egg-white protein for muscle growth.
What's in an Egg? (50g)
Nutrient Amount
energy 75 calories
protein 6.3 grams
carbs 0.2 grams
fat 5 grams
cholesterol 213 mg
sodium 66 mg
potassium 57 mg
iron 0.8 mg
phosphorus 109 mg
Vitamin A 144 mcg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.04 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavlin) 0.21 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1.0 mg
Vitamin B6 0.07 mg
Vitamin B12 0.5 mcg
Vitamin E 0.8 mg
Folate 12.4 mcg
Choline 215 mg
Biotin 9.98 mcg
Eggs also contain calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, selenium, iodide, fluoride, cobalt, chromium, boron, nickel, and vanadium.
According to egg researcher, Dr. Yoshinore Mine of the University of Guelph, "50% of egg-white protein is albumin. Albumin is well known as an excellent source of protein with an amino-acid score of 100%, and perhaps this is why weightlifters consume egg whites."
When asked if it was a good idea to eat only egg whites, Dr. Mine stated that he knew of no scientific studies that demonstrate that removing the yolk provides any more benefit than simply eating the whole egg.
"Perhaps it is done as a taste preference," he said.
Eggs and vitamins and minerals
Removing the yolk does remove the fat and may be done for taste. However, not only do you lose healthy fats and half the protein when the yolk is removed, you also throw out vitamins, minerals -- the lengthy list can be seen in the side bar -- and other nutrients. One such nutrient is betaine that reduces levels of homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine have been implicated in birth defects and heart disease. Carotenoids are also found in egg yolks. These nutrients protect against macular degeneration, an eye disease that may lead to blindness. It seems wasteful to choose to eat a food and then remove most of its value, for egg whites contain only grams of protein, and small amounts of riboflavin, calcium, sodium, and iron.
What's with eating raw eggs?
Now that I have covered all of the contents of eggs, there remains the last question: Why do some eat raw eggs? There is a belief that cooking eggs destroys some of their nutrients. Of course, frying eggs in saturated fats is the least healthy way of eating them, but is eating them raw really the best choice?
The Center for Disease Control says absolutely not. Eating raw eggs puts one in danger of food poisoning from salmonella. However, the US Department of Agriculture found that the risk of salmonella from raw eggs is very low. Only 0.00003% of eggs have salmonella contamination, and these have a cloudy appearance and can be thrown away.
People also say the raw egg white contains avidin, a substance that destroys biotin. Cooking deactivates avidin, but if one still wishes to consume raw eggs, the yolk should be eaten as well -- the yolk contains enough biotin to make the effects of avidin negligible. Cooking eggs in an ordinary manner -- briefly either poaching or boiling -- barely affects their nutrients and is a more preferable way of consumption.
In conclusion
Eggs are, unquestionably, an excellent food. They are extremely nutrient dense for they pack in a long list of vitamins and minerals in only 75 calories. Their protein is considered the best in the natural world and is often the benchmark for biological-value studies. Furthermore, eggs taste good and are inexpensive. Whether or not to eat the yolk or to eat them raw really comes down to a personal choice. For no matter how you eat them -- aside from fried in butter -- eggs are good food. Get crackin'.
...Alison Aulph
All About Eggs:
Fitness enthusiasts have always had a strange way of eating their eggs. First, there's my friend Patrick. Every morning he will add raw eggs to his protein shake. Then there's my Aunt Debbie who has lifted for the past six years and flat-benches 110 pounds. She regularly eats eggs, but only the poached whites, never the yolks.
Even outside the fitness community, eggs and health have mixed messages. Heart-healthy diets or cholesterol-lowering diets have typically recommended reducing egg intake. Conversely, low-carb diets don't hesitate to recommend eating a lot of eggs, even if they are drenched in Hollandaise sauce.
As a large cell that contains the necessities to create a life, eggs pack a terrific nutritional punch in their 75 calories. Furthermore, eggs are inexpensive, readily available, and easy to prepare. What is a person to do?
Eggs and heart health
No other diet gives eggs a bad name like "heart-healthy" diets. For heart-attack survivors, bacon and eggs are out, tofu and oatmeal are in. The American Heart Association used to recommend that egg yolks be limited to three or four per week. Under revisions in 2000, they "no longer make a recommendation about how many eggs yolks can be eaten per week." But then in the next breath -- and they do admit to being confusing -- they state one whole egg provides nearly the daily recommended allowance of dietary cholesterol. A person should eat 300mg of cholesterol per day, they claim, and one normal-sized egg contains 213mg.
Coronary heart disease is associated with high blood cholesterol levels. The thinking is that since our liver produces its own cholesterol, any consumed in the diet will only increase blood cholesterol levels. Heart-healthy diets limit cholesterol, as well as the saturated and trans fats, in an attempt to bring these levels down. Cholesterol is found only in the egg yolk, which perhaps led to the creation of the egg-white omelets that can be found on health-conscious menus.
However, studies showed that some people who ate two eggs a day did not have high levels of cholesterol. When more closely investigated it was revealed that their diet was low in saturated fats. This prompted Dr. Howell of the University of Arizona to investigate the role between cholesterol levels and saturated fats. Her paper in the 1997 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that it is the amount of saturated fat, not the amount of cholesterol in the diet, that determines blood cholesterol levels. The Harvard School of Public Health also duplicated this study. The current thinking is that avoiding egg yolks because of cholesterol levels is unnecessary.
Eggs and fats
These studies may bolster the credibility of the low-carb diets, yet many still dump the yolk, and that is because it contains saturated, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. For the fitness professional or weightlifter dieting for competition, the yolk's five grams of fat can still be seen as too much. In fact almost half the calories of an egg are derived from the fat. One shouldn't be too alarmed; of the five fat grams only 1.5 grams are of the bad, saturated fats. The unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do not increase cholesterol levels or increase body fat.
Eggs and fat doesn't stop there -- in response to "low-carb" consumer demand, designer eggs have been made that contain high levels of the polyunsaturated fat n-3. Hens fed a diet rich in healthy fats produce these "Omega-3" eggs, and the n-3 content has been raised to 350mg from 60mg. To buy these eggs and then to toss out the yolk would be an act of pure folly. There are absolutely no fats in the white.
Eggs and protein
Even with the high fat levels, eggs are still a favorite with the "muscle-building" crowd. First, if the whole egg is eaten, the polyunsaturated fats are essential for muscle growth. Secondly, eggs are a fantastic source of six grams of protein. Their biological value (efficacy with which protein is used for growth) is 93.7%. Comparatively, a steak has a biological value of 74.3%. This high biological value has made eggs the benchmark for protein research in food science. And when you consider their cost, eggs are the best protein money can buy.
Unlike fat, egg protein is found equally in both the yolk and the white. Therefore, people remove the yolk to remove the fat and only consume the three grams of egg-white protein for muscle growth.
What's in an Egg? (50g)
Nutrient Amount
energy 75 calories
protein 6.3 grams
carbs 0.2 grams
fat 5 grams
cholesterol 213 mg
sodium 66 mg
potassium 57 mg
iron 0.8 mg
phosphorus 109 mg
Vitamin A 144 mcg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.04 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavlin) 0.21 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1.0 mg
Vitamin B6 0.07 mg
Vitamin B12 0.5 mcg
Vitamin E 0.8 mg
Folate 12.4 mcg
Choline 215 mg
Biotin 9.98 mcg
Eggs also contain calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, selenium, iodide, fluoride, cobalt, chromium, boron, nickel, and vanadium.
According to egg researcher, Dr. Yoshinore Mine of the University of Guelph, "50% of egg-white protein is albumin. Albumin is well known as an excellent source of protein with an amino-acid score of 100%, and perhaps this is why weightlifters consume egg whites."
When asked if it was a good idea to eat only egg whites, Dr. Mine stated that he knew of no scientific studies that demonstrate that removing the yolk provides any more benefit than simply eating the whole egg.
"Perhaps it is done as a taste preference," he said.
Eggs and vitamins and minerals
Removing the yolk does remove the fat and may be done for taste. However, not only do you lose healthy fats and half the protein when the yolk is removed, you also throw out vitamins, minerals -- the lengthy list can be seen in the side bar -- and other nutrients. One such nutrient is betaine that reduces levels of homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine have been implicated in birth defects and heart disease. Carotenoids are also found in egg yolks. These nutrients protect against macular degeneration, an eye disease that may lead to blindness. It seems wasteful to choose to eat a food and then remove most of its value, for egg whites contain only grams of protein, and small amounts of riboflavin, calcium, sodium, and iron.
What's with eating raw eggs?
Now that I have covered all of the contents of eggs, there remains the last question: Why do some eat raw eggs? There is a belief that cooking eggs destroys some of their nutrients. Of course, frying eggs in saturated fats is the least healthy way of eating them, but is eating them raw really the best choice?
The Center for Disease Control says absolutely not. Eating raw eggs puts one in danger of food poisoning from salmonella. However, the US Department of Agriculture found that the risk of salmonella from raw eggs is very low. Only 0.00003% of eggs have salmonella contamination, and these have a cloudy appearance and can be thrown away.
People also say the raw egg white contains avidin, a substance that destroys biotin. Cooking deactivates avidin, but if one still wishes to consume raw eggs, the yolk should be eaten as well -- the yolk contains enough biotin to make the effects of avidin negligible. Cooking eggs in an ordinary manner -- briefly either poaching or boiling -- barely affects their nutrients and is a more preferable way of consumption.
In conclusion
Eggs are, unquestionably, an excellent food. They are extremely nutrient dense for they pack in a long list of vitamins and minerals in only 75 calories. Their protein is considered the best in the natural world and is often the benchmark for biological-value studies. Furthermore, eggs taste good and are inexpensive. Whether or not to eat the yolk or to eat them raw really comes down to a personal choice. For no matter how you eat them -- aside from fried in butter -- eggs are good food. Get crackin'.
...Alison Aulph
