Egg-u-cation

I have been asked recently, "is it okay to eat eggs every day? What part of an egg is better for you or are yolks and whites equally as nutritious?" 

To answer these questions we need to learn a little bit about eggs...

 

An average-sized egg weighs about 2 ounces. 

No matter how big or small an egg is, the yolk will make up about 31% and the white will make up about 58% of the egg's weight.  

Egg protein is used as the standard against which the quality of other food proteins are measured. 

One egg contains about 6 to 7 grams of protein. 

On average, one whole egg contains 80 calories. 

The fat in the yolk is easy for infants to digest. 


 Eggs have the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin and fat-soluble vitamins A and D which children need for growth. 

Eggs have minerals, such as iron and phosphorus, that are essential for building strong, healthy bodies. 

So to answer the questions...

Egg whites contain most of the protein, none of the fat, and have less calories than egg yolks. Egg yolks contain the cholesterol, fat, and fat soluble vitamins. 



For people with normal cholesterol I would recommend eating no more than 5 whole eggs per week. 

For people with high cholesterol I recommend eating less than 2 whole eggs per week. 


I would not limit the amount of egg whites you eat per week. Egg whites are a very lean and complete source of protein.


This blog was adapted from the University of Illinois Extension at illinois.edu