Eat the yolks v. egg whites only

Egg whites only



Even though egg whites may appear kind of flimsy and bland, they’re a prime example of how looks can be deceiving. These delicious little egg parts are actually quite nutritious and come with a bevy of benefits over eating the entire egg.

For starters, your doctor will stop yelling at you to cut eggs out of your diet. When docs say to stop eating so many eggs, they are really saying stop eating so much fat and cholesterol, two elements found exclusively in the yolk. In fact, a single yolk from a large egg contains more than two-thirds the daily recommended dose of cholesterol. Yikes!

Cut out the yolk and you cut out those detriments, yet retain a laundry list of nutrients found in the white. The egg white’s 4g of protein rank right up there with fish, chicken and lean meats. You are also treated to small yet measurable doses of folate, selenium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.

Another big benefit is the calories, or lack thereof. Eat the whole egg, yolk and all, and a single egg costs you 71 calories. That means your three-egg omelet, even without all the fixings, starts at 213 calories. Whip up an egg white omelet and each egg white only contributes about 16 calories, cutting your egg-related calories to a mere 48. That leaves plenty of leeway for fixings.

Kicking out the yolk also kicks down the cost, at least if you opt for egg white products over buying whole eggs. A dozen whole eggs easily sells for at least $1.25 or more, costing you at least 10 cents per egg. Dried egg whites generally cost around $8 per pound. Mix the pound of powdered whites with water and you have the equivalent of 136 egg whites, costing you about 5 cents per egg.

Even if you do buy whole eggs, you can eat the whites and save the yolk for other purposes, like an acne-fighting face mask or leave-in hair conditioner. This saves you even more cash on your beauty products while keeping your body free of the yolk’s fat, cholesterol and unnecessary calories.

Ryn Gargulinski is an artist and egg-white-loving writer who contributes to Livestrong.com. ryngargulinski.com.