Egg Whites: Health benefits & nutrition facts
- Egg white is the clear, gelatinous liquid that surrounds the yolk inside the egg. Also called the albumen, egg white serves as a shock-absorber and anchor for the egg yolk and provides nutrients to the developing embryo (in fertilized eggs). It's also an incredibly nutritional food. Unlike egg yolk, the egg white is free of fats and cholesterol and a great source of protein.
- Eggs are all-natural and provide one of the highest quality proteins of any food available. One egg provides more than six grams of protein, or 13% of the recommended Daily Value," said Mitch Kanter, executive director of the Egg Nutrition Center(opens in new tab), the research arm of the American Egg Board.
- Egg whites are good sources of riboflavin(opens in new tab) and selenium(opens in new tab), Kanter told Live Science. Additionally, each egg white contains 54 milligrams of potassium, an essential mineral, and 55 mg of sodium. Too much sodium can cause problems, but a moderate amount of it (about 1,500 mg per day, according to Nutrition Today(opens in new tab)) is essential for body functioning.
- For a long time whole eggs were seen as the bad guy because they're high in cholesterol. But according to the Harvard School of Public Health(opens in new tab), "a solid body of research shows that for most people, cholesterol in food has a much smaller effect on blood levels of total cholesterol and harmful LDL cholesterol than does the mix of fats in the diet."
- Regular consumption of egg yolk also supports good eye health. A 2005 study published in The Journal of Nutrition (opens in new tab) found that two of the chemicals critical for combating macular degeneration (opens in new tab) – lutein and zeaxanthin – are also present in egg yolks and accumulate in the retina after consumption.
- So, for most people, eating the whole egg is healthier than eating the egg white or egg yolk alone.