An egg is really three separate foods, the whole egg, the white, and the yolk, each with its own distinct nutritional profile.
A whole egg is a high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-quality protein food packaged in a high-calcium shell that can be grounded and added to any recipe. The proteins in eggs, with sufficient amounts of all the essential amino acids, are 99 percent digestible, the standard by which all other proteins are judged.
The egg white is a high-protein, low-fat food with virtually no cholesterol. Its only important vitamin is riboflavin (vitamin B2), a visible vitamin that gives egg white a slightly greenish cast. Raw egg whites contain avidin, an antinutrient that binds biotin a B complex vitamin formerly known as vitamin H, into an insoluble compound. Cooking the egg inactivates avidin.
An egg yolk is a high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-protein food, a good source of vitamin A derived from carotenes eaten by the laying hen, plus vitamin D, B vitamins, and heme iron, the form of iron most easily absorbed by your body.
One large egg has 5 g Fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 212 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 950 IU vitamin A (19 percent of the RDA for a man, 23.7 percent of the RDA for a woman), and 0.72 mg iron (4.8 percent of the RDA for a woman of childbearing age).
One large egg white has 4 g protein, but no
fat or cholesterol. One large egg yolk has 6 g fat (1.7 g saturated fat), 272 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, and 970 IU vitamin A (19.4 percent of the RDA for a man, 24 percent of the RDA for a woman).
The most nutritious way to server egg is with extra whites and fewer yolks to lower the fat and cholesterol per serving. Those on controlled-fat, low-cholesterol diet or low-protein diet should exclude this food.
A whole egg is a high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-quality protein food packaged in a high-calcium shell that can be grounded and added to any recipe. The proteins in eggs, with sufficient amounts of all the essential amino acids, are 99 percent digestible, the standard by which all other proteins are judged.
The egg white is a high-protein, low-fat food with virtually no cholesterol. Its only important vitamin is riboflavin (vitamin B2), a visible vitamin that gives egg white a slightly greenish cast. Raw egg whites contain avidin, an antinutrient that binds biotin a B complex vitamin formerly known as vitamin H, into an insoluble compound. Cooking the egg inactivates avidin.
An egg yolk is a high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-protein food, a good source of vitamin A derived from carotenes eaten by the laying hen, plus vitamin D, B vitamins, and heme iron, the form of iron most easily absorbed by your body.
One large egg has 5 g Fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 212 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 950 IU vitamin A (19 percent of the RDA for a man, 23.7 percent of the RDA for a woman), and 0.72 mg iron (4.8 percent of the RDA for a woman of childbearing age).
One large egg white has 4 g protein, but no
fat or cholesterol. One large egg yolk has 6 g fat (1.7 g saturated fat), 272 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, and 970 IU vitamin A (19.4 percent of the RDA for a man, 24 percent of the RDA for a woman).
The most nutritious way to server egg is with extra whites and fewer yolks to lower the fat and cholesterol per serving. Those on controlled-fat, low-cholesterol diet or low-protein diet should exclude this food.
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