About Eggs and Egg Whites
When you go to the grocery store and you buy a dozen eggs, those are hen’s eggs. Health benefits of eggs are many, but the cholesterol content is sometimes a concern for people trying to monitor their diet for heart health. They often substitute egg whites instead of whole eggs.
Health Benefits of Eggs
Hen’s eggs contain many healthy nutrients, including choline, folate, vitamin D, iodine, B vitamins, and high-quality protein. Plus, they are no longer considered by national bodies to be a risk factor for hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) or cardiovascular (heart) disease. In recent years saturated fats and even processed white grains are considered a greater risk factor for high cholesterol and heart disease. If you follow Eating Well magazine, you’ll notice a trend in their recipes where they substitute a vegetable like spaghetti squash or cabbage for pasta in accordance with these recent findings. Thus, you may conclude that the health benefits of eggs outweigh any concerns about cholesterol content.
Choline
An essential micronutrient for babies’ growth and development, choline is mainly found in eggs and beef liver. Some plant-based foods like almonds and broccoli contain choline in lower amounts. However, eggs are a better source of choline for vegetarians. In the US, average daily choline intake is 425 mg for female adults; 550 mg for male adults; and 450 mg during pregnancy. Studies show that when pregnant women consumed approximately twice the average daily choline intake during the third trimester of pregnancy, infant information processing speed improved at four to 13 months and sustained attention improved at seven years compared with the average intake. Studies have found egg consumers to have higher choline intake than non-consumers. Unfortunately, only 8.5 percent of pregnant women even meet the average intake for choline. This leaves them and their children deficient in this nutrient and its benefits.
Folate
Folate, aka vitamin B9, is necessary for the formation of DNA and other genetic material, and the process of cell division. While folate is a naturally occurring nutrient in foods, folic acid is the synthetic (man-made) form of folate that is added to many foods and supplements. Women of childbearing age must have sufficient folate/folic acid intakes to protect their children from neural tube defects. In adults 65 years and older, folate deficiency has been associated with neurological damage and increased risk of dementia.
Unfortunately, many people are at risk for low folate/folic acid intake. This is including, but not limited to, people who have the MTHFR gene mutation. (No, I’m not try to swear, it stands for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. That’s the enzyme that the MTHFR gene provides instructions for making.) Individuals with this gene mutation have trouble processing folate/folic acid.
Some sources suggest that individuals with an MTHFR gene mutation cannot process man-made folic acid and always require folate in its natural form. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) differs in regard to this aspect, claiming that individuals with an MRHFR gene mutation can consume all types of folate, including the man-made form, folic acid. One thing that seems to be unanimously agreed upon among sources is that individuals with the mutation often require increased amounts of folate.
Folate and the Methylation Process
According to Dr. Hyman’s The Ultramind Solution, the ability to process folate is necessary for methylation. Methylation is a biochemical pathway in your body that must operate properly to reduce blood levels of homocysteine. (Homocysteine is a chemical that is toxic to the brain in large quantities.) Methylation is also needed to optimize mental health, and prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, strokes, cancer, and more. In order for methylation to work properly, you need to be ingesting enough folate and be able to process it.
As someone with the MTHFR mutation, I do believe it may make me more prone to depression at times. Folate deficiency (which can be due in part to difficulty processing it) can certainly lead to depression. If you read Dr. Hyman’s book, you will read cases where he has helped patients with the MTHFR mutation by prescribing a high dose of a special type of folate.
Folate in Studies
Recent data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) in the UK found that 89% of women of childbearing age had a red blood cell folate concentration below the threshold increasing risk for neural tube defects. As for adults 65 years and up, nutritional requirements have upped the daily recommended intake of folate to prevent dementia. Analyses of NDNS data have also found a significantly higher intake of folate among people who consumed eggs and had a low intake of red or processed meat compared to those who consumed diets heavy in red and processed meats and no eggs. Additionally, female consumers of eggs demonstrated significantly higher intake of folate as well as protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Other factors such as increased consumption of fruit and vegetables may have also contributed to the higher folate intakes among these more health-conscious people.
B vitamins
Besides folate, eggs are also high in other B vitamins that are beneficial to human health:
- Riboflavin – Energy and iron metabolism, vision, skin and mucous membrane health, red blood cells, oxidative stress prevention, nervous system regulation, and reducing tiredness and fatigue.
- Pantothenic acid – Production of steroid hormones, vitamin D and neurotransmitters, energy metabolism, optimal cognition, and lessening tiredness and fatigue.
- Biotin – Psychological function, health of skin, hair and mucous membranes, nervous system.
- Folate – Psychological function, blood formation, homocysteine and amino acid metabolism, immunity, maternal tissue growth throughout pregnancy, and lessening tiredness and fatigue.
- Vitamin B12 – Red blood cell formation, energy metabolism, immunity, nervous system, psychological function, homocysteine metabolism, and lessened tiredness and fatigue.
Vitamin D
Getting enough vitamin D can be difficult, especially for people who have limited sun exposure for geographic or other reasons. It is also difficult during the winter months. Eggs are one of the few foods naturally high in vitamin D, thus they can help with these issue. A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) in 51 Australian adults found that, after 12-weeks of either 2, 7 or 14 eggs/week during winter months, serum 25(OH)-vitamin D levels had only gone down significantly in the group consuming the lowest number of eggs. Thus, the study suggests consumption of 7–14 eggs per week may help to lessen the usual seasonal drop in circulating 25(OH)-vitamin D.
Iodine
Iodine is an essential nutrient for normal fetal brain development as well as fertility and preventing preeclampsia. Studies suggest that obtaining iodine from food sources over a long period of time may be more beneficial for behavioral outcomes in infants than iodine supplementation during pregnancy. Since eggs are replete with iodine, adding them to your diet prior to and during pregnancy can help boost your iodine intake.
Molybdenum
Molybdenum is a mineral that is necessary for processing proteins and genetic material like DNA. It also breaks down drugs and toxic substances that enter the body.
High-quality protein
Eggs are considered a source of high-quality or complete protein since as they contain all nine essential amino acids. Like milk and cheese, eggs are one of a select assortment of vegetarian foods that provide a complete protein. High-quality protein is especially important for older adults to support my-protection and prevent loss of skeletal muscle mass and function.
Currently, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) proposes a protein recommendation of 0.83 g/kg body weight daily. This would be 58 grams of protein for someone weighing 70 kg or 154 lbs. Personally, I have often been told whatever number is three-fourths of my body weight in lbs, that’s how many grams of protein I should consume daily. So that’s 75 grams for me since I weigh around 100 lbs. With 12.8 g of high-quality protein in two eggs, including eggs, omelettes, and frittatas in your meal plan can contribute significantly to daily protein recommendations.
Health Benefits of Egg Whites
Egg whites are high in protein but low in calories, fat, cholesterol, and carbs. Egg whites provide a much higher protein-to-calorie ratio than whole eggs. For example, consuming the same amount of calories in egg whites as in one whole egg (74 calories), you’d consume nearly 15 g of protein in egg whites, as opposed to 6.2 g for one whole egg. That’s why many people opt for egg whites instead of whole eggs when they are on a low-cholesterol diet. While egg whites do contain a good amount of riboflavin (vitamin B2) and selenium, they lack many of the other micronutrients present in whole eggs.
Recipes with Eggs or Egg Whites
Now that you’ve read about the health benefits of eggs and egg whites, try my recipes with these ingredients. Check out these gems from Lauren’s Veggie Kitchen: