I was staying with a friend of mine earlier in the year and saw he was making eggs for breakfast. Then to my shock I saw him crack the egg open and then toss the yolks right into the garbage disposal! When I asked him what he thought he was doing he said, “I thought the eggs yolks were bad for you.”
I almost wanted to crack an egg on his head when I heard him say this because that statement couldn’t be any further from the truth. Even though the egg whites do have protein in them but lack nutrients as the yolks carry the bulk of the nutrition. Hands down, eating the whole egg is the champion in the egg yolk vs egg white competition.
Eggs are a terrific source of healthy protein, dietary fats, B complex, vitamins, folate and other great nutrients that allow your body to thrive. In fact a study by the International Journal of Obesity found the group eating 2 eggs a day lost 65% more weight and reduced their belly fat by 34% more than the group who just ate a bagel for breakfast. Now that’s the power of eggs!
Are eggs healthy for you? You bet.
Even though eggs are one of the most nutrient rich foods there are still people out there who have been brainwashed into thinking egg yolks are bad for them. If you’re looking for what foods to eat to lose belly fat than eating whole eggs will definitely help get you there. Egg yolks are loaded with healthy protein, omega-3’s (in free range organic chickens), choline (great for brain health), carotenoids (critical for eye health) and zeaxanthin which is a powerful antioxidant.
But What About The Boatloads Of Cholesterol In The Egg Yolks?
In the battle of egg whites vs egg yolks there really is no scientific foundation for the statement that eating the cholesterol in eggs will raise your own bad cholesterol. A Harvard medical study found no correlation between the consumption of eggs and the risk for heart disease or stroke. And your body actually wants you to eat some cholesterol because if you’re not consuming enough your body will naturally increase its own production to meet your body’s needs.
But when you’re consuming enough good cholesterol then your own bodily cholesterol production will slow. Not to mention that cholesterol is the building block for all cells and inflammation actually needs cholesterol to heal damaged cells.
There was also a study by the University of Connecticut that also approved of eating the whole egg even though they do have a good amount of cholesterol in them. They found the group eating the egg yolks saw their good HDL cholesterol actually increase by 20% and their bad LDL cholesterol stay the same while the group that only ate the egg whites didn’t see any improvement. Also the good HDL cholesterol is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
Okay, I Know Who Won The Egg Whites Vs Egg Yolks Debate But How Do I Pick The Right Eggs?
Not all eggs are created equal and there is some special consideration to be had when picking out your eggs. Don’t pick out the giant discount crate of eggs at your local supermarket because those eggs are from sick chickens that are fed soy and grain feed while they’ve been stuck in a cold and dark cage all day.
Instead of eating those worthless excuse for eggs you’re instead going to want to look for organic free-range vegetarian fed chicken eggs. Organic chicken eggs contain up to 20x’s more omega-3’s than the sick factory produced grain fed chickens.
Finding eggs that are cage free is also important because they’re composed of quality proteins and have an optimal omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. Also there is no difference between brown and white eggs, the color of the egg is simply determined by the color of the hen.
If you crack an egg from a conventionally raised chicken and compare it to the color of the organically vegetarian fed free-range chicken you’ll notice the latter looks way healthier and the yolk is a very bright orange while the former is a runny pale yolked egg. Also the taste of the two makes a huge difference.
I personally eat eggs for breakfast every day of the week and I don’t feel the same without them. And forget about doing the “I’ll eat 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg” garbage because you’re just going to be throwing away all the nutrients. I’d also recommend checking out my post on how to get rid of lower belly fat for more fat burning tips. I hope this once and for all settles the egg whites vs egg yolks debate.
Josh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Science. He’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and he’s a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) by American Council on Exercise. He’s worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the high school and college levels. He has over 15 years of experience as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. He strives to bring inspiration and results for people to live healthier lives through smart diet and exercise.