Is Egg Yolks Good For You

We’re Fans of Breakfast and the Egg Yolk

I think it can do some amazing things for you. Not only does it just start your day off right, but it can also decrease your hunger throughout the morning and actually increase weight loss. I believe any breakfast should include whole eggs, yolks included. These protein powerhouses are full of vitamin A, B, iron, and nutrients as well!

Is an egg yolk good for you?

What the Science Says:

Forget the bad propaganda directed at eggs.

Research has shown that eating eggs make you feel more full, which cuts back on short-term snacking throughout the rest of the morning (Vander Wal et al 2005).

Another great benefit of eggs is that they are loaded with muscle-building protein while having only ~71 calories (dependent on size)!

One of their greatest health benefits is that if you are dieting, supplementing them into your breakfast could induce greater weight loss (Vander Wal et al. 2008).

Louisiana State University did a study that compared the weight loss of in which one group ate scrambled eggs for breakfast compared to a group that did not over the course of eight weeks.

The group that ate eggs lost 65% more weight, had a 34% greater reduction in weight circumference, and a 16% greater reduction in body fat percentage compared to the group that did not (Vander Wal et al. 2008)!

By adding eggs into your diet you can achieve great things!

No Yolk?

The Yolk Truth Are Egg Yolks GoodWhen it comes to eating the entire egg or just the egg whites everyone has a different view. Like the LSU study mentioned above, I personally eat the entire egg. Let’s break down the nutrient content (http://www.nutritiondata.com) of an average large egg (50g). Note: a hardboiled egg has a different nutrient content than a butter-fried egg so use your best judgment when it comes to egg preparation.

The average 50g egg has a nutrient content (raw fresh egg) of 71 calories, 6g protein, 5g total fat, and 211mg cholesterol.

A raw egg yolk (17g) of a large egg, on the other hand, has 54 calories, 3g protein, 5g total fat, 211mg cholesterol. While raw egg whites (33g) of a large egg have 16 calories, 4g protein, 0 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol. At a first glance, it seems that egg whites are the easy way to go.

When you break it down gram for gram egg yolks have a much higher protein content (I cup of egg yolks have 39g protein while egg whites have 26g protein) and the fat content of the yolks can be very beneficial for protein digestion among other things.

But egg yolks also have a much high cholesterol content which can be a health concern.

Another benefit of eating the yolk is getting all of the vitamins and nutrients associated with them. Likewise, the fat in the yolks is good for satiation and slows the absorption of food, keeping you feeling fuller longer.

Laura Cipullo a New York registered dietitian, in a recent FoxNews.com interview regarding egg yolks said, “So you stay fuller longer, and it won’t increase blood sugar. A lot of people have toast with just egg whites, but it’s giving them a quicker rise in their blood sugar. But if you have the yolk with it or a different form of fat like avocado, your blood sugar won’t rise as quickly, because it takes longer to break (the food) down.”

Wrap-Up

Many dietitians only recommend eating a few egg yolks a week to get their added benefits. If you have had heart disease or high cholesterol regulate yourself to only 3 egg yolks per week.

On the other hand, dietitians and Cipullo alike said that you can eat as many egg whites as you want since they do not contain any cholesterol.

A moderate mixture of egg yolks and whites seems like the ideal way to go, don’t throw out the yolks every time!

Eat that egg for breakfast and see where it takes you!

References

Vander Wal JS, Gupta A, Khosla P, & Dhurandhar NV (2008) Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. Int, J Obesity 32:1545-1551.

Vander Wal JS, Marth JM, Khosla P, Jen KC, & Dhurandhar NV (2005) Short-term effect of eggs on satiety in overweight and obese subjects. J Am Col Nutr 24:510-515.

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