Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author, The Truth about 6-Pack Abs

I was on a weekend trip with some friends recently and one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the whole group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was getting ready to make a big batch of eggs.

Well, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the egg yolks. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and he replied something like this…

“because I thought the egg yolks were terrible for you…that’s where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is”.

And I replied, “you mean that’s where all of the nutrition is!”

This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation about nutrition, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!

By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you’re essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients… it’s not even worth trying to list them all.

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks.

Even the protein in egg whites isn’t as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).

And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg…

“But I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof”

No, this is FALSE!

First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it’s internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.

On the other hand, if you don’t eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has dozens of important vital functions in the body.

healthy whole eggsAnd here’s where it gets even more interesting…

There have been plenty of studies lately that indicate that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.

And 3rd… high cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease is a disease…but high cholesterol is NOT. Cholesterol is actually a VERY important substance in your body and has vitally important functions… it is DEAD WRONG to try to “lower your cholesterol” just because of pharmaceutical companies propaganda that everyone on the planet should be on statin drugs.

If you’re interested in this topic of cholesterol specifically, I have another article listed at the bottom of this page about why trying to attack cholesterol is a mistake, and what the REAL deadly risk factors actually are.

In addition, the yolks contain the antioxidant lutein as well as other antioxidants which can help protect you from inflammation within your body (the REAL culprit in heart disease, not dietary cholesterol!), giving yet another reason why the yolks are actually GOOD for you, and not detrimental.

To help bring even more proof that whole eggs are better for you than egg whites, I recently read a University of Connecticut study that showed that a group of men in the study that ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%, while their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study. However, the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either and did not see the improvement in good cholesterol (remember that higher HDL levels are associated with lower risk of heart disease) that the whole egg eaters did.

So I hope we’ve established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body… instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites.

But what about the extra calories in the yolks?

This is actually a non-issue and here’s why… even though egg yolks contain more calories than just eating the egg whites, the yolks have such a high micro-nutrient density in those calories, that it increases your overall nutrient density per calorie you consume. Essentially, what this does is help to regulate your appetite for the remainder of the day, so you end up eating less calories overall. In addition, the healthy fats in the egg yolks help to maintain a good level of fat-burning hormones in your body.

Overall, this means that the extra fats (healthy fats) and calories from the yolk are so nutrient-dense that they actually HELP you to burn off body fat!

Also, your normal supermarket eggs coming from mass factory farming just don’t compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet. Your typical cheap grocery store eggs will have lower nutrient levels and a higher omega-6 level and lower omega-3 level. On the other hand, the cage-free organic eggs from healthier chickens allowed to eat more natural feed and roam freely will have much higher vitamin and mineral levels and a more balanced healthier omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.

I recently compared eggs I bought at the grocery store with a batch of eggs I got at a farm stand where the chickens were free roaming and healthy.

Most people don’t realize that there’s a major difference because they’ve never bought real eggs from healthy chickens… The eggs from the grocery store had pale yellow yolks and thin weak shells. On the other hand, the healthier free range eggs from the local farm had strong thick shells and deep orange colored yolks indicating much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids… and just a healthier egg in general.

This is due to the fact that a free-roaming hen allowed to roam on plenty of land will eat a variety of greens, insects, worms, etc transferring MUCH higher levels of nutrients to the eggs compared to an unhealthy hen that is trapped inside a dark factory farm hen house in horrible conditions and fed nothing but piles of corn and soy. It’s a DRASTIC difference in the nutrition that you get from the egg.

So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior (because of their “fat-phobic” mentality towards dietary fats), you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you now understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.

And can we all please STOP with this sillyness about eating an omelete with 4-5 egg whites and only 1 egg yolk… If you want real taste and real health benefits, we’d all be better off eating ALL of our eggs with the yolks.

After all, do you REALLY think that our ancestors thousands of years ago threw out the yolks and only ate the egg whites? NOT A CHANCE! They intuitively knew that all of the nutrition was found in the yolks. But our modern society has been brainwashed with misinformation about fats and cholesterol.

Another interesting study about eggs…

I read a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs groups of people that ate cereal or bagel-based breakfasts. The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight.

It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings.

Oh, one last thing I almost forgot… I personally eat 4 whole eggs almost every day with breakfast, and I maintain single-digit bodyfat most of the year.

Enjoy your eggs and get a leaner body!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author, The Truth about 6-Pack Abs

The dangers of cholesterol lowering drugs, statins

Build Your Core Strength and Power to Improve Performance

Building your core strength and power will improve your athletic power and explosion. Dynamic core power exercises are done at full speed to train your body to move faster with control and strength.

Great dynamic core strength and power allows you to generate more power when you are tired. This allows you to defeat your opponent or outrun your opponent.

One of the first signs of fatigue that I look for in an athlete is whether he or she can remain strong and upright towards the end of the game. If your core is weak, you will start to “bend over” and lose power and explosiveness when you run.

Next, your arms will start to “flail” instead of pumping powerfully to fuel your running.

Adequate core strength helps your speed endurance, which is the ability to maintain maximum velocity or a percentage of maximum velocity for a prolonged period of time or in a fatigued state. The best players and teams have excellent overall body strength, core strength and speed endurance (and they win the most games).

If you are a serious athlete, you need a program that continually challenges and improves your core strength! You will lose power and speed during the game if you have a weak core area!

Train hard and smart!

Go here now and get your Free Sports Power Workout Book and Speed Training Tips!

Mark Dilworth at My Fitness Hut

Turn on Your Fat-Burning Gene

You may have this gene. It may be turned “off” right now… in fact it probably is.

There’s a problem with that: This gene helps you melt off body fat.

It would be pretty nice to turn that sucker on, right?

Here’s an article on…

1. What SIRT1 is;
2. How you can “turn it on”
3. How to keep it on

What Is SIRT1?

Simply put, SIRT1 is a “rescue gene”. This gene is activated during times of fasting to, for a very SHORT period of time, access more stored body fat.

That’s a good thing.

The problems are…

1. Fasting is not good for the metabolism if done for more than a day;

2. This trick doesn’t work well over the long-run.

SIRT1 is practically dormant in most people as we have a surplus of food. We consume, on average, about 30% more food than our bodies require every single day.

It’s no wonder this gene went to sleep…

… and it’s time you wake it up.

How To Turn On SIRT1

As mentioned above, fasting for a day will activate SIRT1 if practiced for a few weeks. So you eat one day, fast the next, and keep this up for 1-2 weeks.

But… let’s face it. Most of us do not like the idea of NOT eating for a full day.

So I have two alternatives that work just as well to activate SIRT1 and NOT shut down your metabolism over the long-haul (as weekly fasting like this can do.)

TIP 1: Do a fruit fast instead.

If you want to try a fruit fast every other day you can do so. This is much healthier and much easier on the body than an all-out fast.

However, for some people the sugar in fruit can trigger over-eating… and we don’t want that.

TIP 2: Stagger your calories

Jon Benson teaches you this trick here:

Turn On Your Fatburning Gene <--- click.here

But he takes it a step further: He lets you in on how you can stagger your “macronutrients” and your calories without having to think too much about it.

He calls this his “Favorite Foods Plan” because it demands you consume high-calorie foods that you enjoy at specific times on specific days.

The other days are low in calories, higher in lean protein, but still contain real food.

Fasting is not necessary. The “starvation” switch that triggers SIRT1 has been shown to be triggered after only a day or two of low-calorie eating.

You just can’t do that very long without higher- calorie days… and THAT is the nifty trick you need to learn.

Jon wrote the book on the subject… literally. : )

Turn On Your Fatburning Gene <--- the guide to fat loss

How Do You Keep SIRT1 “On”?

Simple: You stay on this cycle-your-calories diet plan… yep. That’s necessary. This is for LIFETIME fat loss… not a crash diet plan… they never, EVER get you what you want.

You want to be lean for life… no exceptions.

So to do that you need all the genetic help you can get…. and SIRT1 is part of that plan.

Turn it on today.

Go here:

Turn On Your Fatburning Gene <--- click.here

Mark Dilworth at My Fitness Hut

10 Tips to Improve your Body’s Composition and Health in 2012

Your body’s composition and health are worsening if you have been sedentary for a long period of time. Take steps to eat better, burn fat, lose weight and improve your health. This will give you the best chance to live a healthy, quality life. You deserve it.

If you are overweight or have too much body fat (a skinny person can have too much body fat), your body is not as healthy as it could be. Start making changes today!

Here are 10 tips you can take TODAY to start improving your health and body:

1. Identify your fitness goals and determine why your fat loss and weight loss efforts have failed or succeeded in the past. You also have to get your motivation right for your exercise program to work for you. This step takes you being “very honest” with yourself! Sometimes it is a painful process.

2. It is crucial that you improve your body’s composition (less body fat % vs. more lean mass %). Where are you fat? Excess abdominal fat has been shown to be a precursor to diseases such as cancer.

3. You need to know your body’s measurements (chest, arms, neck, hips, waist, etc.). Consistently strength training your total body will help you burn fat and shrink your body.

4. What’s your health history? You might need a doctor’s clearance before you can begin an exercise program.

5. What are your eating habits? Part of your fitness assessment will look at what you are eating, how you are eating and changes that you need to make.

6. What is your basal metabolic rate? Don’t know? This rate helps you set the daily calories you will need to reach your fat loss goals.

7. Have you had low back pain for some time? If so, you probably have postural problems that need to be corrected. Schedule an appointment with your trainer.

8. Had any muscle spasms or “knotted muscles” lately? Then, you need to improve your flexibility. A fitness assessment will tell you where your muscles are tight, lengthened or weak.

9. When’s the last time you checked your resting pulse rate? Your resting pulse rate will tell you how hard your heart is working in a resting state. For instance, my resting pulse rate was 58 beats per minute the last time I checked it. That’s pretty low. When I was at peak condition as a college athlete, my resting pulse rate was 54-56 beats per minute.

10. You might have to start out slowly getting in shape. Try walking 30 minutes a day for a week. You will need to progress to regular strength and cardio training to transform your body to lean and toned.

You have to start taking steps to improve your health and body. Do it today!

Be sure and download my Free Special Report: “10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips, Free Fat Loss Meals and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

“Exercise is not my life…..exercise makes my life better!”

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the “50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody—including athletes!

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