DON'T YOU EAT EGG YOLK?

EGG YOLK - BENEFITS

The title of the article is to get the attention. Yes, I have exaggerated the title to get the attention. This article is not in support of egg yolk but in support of eating whole egg. Reading this article is very important to those health enthusiasts who discard egg yolks and eat only egg whites. Well, it is not their mistake. Most health professionals, health magazines and books claim that egg yolk packs more amount of fat and cholesterol, and as the world is full of misconception, most people easily believe them and mistakenly think that egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG. I don’t say that egg white is bad for your health, but it is far inferior to egg yolk in terms of providing you with essential nutrition. By discarding yolk and only eating egg white, you are just chucking away the most nutritional antioxidant rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. Yes, egg yolks contain so many B-Vitamins, fat soluble vitamins, trace minerals, folate, choline, lutein and other powerful nutrients.
Below is a table that compares the nutritional value of egg whites and yolks, with data provided by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).

Table 1: Egg Yolks Versus Egg Whites



As you can see from the table, the yolk contains 100% of the carotenoids, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, and K (6 items). The white does not contain 100% of any nutrient.
The yolk contains more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and 89% of the panthothenic acid (9 items). The white does not contain more than 90% of any nutrient, but contains over 80% of the magnesium, sodium, and niacin (3 items).
The yolk contains between 50% and 80% of the copper, manganese, and selenium, while the white contains between 50% and 80% of the potassium, riboflavin, and protein.
It should also be kept in mind that the yolk of an egg is smaller than the white. Where the white contains a slim majority of nutrients, such as protein, this is not due to a greater concentration in the white, but simply to the fact that there is more white in the egg than yolk.

Egg Yolks Contain Essential Fatty Acids DHA and Arachidonic Acid
One important set of nutrients that should not be overlooked is the long-chain essential fatty acids. Egg yolks contain the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is necessary for the brain and proper retinal function in the eye, and the long-chain omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, which is required for the healthy skin, hair, libido, reproduction, growth and response to injury. These fatty acids are primarily needed by young children, pregnant and lactating women, and people with degenerative diseases involving oxidative stress, especially those of the nervous system such as Alzheimer's. While fatty fish and cod liver oil supply DHA in larger amounts, egg yolks have an advantage over these foods because they also contain arachidonic acid and because they do not contain EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), which interferes with arachidonic acid metabolism. According to NutritionData.Com, one egg yolk contains 75 mg of arachidonic acid (AA), 20 mg of DHA, but no EPA.

Egg Yolks Contain Choline
Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects. Two eggs provide about 250 milligrams of choline, or roughly half of the recommended daily intake for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Choline also aids the brain function of adults by maintaining the structure of brain cell membranes, and is a key component of the neuro-transmitter that helps relay messages from the brain through nerves to the muscles.

Egg Yolks Contain Carotenoids
Lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants found in egg yolks, help prevent macular degeneration, a leading cause of age-related blindness. Though eggs contain a small amount of these two nutrients, research shows that the lutein from eggs may be more bioavailable than lutein from other food sources.

Eggs contain High quality protein
The high-quality protein in eggs helps you to feel full longer and stay energized, which contributes to maintaining a healthy weight. Research also indicates that high-quality protein may help active adults build muscle strength and help prevent muscle loss in middle-aged and aging adults.

Now I will discuss about the common objections which are heard when I say yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg.

1. Whole eggs will shoot-up my cholesterol level to the roof: Many people believe that dietary cholesterol directly contributes to raising blood cholesterol. Because eggs provide about half the dietary cholesterol in a typical Western diet, the public has been advised to limit its egg consumption. No, this is incorrect. First of all, the dietary intake of cholesterol should be 300 mg a day. One large egg has about 213 mg of cholesterol. So, eating one or two eggs a day will not increase your blood cholesterol, moreover, 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 tons of important functions in the body. Second point is that, phospholipid or lecithin found in egg markedly inhibits the cholesterol absorption. So, even though a good amount of cholesterol is consumed when an egg is eaten, much of the cholesterol becomes “unavailable for absorption” in the presence of phospholipid. Third, eating whole egg actually raises the good cholesterol (HDL) to a degree higher than bad cholesterol (LDL). Even New research shows that, contrary to previous belief, moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol. In fact, recent studies have shown that regular consumption of two eggs per day does not affect a person's lipid profile and may, in fact, improve it. Research suggests that it is saturated fat and trans fat that raises cholesterol rather than dietary cholesterol.

Below is an article to clear the cholesterol myths and to know that cholesterol is not a villain.
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/cholesterol-myths.html

2. Consuming the egg white for its protein is important to build your muscles: This is true egg white is important in muscle building but this 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.

By reading the above article I think all your misinformation and misconceptions are cleared. So, next time when a health and fitness advisor tells you that egg whites are superior, you can simply ignore them knowing that you understand the real deal about egg yolks.