Fad diet trends come and go with the seasons and so often the weight loss industry turns healthy foods into ingredients to villainize or improve to create a “healthier” version for you to achieve your body goals. One such food that often comes under attack are eggs—a widely known lean source of protein ideal for building a filling breakfast packed with healthy fats.
However, the urge to cut down on calories can be tempting, and many wellness influencers suggest opting for egg whites rather than the whole egg in order to reduce fat in your diet and achieve weight loss more quickly. This begs the question: are egg whites actually healthier for fueling your body? We checked in with registered dietitian Trista Best to get to the bottom of the great debate so you can create the most well rounded breakfast to boost your day and keep you feeling full and satisfied.
Eggs Whites: Pros & Cons
When it comes to losing weight, less calories doesn’t always equate to being healthier, and this may be the case for egg whites. While many dieters opt for a serving of egg whites rather than consuming the whole egg in order to ‘save’ calories and reduce fat, they’re actually missing out on some valuable nutrients to help fuel the day and even promote healthy weight loss without deprivation.
“Eating egg whites only can help with weight loss, but their benefits essentially end there. Some people cut out egg yolks to reduce dietary cholesterol, but cholesterol from food sources has been shown to have little impact on blood cholesterol,” explains Best.
Aside from the cholesterol content of the yolk, there are also a slew of other nutrients in that part of the egg which can be useful to the body that you would miss out on by simply eating the whites. “Many of the vitamins and minerals that give eggs their other benefits are lost or significantly reduced when you cut out egg yolks. For instance, choline is an essential nutrient and plays a vital role in fat metabolism, nearly all the choline in an egg is found in egg yolks,” adds Best.
It’s not uncommon to feel pressured to prioritize calories over everything else as you work to lose weight, but this mindset will not be sustainable in the long term and your body will reflect the lack of nutrients by becoming weaker and less energized.
The pros of eating only the egg whites are minimal, but worth looking at when presenting a fair case that examines both sides of the argument. “By eating only the egg whites the dieter is cutting down on calories from 71 to 18, but only losing 2 grams of protein. The fat content goes from 5 grams in an entire egg to zero when only eating the egg whites,” says Best.
Once again, while this does reduce the calories you’re eating, the meal also becomes significantly less satiating and you’re more likely to seek out snacks shortly after eating when you create a dish that is not designed to keep you full. Healthy fats serve a number of useful functions in the body, and removing the egg yolk reduces the benefits on your heart health and blood pressure.
Eggs are an excellent addition to any eating plan for weight loss, but you don’t need to eat only the whites in order to reap the benefits. Instead, eating the whole egg will provide your body with ample fat and protein which can ultimately help to bolster your metabolism and keep you full for longer which will be a healthier approach to weight loss down the road.
It can be easy to fall into dieting traps when you see your favorite influencers cutting corners with calories, but some foods are perfectly healthy without making alterations to them, and eggs are one such food.
