Egg Protein - The Most Bioavailable Protein Source on Planet Earth
(Eggs Are Almost As Good As Breast Milk)
It might have to take two more misinformed generations to perish and outdated, poorly constructed structures such as the Food Pyramid to finally collapse... but eventually the TRUTH about eggs will become mainstream and the myths will finally die.
Eggs are fine.
LOTS of eggs are fine too.
In fact- they are just about the best thing you can put inside your mouth.
We forgive you if you were among those that thought that eggs were not too good for your health or your cholesterol levels.
After all, cholesterol is supposedly that deathly substance that builds up in our blood vessels and increases our risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Furthermore, it was only 5 years ago that eggs where promoted as a dietary no-no within many leading health authorities and associations such as the American Heart Association.
Despite a near library of convincing academic and clinical evidence that clearly shows that eggs do not increase blood cholesterol levels, this has sadly still not been fully embraced by all the health associations.
For example-
- The American Heart Association recommends that people keep their daily intake of dietary cholesterol to 300mg. This effectively limits the number of eggs you can consume each day to just ONE.
(ironically Forbes Magazine knows more about cholesterol than American Heart Association)
- The USDA (builders of the legendary Food Pyramid) takes even less of a stand and vaguely suggests that you "eat eggs but not too much" as part of their updated nutrition guidelines in which they classify a random wide range of foods as "protein".
A 2013 study published in the British Medical Journal, scientists investigated the relationship between dietary egg intake and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. The group of scientists concluded that higher consumption of eggs is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke.
Cholesterol From Eggs – It Doesn’t Matter.
(Dietary Cholesterol DOES NOT Significant Impact Blood Cholesterol)
Eggs are often slammed for containing high amounts of dietary cholesterol.
While this is true, for the vast majority of people, dietary cholesterol DOES NOT raise blood cholesterol.
As Harvard Medical School confirms and explains, Trans Fat, Saturated Fat and SUGAR have a MUCH MORE drastic impact on your cholesterol levels.
One egg yolk contains approximately 186 milligrams of dietary cholesterol, while the white is basically cholesterol free.
However, many people are unaware that cholesterol is produced by the liver and dietary cholesterol intake has negligible influence on how much cholesterol the liver produces.
Your body makes all the cholesterol it requires, with over 85% of blood cholesterol being endogenous (produced by the liver) and the other <15% being from external sources such as diet.
As our diets only influence our blood cholesterol by 15%, this is considered to be extremely negligible and in some individuals their diet influences their blood cholesterol even less than this.
For example, it is not uncommon to see some individuals with low blood cholesterol levels, yet they consume a very high dietary cholesterol intake, while on the flip side- it is also not uncommon to find some individuals who have high blood cholesterol levels, yet they don’t consume much dietary cholesterol at all.
This supports the case that blood cholesterol is largely unaffected by the amount of cholesterol we eat.
You can safely eat the ENTIRE EGG.
There is no reason to make feminine egg-white omelets.
Besides, the majority of the protein and just about all the nutrients are in the yolk (the yellow thing).
Here is confirmation of this from a qualified PhD (Clinical Nutrition Specialist)-
But don’t let this lead you to believe that diet isn't a factor in your cholesterol level.
Blood cholesterol is largely affected by both the amount of TRANS FAT, SATURATED FAT and CARBOHYDRATES (especially SUGAR) in your diet.
In a study conducted at John Hopkins University, participants replaced their saturated fat intake with either protein, carbohydrates or monounsaturated fats.
The results showed that when the participants reduced their fat intake and replaced it with carbohydrates, it did not reduce their low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDL – the bad cholesterol), while the high protein diet did reduce their low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
The Hopkins' study concluded that-
"In a setting of a healthful diet, partial substitution of carbohydrates with either protein or monounsaturated fat can further lower blood pressure, improve blood cholesterol levels and reduce the estimated cardiovascular risk."
These are just some of the health benefits of a low carbohydrate, high protein/high fat diet. So now that we’ve cleared up the fact that eggs won’t significantly raise your blood cholesterol levels, let’s discuss why they are among the very best foods on the face of the earth.
Egg Protein Is the VERY BEST Source of Protein You Can Eat
As David Grotto (RD, LDN) explains on page 127 in "101 Foods That Could Save Your Life," next to human breast milk, egg protein is the highest-quality, most digestible, muscle-friendly, inexpensive protein source you can eat.
A large egg packs between 6-7 grams of protein. They have an extremely low glycemic load of 2 and contain high amounts of riboflavin, vitamin B12 and phosphorus. Eggs contain all the essential amino acids our bodies require, making them a great choice for anyone who is trying to lose weight, performing resistance exercise or is looking to gain lean muscle mass.
100% Bioavailable
Aside from the "numbers" and the fun facts about the nutritional content, there is a more significant reason why eggs are considers the "Highest-Quality Protein" that you can possibly have.
YOUR BODY CAN ACTUALLY USE THE PROTEIN.
You may have heard that the protein in a cooked egg is 100% bioavailable – in short, that means – your body can digest (and use) ~100% of the protein in an egg. This is significant, among solid food- eggs rank at the VERY TOP of the list.
Among solid food, protein from cooked eggs is the highest-quality and most digestible (use-able).
When it comes to judging just how good a source of protein, a particular food is, scientist often talk in terms of something referred to as the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score compares the amino acid profile of a specific dietary protein with the essential amino acid requirements. A correction is made for digestibility differences, and the resulting value is adjusted so that a value of unity indicates that the protein exceeds the essential amino acid requirements of the body. Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Scores range between 0 to 1, with 1 being the highest. Egg has a PDCAAS of 1, suggesting it has highly digestible quantities of essential amino acids. Interestingly, beef has a PDCAAS of 0.92, some 0.08 points lower than eggs.
What About Raw Eggs?
(Good Looking Loser's experience)
Beginning during the Summer of 2005 when I was playing competitive inline hockey in Huntington Beach and for about 9 months thereafter, I ate about 8-14 raw eggs a day (most were dumped into Muscle Milk protein shakes). When the summer has over, I had a stack of egg cartons (18 eggs/per) that was about 9 feet high.
Raw eggs in flavored blended protein shakes are super tasty and it made it more of a "fluffy" milkshake.
I never got sick or had any side effects.
My cholesterol (and more significantly- triglycerides) went down slightly (about 12 points). My HDL or "good" cholesterol increased slightly too.
I'm not saying that eggs were responsible for this or even that these figures are significant but what it does show is that- dietary cholesterol from large quantities of eggs eaten on a daily basis will not impact your lipid profile.*
* unless, unlike the average person, you are genetically prone to high cholesterol.
But you knew that.
When most of us who were born in the 80’s and early 90’s think of raw eggs, we think of this scene in the “Rocky I” where Rocky (Sylvester Stalone) slugs down four (five, thanks Boy Toy) raw eggs in one gulp and goes for a run at 4am in the middle of the cold Philadelphia winter.
While this seems ‘hardcore’ now, tons of guys used to drink UNPASTEURIZED raw eggs on a daily basis before the somewhat unreasonable hysteria over salmonella.
In fact, raw eggs was a staple of old school bodybuilders and the small minority of '70's-'80's NFL football players that actually cared about their bodies.
While there is some risk of getting salmonella poisoning the “risk” is actually VERY VERY LOW.
As Dr. Jonny Bowden summarizes on page 193 his AMAZING BOOK “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” drawing from the USDA’s “Risk Analysis April 2002” Report (22(2):204-18) – the odds of getting salmonella poisoning from a raw egg is .03% in 69 billion.
- Literally- only .03% of the 69 billion eggs produced had any traces of salmonella.
You are more likely to die in a car accident later today or be killed by a gang of sick chickens that follow you home.
Furthermore, if you buy organic/cage-free eggs, the "risk" is basically NONE.
Cage-free birds are much healthier and don’t produce infected eggs since they aren't eating the shit of another sick bird.
Raw Egg Bio-availability
Raw eggs are inexpensive, very safe, super convenient to crack open and slam down.
Unfortunately, unpasteurized raw eggs aren’t quite the protein source that cooked eggs are.
The American Society for Nutritional Service documents in the “Journal of Nutrition” that
“after ingestion of 25 g of raw egg protein, almost 50% is malabsorbed over 24 h. The higher digestibility of cooked egg protein presumably results from structural changes in the protein molecule induced by heating, thereby enabling the digestive enzymes to gain broader access to the peptide bonds. It has been suggested that the reduced digestibility of raw egg white is at least partially related to the presence of trypsin inhibitors in raw egg white (Matthews 1990).”
In other words – raw eggs are 50% bio-available as compared to cooked eggs being close to 100% percent.
On paper, in terms of bio-availabilty/protein utilization- raw eggs appear to only be half as good as cooked eggs.
It is also thought that consuming raw eggs over an extended period of time will lead to a biotin deficiency. Again, I ate raw eggs (up to 12 of them daily) for over a year, got blood work (I took mad steroids over that period of time) and never had any sort of biotin or vitamin B deficiency.
Dr. Joesph Mercola reports that you are only likely to develop this potential deficiency with if you are consuming ONLY unpasteurized egg whites white and not consuming the yolk. Yet another reason to eat the entire egg.
Best of Both Worlds - Pasteurized Liquid Egg Whites
(Ready to eat, 100% Bio-available)
One of the best things ever is pasteurized liquid egg whites.
They are ready to consume, 100% bio-available and even more convenient than regular egg whites.
Since they are pasteurized, there is NO RISK of salmonella.
(if you are still worried about that)
You can always get liquid egg whites from your local grocery store but they are generally pretty expensive.
Just remember to buy the LIQUID EGG WHITES and not the "Liquid Eggs" which are generally nasty.
For the same price, you get them online and get significantly more egg whites and even a few different flavors if you are interested in slamming them straight up.
It's good stuff, Rocky would be jealous.
In all seriousness- if you ate nothing but these, did a little bit of cardio on an empty stomach and supplemented vitamins/minerals/BCAAs, you would drop like 20-25 lbs of fat a month. It would be physiologically impossible not to drop at least 20 lbs every 30 days unless you had some sort of hormonal issue that was keeping you overweight.
These are refrigerated liquid egg whites, not egg protein powder. Big Difference-
(disclaimer: affiliate links)
- Liquid Egg Whites International and Reviews (Amazon.com)
(Amazon guys- make sure to get the pump so you can use it)
Random Suggestions/Tips for Making Eggs
- If you have trouble taking the shells off of hard-boiled eggs, do this-
After you boil the eggs, take the pot off the stove, dump the hot water in the sink. Pour cold water into the pot. Then put a bunch of ice cubes in there. The water should be SUPER COLD. Let them sit in the freezing water for 6 or 7 minutes and then take the shells off. They'll come off REALLY EASILY. It takes about 5 seconds per egg.
- Toss egg whites into blended protein shakes to make them less watery and more fluffy.
- If you buy pasteurized egg whites - you can dump sugar-free coffee creamer into it and it takes really good.
- If you can afford it, buy the Omega-3 enriched eggs.
Carbohydrate-Free Egg McLoser 2013 Sandwich/Thing
(I eat this 2+ times a day - if I'm working out on the regular)
- Eggs (any style)
- Cheese (any kind)
- Hain's Safflower Mayonnaise (this is so good it's insane, use in moderation)
- Rooster Sauce / Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce (any kind)
- Amazing Carb-Zero Bread (Toasted, Open/Closed-Faced Sandwich)
* optional: Parsley Flakes, Red Pepper, Hungarian Paprika, Salt/Pepper
Pour some Extra Virgin Olive Oil in your skillet and cook the eggs - sunny side up.
Toast the bread (the carb-zero bread really needs to be toasted to be any good).
Put the safflower mayonnaise on the bread.
Put the eggs on the bread.
Put the cheese on the eggs - and put it in the microwave to melt the cheese.
Top it with Rooster or Sugar-Free BBQ sauce.
Heaven.
)
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