Egg yolks? But they’re full of cholesterol! I’m sure you’ve heard it before. When you think of a “health freak,” you don’t think of someone eating egg yolks and discarding the white. Think again.
Egg Nutrition: Yolk vs. White
Egg yolks are indeed full of cholesterol. Like most cholesterol-rich foods, they are jam-packed full of important nutrients, especially the fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids.In fact, the slew of nutrients in an egg yolk is so comprehensive that a few a day would offer better insurance than a multi-vitamin. Most importantly, the yolk contains most of the nutrients in an egg.Egg whites, on the other hand, contain far fewer nutrients. The only thing that could justify their consumption is their attachment to their companion yolk. Don’t believe it? Below is a table that compares the nutritional value of egg whites and yolks, with data provided by the USDA. I’ve included additional analysis in the last two columns that provides the percentage of the total nutrition found in the yolk and the percentage of total nutrition found in the white.
