One of my social media followers asked me to write an article that outlines when I think it makes sense for you to choose egg whites over consuming the whole egg.
I am going to try to answer this as question as simply as possibly.
There are 3 scenarios to consider.
Scenario #1. If you are an otherwise healthy person who is not trying to reduce their caloric intake, it almost always makes sense to consume the whole egg because the yolk contains healthy fats and numerous important nutrients ( especially Vitamin A, D and folate) that some Canadians may not get enough of.
Scenario #2. If you are an otherwise healthy person who is trying to manage their weight and caloric intake, you may benefit from consuming a 1:1 ratio of egg whites and whole eggs. The reason for this being that whole eggs are significantly higher in calories & fat than egg whites, and it is a logical swap to make for someone looking to cut calories. Keep in mind that many of us consume too many calories for our needs.
In both scenarios #1 and #2 it is generally considered safe to consume no more than 8 whole eggs a week ( 1 serving every other day … 1 serving = 2 whole eggs).
Scenario #3: You have been diagnosed with high LDL cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease. If you fall in one of these three categories, you should almost always be consuming egg whites over the whole egg. It is generally considered advisable to have no more than a single serving (2) of whole eggs a week in this scenario. Consuming more whole eggs than this may increase your risk of negative health outcomes.
There you have it, hope it helps!
Andy De Santis RD MPH