Egg Beaters vs Eggs? Nutritional trade off?

Nemo Brauch

I'm a fish eating vegitarian.  So my protein sources are a bit limited.  I started tracking my food a little more closely using an online/mobile tool recently and have come to the realization that I eat a lot of eggs each week.  Fried eggs with whole grain toast, poached eggs with whole wheat muffins, Vegi Omlettes for breakfast, lunch or dinner is a pretty routine option for me.  I'd say I average about 6-8 eggs per week.  That adds up to a lot of cholesterol and I've got a family history of heart disease (a pretty significant one- like, seriously, I'm doomed). 

So I'm wondering if I should exchange a few of my real egg meals for egg beaters.  I know I could probably just do egg whites.  But an egg white omlette just doesn't look right!  OTOH, it's a processed food, and I'm really trying to steer clear of processed stuff.

So- for you nutritionists out there.  Is the nutritional trade off of "real" vs "processed" on the eggs vs egg beaters question a reasonable trade off?  Or should I just try to limit myself to 2 eggs a week and find something else to eat for those other meals?

delesh

I am very Interested in this question as well. My diet and family history is almost identical to yours.

Linda Patch

Always wondered the same about Egg Beaters, but never thought to ask. Brilliant.

Do you iike hard boiled egg whites? I love them. I boil a dozen (at least) at a time, and when I need a low cal protein zap, I peel one and just eat the white. Sometimes I eat the whole thing, but I save that for egg salad, another fave.

Michele Cellai

 As you know, I am not a nutritionist and I don't play one on tv. But because I work in healthcare, I get the cholesterol and egg question quite a bit. Here is what my readings have uncovered...

The cholesterol in the egg is not a direct conversion to the bad cholesterol in the blood. It is healthier to eat eggs than to eat highly processed foods. There is no longer an automatic "STOP" order for eating eggs in relation to heart disease. It usually more about how the egg is prepared- fried in butter, bacon grease, or some other saturated fat that is the biggest culprit.

The 100% egg whites from the store do not have added fats. If you do not want a white omelette, a good option is the 100% whites with one real egg for color.

Our bodies need cholesterol and the liver will manufacture it if necessary.

If your cholesterol numbers are in the healthy range despite eating nearly a dozen eggs per week, there is not an issue.

This is off the top of my head. I am tired and can't think of anything else right now. My doc knows my diet, activity level, and cholesterol numbers. Some weeks I eat 6 -8 eggs, some weeks none. She has no problem with it.

Daniela

My SO has eaten on average a dozen eggs per week for the past two years. We've also read that eating things high in cholesterol does not effect your body's cholesterol level. Each year he gets his levels tested and no change.

TH3 FRB

I go with Costco (Kirkland) Real Egg with 1 whole egg 2-3X per week. The Real Egg is 99% egg white - no fat and no cholesterol - but looks like regular egg beater. I add the whole egg for a bit of fat but I use 3-4 servings of the Real Egg at a time so that would be a lot of yolk if it were all whole eggs.

robin sarner

As below. 

I've seen a recent study or too that whole eggs are generally a fine food.

1-2 per day probably ok.    

Total fat (versus total cholesterol) in diet more an impact on blood cholesterol.

I am not a nutritionist but am a family physician.  Not that physicians have great diet knowledge.

Enjoy the omeletes.

 

 

jburbatt

In my non-medical opinion ( so helpful here) I'd guess that especially since you only eat fish, and not red meat, the amount of eggs you eat isn't something to be concerned about if your cholesterol levels are normal.

Nemo Brauch

Thanks everyone! Great insight. I may check out the 100% egg white / Kirkland Real Eggs as that seems like a reasonable trade off to me. Or I may try making the omlettes with 3 eggs (3 whites, 1 yoke) as a trade off.

Linda- I love boiled eggs as a snack! It's a go to favorite for traveling/hiking trips 'cause they keep for a long time in the shell. Incredible edible eggs!

One thing I'm keenly aware of is that when it comes to how much cholesterol anyone can handle, it's not good to look at N=1 situations. I can eat like a rabbit for a year while my hubby stuffs himself on potato chips, steak, fries, hamburgers, etc and when we go get blood work done he's still gonna have better levels than I have. My cholesterol levels are "OK" but not quite perfect enough to be lazy about watching what I eat.

Michele Cellai

Nemo- It sounds like you are one of those folks genetically gifted with bad genes for this issue. Being a vegetarian with lots of fish is as good as you will get for a healthy but balanced diet. Knowing you, I would seriously doubt that a total plant diet would make much difference. Not sure how much soy/ tofu you eat. I am guessing a good amount IIRC.

For the vast majority of people with this issue, it is a difficult struggle to know you are such a healthy eater and yet your cholesterol numbers could tell another story. Familial hypercholesterolemia or a tendency to heart disease seems very unfair, and is no less dangerous than an unhealthy diet.

Take heart that you are doing everything you can. Yes it is unfair to watch Joe eat like that and have better numbers. But he has better genes. In the mean time, enjoy your healthy eggs, everything in moderation.

ironmtngrl

@Nemo - love that you asked this question. My fav breakfast is 3 eggs scrambled, which adds up to 21/week! Little scary, but I have 100% noticed that if I eat an egg breakfast, I am way less hungry in the afternoon. I have also been told by reliable PhD friends that studies show that if you consume animal-protein during breakfast your blood glucose levels are much more stable during the day. (Which helps significantly with weight loss) I'll see if Sam's Club carries Real Egg.

Nemo Brauch

Thanks Michele!

kjanracing

You can buy and seperate a LOT of whole eggs for the price of a carton of egg beaters. Still, I do egg beaters and one whole egg plus other goodness for breakfast.  I don't think there is really too much processing to the EB's.  Aren't the yolks just centrifuged out?

TH3 FRB

IIRC, I get a 6-carton (16oz each) case of Real Egg from Costco for $10. Nutritional info says "about 7 servings" per carton (30 cal, 6g PRO) but I use half a carton at a shot along with one whole egg.

penlynwilson

Good information here. Another thought - do one whole and two egg whites. Just another way to mix it up.

I eat 2 eggs and a mini-bagel most days of the week for breakfast. As someone else said, it isn't the cholesterol you eat, but what your body makes that causes the problems. . .

Nemo Brauch

Thanks again everyone!

Coach Patrick

@Joel, half a carton + an egg means your omelette must be the size of a manhole cover. I am trying the "slow carb" diet from the Four Hour Body book and do 1 egg + 2 estimated egg pours from the egg white container. Doing this seven days a week and I don't finish one container....takes me like 9 days. I will get my cholesterol tested mid-year, will let you know!

Keith Wick

I try to look at it as how do I put a whole food in my body and is my body designed to use that substance as fuel. Sometimes I think we get caught up I breaking down food into components instead of seeing it as a system where one component to the food is vital to how the other component works nutritionally. I think we do this in medicine also when we look at naturally occurring things as medicine. So, while I see how egg whites can have less cholesterol, my question becomes "is there something in the yolk that allows our bodies to process the other parts of the egg more efficiently as a fuel source?". When we have 3 whites and 1 whole egg are we making a good compromise or just upsetting an already perfect balance. This also brings up how the food is impacted by it's food source...are we negatively impacting our eggs by the way we feed our chickens?

P.S. I am a Michael Pollan and Dr. Andrew Weil fan.