Nutritional Value of Egg Whites

[LaraW]

I have seen a lot of people who talk about eating just the whites of an egg. I am just curious about what vitamins the white part of the egg has.

Thanks!

[kwormann]

I ususally only eat the whites and while I cant tell you vitamins, I can tell you the fat is on the yolk and a good portion of the protein is in the white.

[Leanne]

I've looked this up before, but I can't remember exactly. However - I do remmeber that almost all (~90% I think) of vitamins, etc are in the yolk. So while you throw away the fat - you also throw away the nutritional value.

[AD]

I don't know about vitamins and minerals, but the protein is mostly in the egg white. One egg white has 3 to 4 grams of protein. This is a good quality, complete protein. Some people use dried egg whites in shakes, drinks and recipes to boost protein.

[SandyM]

From FoodTV:

The egg white is an excellent source of protein and riboflavin. Yolks contain fat and are a good source of protein, iron, vitamins A and D, choline and phosphorus.

[Leanne]

I went searching the web - here's what I found at first glance:

Question: What is the nutritional value of an egg?

Answer: Eggs have a high nutrient density because they provide significant amounts of vitamins and minerals yet
contain only 71 calories. They are an excellent source of high quality protein (i.e. they contain all the essential
amino acids) as well as many B vitamins.

The nutritional value of an egg is divided between the egg white and the egg yolk.

The white contains more than half the egg's total protein, niacin, riboflavin, chlorine, magnesium, potassium,
sodium, and sulfur and all the egg's zinc.

The yolk contains all of the fat in the egg and a little less than half of the protein. It also contains the fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, and E. Egg yolks are one of the few foods naturally containing vitamin D. The yolk also provides
vitamin B 12 and folic acid, and the minerals iron, calcium, copper and phosphorus.

The yolk contains approximately 190 mg of cholesterol and 5 grams of fat, less than a third of which is saturated
fat. In the 1980's science focused on the amount of cholesterol in eggs, however recent nutrition information
indicates that it is more important to focus on reducing the intake of total fat and saturated fat rather than
cholesterol. This is good news for eggs. It is not necessary to limit egg or egg yolk consumption unless
recommended by your physician.

[LaraW]

That's interesting. I always thought that the protein was in the yolk. I knew all of the fat was in the yolk, and I assumed that it would hold the vitamins/nutritional value as well.

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the knowledge!

[lbudis]

Here are the nutritional stats. for one large egg white: 17 Calories, 3.52 gm, protein, .34 gm carbohydrate, 0 gm fat, 0 gm cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 48 mg pot, 4 mg magnesium, .01 mg iron, 0 mg zinc, 0 mg vitamin A, 0 mg vitamin C, .002 mg thiamin, .151 mg riboflavin, .031 mg niacin, .001 mg vitaminB-6, 1 ug folic acid, .07 vitamin B-12, 2 mg calcium, 4 mg phosphorus, .005 mg selenium, 0 gr fiber, 0 mg Vitamin E.

Here's to the versatile egg white!

Laurie