Top 5 Amazing Nutrition Facts Of An Egg White

Hello Folks! Do you guys know about egg whites’ nutrition? Well, you would have often been advised by your elders to eat egg whites to replenish protein. But is that so, is it really good for our body?

More importantly, Is that the only thing that an egg could do? What about eating whole eggs?

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bowl of beaten egg whites/Source: Depositphotos

Before we talk about egg whites and their nutrition, let me tell you which part of an egg is exactly an ‘egg white’. Egg white is the clear liquid (known as albumen) in an egg, it forms around the yolk of an egg.

Its function is to protect the egg yolk and provide nutrition to the egg’s embryo. Egg white is around two-thirds of an egg by weight.

Basic Composition of an Egg-white (One Large Egg)

  • 4 grams of protein
  • 55 milligrams sodium
  • 53.8 milligrams potassium
  • 1.2 micrograms folate
  • 3.5 milligrams magnesium
  • 6.7 micrograms selenium
  • 2.3 milligrams of calcium
  • 4.8 milligrams phosphorus‌

Egg White – Nutrition Facts

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Fragment of tray with light brown whole eggs/Source: Depositphotos

1. Egg Whites are High-Quality Protein and Have Fewer Calories

Egg whites have high levels of proteins and are low in calories. A 100-gram serving of egg white contains around 11 grams of protein with just 52 calories. They come in the category of low-calorie food. If you are a person taking special care of your calorie intake, you should include egg whites in your diet.

Egg whites provide what you call a ‘complete protein’, it has all 9 essential amino acids necessary for our bodies. Protein is important for the growth and development of the human body. People who are athletes are recovering from an injury or surgery, pregnant women, and old adults, require more protein.

Egg whites also have many health benefits like building and maintaining muscles, are good for the heart, lower your blood pressure, and can help in losing weight.

2. Cholesterol Free and Fat-free

Egg White Omelette Recipe | Weight Loss Recipe | Diet recipe | KabitasKitchen

Egg whites are cholesterol-free and fat-free food. Eggs do contain cholesterol and fat, but most of the cholesterol and fats are found in egg yolks. Egg whites are composed of around 90 percent water, and the rest is protein and some micronutrients1.

Cholesterol is not a bad thing. Our body needs it to build cells and produce vitamins and hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. The human body naturally produces cholesterol and the rest we get from the food we eat. But too much cholesterol is bad for one’s body.

If the level of cholesterol in the blood increases to a certain level, there is a risk of coronary heart disease and other heart disease risks. That is why eating egg whites has been a popular choice due to their low cholesterol content.

So, to keep your level of cholesterol and fat in check, egg whites are a good addition to your diet.

3. Egg Whites for Balancing Potassium and Sodium Levels

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Whipped egg whites for cream/Source: Depositphotos

Egg whites don’t only contain protein, they also contain two other essential minerals- Potassium 2and Sodium. It contains around 160 mg of potassium and 165 mg of sodium in a serving size of 100 grams.

Potassium is one of the most indispensable minerals, which helps in the functioning of our muscles and nerves. It helps in maintaining healthy blood pressure. Egg whites can help you to meet your daily recommended potassium intake.

Sodium, on the other hand, sodium also helps in maintaining blood pressure and also supports nerves and muscles. It may not be an appropriate option if you are looking for a high intake of sodium.

But eating egg whites can help your body balance these two minerals (potassium and sodium), as they are nearly in equal proportion to it.

4. Egg Whites for Beautiful Skin

When You Sleep With Egg White This Happens

Egg whites can be used as an ingredient for beautifying you. If you are someone interested in using natural products to beautify your skin, egg whites are an ingredient you can’t miss out on.

Egg whites are often used by people to make face masks, they can do more than just offer nutritional benefits in your food.

Let’s look at the benefits it can offer your skin:

  • Eliminate blackheads- Egg whites have exfoliating properties, which help in removing blackheads from the affected area of the skin.
  • Rid your face of blemishes- It has astringent 3properties, which help reduce acne and other blemishes.
  • Tone and lift your skin- It can remove excess dirt and dead skin cells from your skin. Also, it lifts your skin and prevents unwanted sagging around areas like cheeks.
  • Absorbs excess oil from the skin- Excess oil is generated because of sebum production, egg whites can regulate its production and can also absorb excess oil from your skin.
  • Prevents early aging- Early aging signs like wrinkles and fine lines can be prevented and lessened by regular consumption of egg whites. Including it in your daily diet also helps in cell rejuvenation, which can smoothen skin.
  • Remove unwanted facial hair- Because of its adhesive properties, egg whites can help remove unwanted hair, especially hair on your upper lip, cheeks, and forehead.
  • Shrink and close pores- Egg whites help shrink skin pores and replace them with healthy-looking skin.

Note: Using raw egg whites directly on the skin can cause a secondary infection.

When to use egg yolk instead of egg white on the skin?

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Source: Depositphotos

When it comes to using egg yolks, it has the opposite effect of egg whites on the skin. Egg yolks are good for dry skin, as they can lend moisture to the skin. Whereas, egg whites are good for oily skin.

So, one should be mindful of the type of skin they have while using egg yolks and egg whites.

5. Good for Diabetes

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bowl of whipped egg whites/Source: Depositphotos

Egg whites are good for diabetes patients. When it comes to food, people with diabetes have to be very careful of what they consume. It’s really difficult for them to get sugar-free food with delicious taste and also because of limited options when it comes to food.

Eating and cooking egg whites is a wonderful choice in this case. It has a comparatively low glycemic index score. Also, eggs have been approved by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as suitable for diabetes patients.

Egg white is a good source of protein and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases4, as well as blood pressure problems in diabetes patients.

Egg Yolks VS Egg White

Nutrition Facts Of An Egg White
Source: By Tamanna Rumee / Unsplash

Most people are confused when choosing whether to eat whole eggs or just the white or yellow part. Well, both the parts of one egg; egg yolk and white have different compositions and calorie breakdowns.

They offer different nutritional values and can be healthy depending on different circumstances.

The yellow yolk part of eggs is usually avoided because they contain saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. But the nutritional value it offers is no joke! If you don’t know how many nutrients it contains, let me tell you.

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Beaten egg whites and a whisk/Source: Depositphotos

Egg Yolk offers:

  • It contains essential nutrients like vitamins D, A, E, B6, B12, and K. It is also a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, and selenium.
  • There are carotenoids present in the yolk, which act as an antioxidant and protect your retina.
  • It helps in bone strengthening and also regulates the cardiovascular function of the body.

So, if you want the benefits of both and if your health status allows it, just eat whole eggs. But keep in mind your health status before choosing what to include in your meal. Also, be mindful of the quantity you consume.

How many Egg Whites Should you Have Per Day?

The American Heart Association recommends eating 2 egg whites or 1 egg a day, as part of a healthy diet. It is your choice on how it adds to your daily values and whether you eat it as cooked or with vegetables.

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Source: Depositphotos

But on a level of general nutrition advice, one can stick to 6 egg whites or less per day (considering the protein intake). Whereas, if you are looking to build muscles, you can even have 5–7 egg whites per day. But, if it’s for weight loss or general health, 2-3 egg whites per day would do.

While egg whites are good, they can also be harmful to your body. For instance, egg allergy, food poisoning because of Salmonella, and depletion of water-soluble vitamin B or Biotin5. So, you should be careful while eating it and how you eat it. It is suggested to be cooked rather than raw, to avoid the risk of egg allergy.

To conclude

Stay healthy and do not put all your eggs in one basket. You can’t be healthy just by relying on eggs, you need to have a completely balanced diet for that.

If you are looking for a plant-based substitute for eggs- click here.

  1. Gombart, Adrian F., Adeline Pierre, and Silvia Maggini. “A review of micronutrients and the immune system–working in harmony to reduce the risk of infection.” Nutrients 12.1 (2020): 236. ↩︎
  2. Min, Xin, et al. “Potassium-ion batteries: outlook on present and future technologies.” Energy & Environmental Science 14.4 (2021): 2186-2243. ↩︎
  3. Wen, Mingchun, et al. “Identification of 4-Op-coumaroylquinic acid as astringent compound of Keemun black tea by efficient integrated approaches of mass spectrometry, turbidity analysis and sensory evaluation.” Food Chemistry 368 (2022): 130803. ↩︎
  4. Bansal, Manish. “Cardiovascular disease and COVID-19.” Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews 14.3 (2020): 247-250. ↩︎
  5. Sirithanakorn, Chaiyos, and John E. Cronan. “Biotin, a universal and essential cofactor: synthesis, ligation and regulation.” FEMS Microbiology Reviews 45.4 (2021): fuab003. ↩︎

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Komal Rajani

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