Many recipes call for egg whites. Others call for whole eggs, which some people replace with egg whites to reduce the fat content. To understand the nutritional value of egg whites, it's useful to compare the two side by side.
Serving Size and Calories
A single egg's worth of egg whites will naturally weigh less than a whole egg. For meaningful comparison, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides information for 100 g of both. One hundred grams of fresh, raw egg white contains 48 calories, 2 of which come from fat. The same amount of whole egg contains 143 calories, of which 89 come from fat.
Fat Profile
One hundred grams of egg white contain only 0.2 g of fat, none of it the saturated fat that stimulates your body to produce dangerous LDL cholesterol. It also contains none of the heart-healthy unsaturated fats. That amount of whole egg contains 9.9 g of fat, split between 3.1 g of saturated fats and 6.7 g of unsaturated. According to Harvard nutritionist and author of "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy," Walter Willett, it's the ratio of unsaturated fats to saturated fats that demonstrates how healthy or unhealthy a food is.
Carbohydrates
Neither whole eggs nor egg whites contain an appreciable amount of carbohydrate: less than 1 g per 100 g of egg or egg white.
Protein
Egg whites deliver 10.9 g of protein per 100 g; whole eggs, 12.6 g. In both cases, like most animal proteins, this is a complete protein. It contains all the amino acids your body needs, but can't make for itself.
Vitamins
Although egg whites are lower in fat and cholesterol than whole eggs, they are also low in vitamins. Whole eggs deliver 28 percent of the USDA recommended riboflavin, 22 percent of vitamin B12, 14 percent of pantothenic acid and 10 percent of vitamin A. They also contain between 5 and 10 percent of the daily recommended vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, thiamine and vitamin B6. The same amount of egg white delivers 26 percent of your riboflavin and 1 to 2 percent of niacin, folate, vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid.
Minerals
Egg whites fare similarly poorly when it comes to mineral content. Whole eggs contain 45 percent of the recommended selenium, 19 percent of the phosphorus and 5 to 10 percent of calcium, sodium, zinc and copper. Egg whites in the same amount carry 29 percent of your selenium, 7 percent of sodium and between 1 and 5 percent of calcium, magnesium, sodium, copper and manganese.
References
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Dr. Walter Willett, et al; 2006
- "National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference," U.S. Department of Agriculture; 2009
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