Nutrition Information For A Hard Boiled Egg White

Eggs are a good source of protein and are low-cost compared to meats. However, if you have coronary heart disease or have low-density lipoprotein, LDL, cholesterol levels of 100 mg/dL or above, you may need to restrict your intake of eggs due to the high dietary cholesterol in them. One way for you to still enjoy the nutritional benefits of eggs even with diet restrictions is to eat only the egg white. Boiling the egg whites is a healthy way to enjoy them because you you use no added fats for cooking.

Serving Size and Calories

According to the USDA MyPyramid recommendations for individuals age 9 and older, people should consume approximately 5 to 6 oz. of meat and beans daily. The USDA defines one large whole egg as one serving size, or one ounce equivalent, and it weighs about 1.7 ounces, or 50 grams. When consuming only the egg white, the weight will be less. The use of a food scale will assist in measuring your egg whites when using different-sized eggs from the supermarket. One large egg white weighs about 1 ounce, or 33 grams, and provides only 17 calories. Calories are a measure of the amount of energy a food provides. Boiled egg whites are a low-calorie way to meet your daily meat and beans recommendations.

Protein

Eggs are a source of high quality protein in the diet. Egg protein provides many essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins needed by humans for tissue growth and repair. Boiled egg white from one large egg provides about 3.5 g of protein. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy women age 19 and above need 46 g of protein per day. Healthy men in the same age range need 56 g per day. Consuming one egg white provides about 7 percent of your daily protein needs.

Fat

Whole eggs provide a high amount of fat per egg. However, almost all of the fat is found in the egg yolk. Therefore, consuming a moderate amount of egg whites will contribute virtually no dietary fat to your daily intake. One large egg white provides only 0.06 g of fat. The American Heart Association recommends limiting total daily fat intake to less than 25 percent to 35 percent of your total calories each day, which is approximately 55g to 75 g of fat based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Because dietary fat is found in many other food choices, opting for egg whites can assist in controlling your total daily fat intake.

Dietary Cholesterol

The American Heart Association recommends that most individuals limit their dietary cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day. However, if you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dL or greater, it recommends limiting your cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg a day.

One large whole egg provides 186 mg of cholesterol, potentially your entire daily limit. Fortunately, all of the cholesterol in an egg is in the yolk. Therefore, eating egg whites will contribute no dietary cholesterol, which allows those with coronary heart disease or high cholesterol to still enjoy eggs in their diets.

Vitamins and Minerals

Boiled egg whites provide minimal amounts of vitamins when compared to consuming whole eggs. For example, vitamins A, D and E are almost exclusively found in the yolk, as these are fat-soluble vitamins. As well, folate, vitamin B-12 and iron, which are essential nutrients for growth and metabolism, are predominantly found in the egg yolk. Despite this, egg whites can still play an important role in the diet by providing high quality protein in a low-calorie, low-fat, and low-cholesterol way. Including egg whites as part of a balanced diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy products and meats and beans, will ensure your body is getting all of the nutrients it needs.