Chicken eggs are a dietary staple in the all-American breakfast. While their high cholesterol count necessitates limiting their daily consumption for some people, eggs are still a good source of protein as well as a number of vitamins and minerals. The yolk and white of the egg contain different nutrients and because they're easily separated, you can eat just the white if you're limiting your cholesterol and fat intake.
Calories
Eggs are low in calories, containing just 72 calories per egg. Over half the calories, or 45, come from fat. If you follow a typical 2,000 calorie a day diet, two eggs for breakfast would supply 7 percent of your daily calories. Of the calories in the egg, 55 are in the yolk and only 17 in the white of the egg.
Protein and Carbohydrates
Eggs are an excellent source of protein, containing 6.3 g of protein per egg, or around 13 percent of the recommended daily protein intake of 60 g per day. The protein content is divided between the yolk and the white of the egg, with 3.6 g in the white and 2.7 g in the yolk. Eggs are a negligible source of carbohydrate, containing less than 1 g per egg.
Fats
One egg also contains 4.8 g of fat, with 4.5 g in the yolk and just 0.06 mg in the white. An egg actually contains more unsaturated fat than saturated fat, the type most likely to raise your serum cholesterol levels. The saturated fat content is 1.6 g compared to a total of 2.8 g of unsaturated fat, 1.8 g from monounsaturated and 1 g from polyunsaturated fats.
Cholesterol
Much of the criticism directed toward eggs as a daily dietary staple focuses on the cholesterol and fat content of the egg. One egg does contain 185 mg of cholesterol, 60 percent of the daily 300 mg cholesterol limit recommended by the American Heart Association, with all the cholesterol located in the egg yolk. However, dietary cholesterol may not place as important a role as once thought, the Harvard School of Public Health reports. For most people, dietary cholesterol has little impact on cholesterol levels in the blood, but for some people, called cholesterol responders, dietary cholesterol does raise their levels. Trial and error is the only way to know if you're a cholesterol responder.
Vitamins and Minerals
Eggs are a good source of vitamin D, supplying 10 percent of the daily value (DV), or 41 IU, all in the yolk. Eggs also supply 0.88 mg of iron, around 4 percent of the DV and 8 percent of the DV for vitamin B-12, or 0.45 micrograms. An egg also contains 10 percent of the daily value for riboflavin, or 0.2 mg, 10 percent of the DV for phosphorus or 99 mg and 6 percent of the DV for folate, or 24 micrograms. Eggs are also a good source of zinc, supplying 4 percent of the DV, or 0.65 mg and 2 percent of the DV for calcium, or 28 mg. Eggs are naturally low in sodium, containing only 71 mg per egg.
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