You may have heard about the health benefits of eating raw egg whites. These potential benefits apply to eggs from healthy, free-range chickens that are raised organically. If you are considering consuming raw egg whites, speak to your physician first so he can help you weigh the potential benefits with the risks of eating raw animal products.
Why Raw?
Some alternative practitioners say that cooking eggs changes the way their protein affects your body. While cooked eggs are a healthy source of fat and protein, raw eggs may be even healthier. Heating may also destroy some of the nutrients, enzymes and vitamins present in the raw whites. Cooking eggs may make it more likely that the altered proteins will cause an egg allergy.
Benefits of Eggs
Eggs are 94 percent protein and contain only 75 calories each, which makes them a relatively low-calorie source of protein. They also contain important vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, which many Americans are deficient in. Eggs are a source of lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which may reduce your risk of developing cataracts or macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. Because you can prepare eggs in many ways and add them to different types of recipes, they are versatile and easy to incorporate into your healthy diet.
Food Poisoning Concerns
According to the USDA, consuming raw egg whites may put you at risk of contracting salmonella or other food-borne pathogens. It recommends eating only thoroughly cooked eggs. Out of the 69 billion eggs processed annually, approximately 2.3 million are contaminated with salmonella. An estimated 660,000 Americans become ill from eating raw eggs, according to the USDA. Of these, 94 percent recover without medical assistance, but 1/2 percent may die from salmonella poisoning. Food poisoning is most dangerous to the elderly, children and those with compromised immune systems.
Other Concerns
Eating raw egg whites may cause a deficiency in biotin. One way to prevent this is to also eat the egg yolk, which contains a large amount of biotin. If you would like to eat raw egg whites, consider eating only pasteurized eggs, which have been treated with heat to reduce the risk of salmonella contamination. Seek the advice of a medical professional before consuming raw eggs. If you have eaten raw egg whites and are afflicted by stomach upset, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, contact your doctor promptly.
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