Does Drinking An Egg Give You Energy?

Drinking raw eggs has been made famous by movies such as "Rocky." In films like this, a diligent athlete adds this beverage to his training program in the hopes of beating the competition. Many athletes have modeled their training program after "Rocky" and have added raw eggs into their diet plan, but this drink may be more harmful than helpful.

Energy

Much like a mile, kilometer, pound or kilogram, energy is simply a unit of measure. Energy is most commonly described in kilocalories, the calorie that you would see on a cereal box or candy bar, or kilojoules, which is more common outside the United States. The body uses the proteins, carbohydrates and fats that are consumed as food and turns them into glucose, the body's energy currency.

Food as Energy

All foods are made up of some or all of the following: protein, carbohydrate, fat or alcohol. Each of these different macronutrients has different caloric values -- for instance, the amount of energy in a gram of protein is 4 kilocalories. There are 4 kilocalories per gram of carbohydrate, 9 kilocalories per gram of fat, and 7 kilocalories per gram of alcohol. Consuming any food that has any of these components gives you energy.

Eggs

According to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference one large raw egg contains 74 kilocalories, with a medium egg containing 65, and an extra-large egg containing 85 kilocalories. Whether or not you cook an egg, it will still have calories, and consequently will still have energy. Eggs are a great source of protein because their amino acid ratios are similar to those that the body requires. Eggs are also a source of vitamins A, D and E, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, B-12 and folate, as well as the minerals phosphorus, calcium, iron, iodine, selenium and zinc.

Dangers of Raw Eggs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests cooking all eggs and egg products to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce the risk of salmonella infection. But food poisoning isn't the only danger involved with consuming raw eggs. Raw egg whites contain a substance called avidin, which binds to the essential vitamin biotin and prevents it from being absorbed into the body. This can lead to a biotin deficiency if consumption of raw egg whites is prolonged.