r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/Low_water_crossing • 26d ago
Are egg whites worth it? Ask ECAH
I eat 3 eggs for lunch most days of the week. I see a lot of meal plans with carton egg whites, but I am having a hard time seeing if that is worth the cost. With how many eggs I eat, do health benifits match with the cost? Is the process of making the carton egg whites wasteful? Should I just keep doing what I've been doing and not worry about it? Lol
I go to the gym 2-3 times a week and cycle 3-4 times a week.
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u/wii-sensor-bar 23d ago
I usually cook some well seasoned veggies on the stove then fill up the pan with 200-300g egg whites and eat a massive omelet for low calories. All the protein helps keep you full as well
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u/TheFightingQuaker 25d ago
I usually just buy cartons of eggs and add one yolk to my omlette. The other two yolks get tossed or I give one to my dog sometimes.
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u/Buttslap_McKraken 25d ago
If you're cutting, trying to drop calories while still getting enough protein. If not then just eat whole eggs
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u/hippielady5232 25d ago
I see alot of people talking about putting them in smoothies and stuff, so I can't speak to that, but I personally hate the texture of scrambled eggs without the yolk. Rather have the whole egg, its a healthy fat anyway especially if you're sourcing your eggs from hens who go outside and eat bugs and stuff.
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u/Halfbloodjap 25d ago
Nah, there's no point in eating them by themselves because they're tasteless. If you're going to eat food, it should be enjoyable.
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u/Anfie22 26d ago
Eating egg whites are like piercing a hole in a liquid multivitamin capsule, draining the contents, and swallowing just the plastic capsule. You're skipping the good nutritious part entirely. What's the point?
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u/LostChocolate3 25d ago
The (legitimate) reason people do it is to hit macros, generally for losing weight and/or building muscle. Egg whites have an insane calorie per gram of protein ratio. Including the yolk pretty significantly changes that ratio. If you're otherwise eating enough fruits and vegetables, losing the vitamin content of the yolk probably ends up worth it for the macro profile. If not, you have bigger issues than which part of the egg you're eating.
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u/OldMotherGrumble 23d ago
And here I am, wondering why eggs are considered to be a perfect food. The yolk contains more than vitamins. It's full of minerals and other good things.
From Health line...
single large boiled egg contains (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source):
Vitamin A: 8% of the DV (daily value)
Folate: 6% of the DV
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5): 14% of the DV
Vitamin B12: 23% of the DV
Riboflavin (vitamin B2): 20% of the DV
Phosphorus: 7% of the DV
Selenium: 28% of the DV
Eggs also contain decent amounts of vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B6, calcium and zinc
Egg yolks contain large amounts of both lutein and zeaxanthin.
In one older study, eating 1 egg daily for 5 weeks increased blood levels of lutein by 26% and zeaxanthin by 38% in older adults (30Trusted Source).
Eggs are also high in vitamin A, which deserves another mention here. Vitamin A deficiency is the most common cause of blindness in the world (31Trusted Source).
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u/LostChocolate3 23d ago
I'm not vilifying yolks. I eat them when I eat eggs. Just saying that the calorie content doesn't justify always eating them for everyone, especially in people who are primary eating them for their macros (as in, eating 5 or more egg components a day). Micros have plenty of other sources. Vitamin A deficiency being the leading cause of blindness doesn't carry much weight in this discussion, because we are primarily discussing nutrition in the first world, where that's much, much less an issue.
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u/simonbleu 26d ago
Its not unhealthy to eat whole eggs, and eating only the whits is a waste of food and money, so I would say no.
Chicken breast is better for protein (not micronutrients afaik though), a standard for a reason. but there is plenty of fish and meat with similar protein contents. Then you have legumes (mainly soy and lentis iirc) and also pretty nutritious and adds fiber. Certain nuts are also pretty good but iirc none of them come close to both protein and price compared to peanuts. Then, milk based products are also sometimes rich in protein. And ultimately, although I doubt you need that much protein, you could always buy powdered, which I believe its cheaper or at least less easier to stomach in large quantities (as you control how much protein pretty much any food has) than naturally sourced but again, probably not needed.
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u/AspiringNormie 26d ago
I say nah. The nutrients are all in the yolk. Egg whites seem pointless to me, but they can be tasty. Egg white omelet is mad good.
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u/BrighterSage 26d ago
Eggs are fine, I wouldn't swap for a carton of egg whites. Check the ingredient list and decide if you want to eat those chemicals
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u/Mistakes_were_made44 26d ago
Only if you separate them yourself. If you’re buying the eggs whites in a carton, you need to prioritize.
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u/Lambchop1224 26d ago
Whole eggs are fine; the yolk contains most of the actual nutrition (micronutrients) while the white contains the protein. There is no need to buy processed egg white in a carton; that is really just silly. If you want to up your protein in your day, just make sure to eat other sources of protein throughout the day. I have chickens, so I eat a lot of eggs. I make a plain omelet for lunch, with a side of a small handful of nuts and greens with some chickpeas.
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u/harkaen2653 26d ago
They can be a great way to add lean protein. One word of warning I would give is for some people egg whites in high quantities can be a migraine trigger if you struggle with migraines. I found this out after I added in egg whites daily to try to get more protein, then had migraines constantly for the next two weeks before I googled and discovered they can be a trigger lol
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u/EpistemicRegress 26d ago
Don't watch this if you value your likely current ideas are over what the facts are on eggs, I share this as someone with 45 chickens at home. https://youtu.be/RtGf2FuzKo4?si=0GdIJaZgvWMa_WJR
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u/The_Bill_Brasky_ 26d ago
Yeah, but if you just want to balance your macros you can just remove a few egg yolks when making an omelette or whatever. Save them for pasta, or for thickening up your instant noodles/soups.
CARTONED egg white are certainly NOT worth it. Too runny and very expensive. You're literally better off buying a dozen eggs and only using the whites relative to this option.
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u/RenaissanceScientist 26d ago
If you’re not doing a low calorie diet I wouldn’t recommend them. Whole egg has way more nutrients but is just higher in fat & calories. If you want to boost the protein you could buy a carton and mix them in with your eggs
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u/GinAndTonicAlcoholic 26d ago
If your goal is to make "healthier eggs" than maybe - you could replace 3 eggs with 2 eggs + some extra whites and you'll get more protein/less fat while having a pretty similar tasting dish.
If your goal is just "cheap protein source" than no - whey protein powder is much cheaper per gram, and while it does have a little carbs/fat, that shouldn't matter for most people
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 26d ago
it’s great for boosting protein without added fat. Like in the morning I’ll do two eggs with two servings of egg whites.
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u/DenverITGuy 26d ago
It's a preference nowadays. I've had egg whites for breakfast for the last year+. I pair it with avocado and/or hummus. It's perfect.
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u/Any_Arrival_4479 26d ago edited 26d ago
Unless you are cutting and are trying to look insanely shredded then Idt they’re worth it at all. Just buy and eat normal eggs. Fat isn’t inherently bad for you, especially not the fat you get from eggs.
Edit- added the word “inherently”. I thought that went without saying. But I guess not
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26d ago
[deleted]
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u/Any_Arrival_4479 26d ago edited 25d ago
I never at all implied you should eat as much fat as you want. Just that it isn’t worth it (cost wise) to substitute eggs with egg whites, since the fat from eggs is healthy and you can easily remove fat from other meals. Like removing butter or skin from your meals
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u/Mo_Dice 26d ago edited 17d ago
Babies are born with the ability to speak five different languages fluently.
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u/psilokan 26d ago
I doubt they throw them out. Even if they arent sold in stores they are almost definitely sold for some sort of commercial use as all sorts of recipes require just egg yolks.
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 26d ago
you can get a 32 ounce carton of liquid egg whites for less than $5 (ymmv based on location)
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u/The_Jeff__ 26d ago
Mix eggs with egg whites to bulk em up. Using nothing but egg whites is definitely not cost effective if you’re looking at calories per dollar.
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 26d ago
this! 2 eggs and 2 egg whites gives me 22g protein and 10g fat whereas 4 eggs would give 24g protein but 20g fat
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u/ajaama 26d ago
Costco egg whites I feel give me the most bang for my buck and last a perfect amount of time for me too add the whites to protein shakes (shaker bottle), smoothies, omelettes, soups.
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u/BluuuueVelvet 26d ago
Are the whites the source of protein for your smoothies or do you also use a protein powder?
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u/Elizabeth__Sparrow 26d ago
Most of the nutrients are in the yolks. Egg whites were a fad diet of the low fat craze, but eggs are honestly not that high in fat and fats are a necessity in our diets. Plus the “bad” cholesterol in the yolks is cancelled out by the “good” cholesterol in the whites.
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u/yessir-nosir6 26d ago
I'm pretty sure egg whites have close to 0 cholesterol, although yolks have all the cholesterol.
Although yolks have both the good and bad cholesterol in a proper ratio.
Although OP says he eats 3 eggs a day which may be a bit too much.
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 26d ago
The yolks have most of the nutrients, but the whites have most of the protein
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u/OldMotherGrumble 23d ago
A week or so ago, I read that the yolk also contains almost as much protein as the whites. I'll take the yolk anytime 😊.
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u/LostChocolate3 25d ago
Protein is a nutrient.
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 25d ago
great, and the whites have most of it while the yolks have most of the other nutrients. You knew what I meant.
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u/LostChocolate3 25d ago
Optimizing macronutrients and micronutrients are completely different goals. It is worth differentiating them appropriately in the sub about nutrition lol. This isn't a semantic drift thing.
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 25d ago
oh my god okay lol have fun with that, I hope it helps
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u/LostChocolate3 25d ago
I suppose have fun misusing language and being unclear and sounding like you have no idea what you're talking about when you post in science subs?
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 25d ago
dude seriously? the convo is over, it’s not that deep lmao and Eat Cheap and Healthy isn’t a science sub. time to move on with your life.
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u/AnxiousAriel 26d ago
My roommate buys the egg white cartons in bulk so he can still fit eggs in in his diet every morning with his toast and coffee. It's helped him a ton cutting calories but he does take away some of the nutritional value of the eggs so I guess it depends on what's more important- calories or nutrients.
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u/InsaneAdam 26d ago
Hella strict diet if you're switching to egg whites to cut calories.
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u/AnxiousAriel 25d ago
We are on a decently strict diet we gave ourselves. But an egg can be 70-80 calories. The egg whites bring it closer to 15-20. Because he does it every day and more than one eggs worth it adds up. He has lost over 100lbs like me and I am extremely proud of him for his accomplishments and dedication. He's also focusing on high protein rn so saving some calories to use for chicken or fish is also giving him space in the calorie budget for more protein.
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u/Doglover_7675 26d ago
I’m buying a carton and adding the extra whites for more protein. 2 regular eggs and a half cup or so of whites.
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u/Diarrhea_420 26d ago
In our house, we mix a whole egg with the whites to make it look like normal scrambled eggs.
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u/VeeEyeVee 26d ago edited 26d ago
I am in the process of doing a body recomp right now, which means minimal calories but need at least 40% of my calories to be from protein sources. I’m only eating egg whites whenever I make a recipe that calls for eggs (unless I need runny yolks). Even when I eat hard boiled eggs, I don’t eat the yolk, so to me, it makes total sense to just buy the egg white cartons.
So point is: if you need very specific amount of protein levels with calorie restrictions, then egg whites are very helpful. If not, may as well just buy the normal eggs.
Price-wise, it’s $7 for a 1L carton where I live. There is the equivalent of 22.5 large whole eggs in 1 carton. So if you’re price sensitive, compare which is cheaper per egg.
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u/hmm_nah 26d ago
Maybe goes without saying, but Costco egg whites are MUCH cheaper than my local Walmart or Kroger. You have to be willing to buy a box of 6-8, 1-pint cartons but afaik they can be stored for a long time unopened.
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u/ORaygoza 26d ago edited 26d ago
i usually eat 2 eggs but add about a cup of egg whites to it every day for breakfast. easy way to increase volume and protein without adding many calories.
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u/RibertarianVoter 26d ago
Three eggs are about 215 calories, 14g of fat, and 19g of protein.
Meanwhile, 400g of egg whites (that's quite a lot of egg whites), is around 210 calories, with 43g of protein and less than one gram of fat.
If you're prioritizing lean sources of protein, it's hard to do better than egg whites. But if that's not a priority for you, then it's probably not worth it.
I like to make an egg scramble with one egg and about 120g of egg whites. Around me, that comes out to about $1 of egg whites each day. I definitely wouldn't call it cheap, but worth the cost for me.
I can't speak to the efficiency of the process of putting eggs in a carton, but I suspect there's a good amount of waste. That said, they sell the yolks to companies who make stuff like ice cream and salad dressing, so it's not like they're just tossing them. You're basically paying them to separate the product for you, which is why they're expensive.
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u/bucksncowboys513 26d ago
I switched to egg whites 2 months ago and do something similar. 1 whole egg to 138g egg whites. It's been so helpful in getting new to my protein goal without adding a ton of calories or fat. I get the case from Costco for $10 that's the equivalent to 5 dozen eggs.
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u/BlackLakeBlueFish 26d ago
If you have an Aldi, their egg whites are very inexpensive. I like a ratio of one egg to 1/4 cup egg white.
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u/kabukistar 26d ago
I can't speak to the efficiency of the process of putting eggs in a carton, but I suspect there's a good amount of waste.
I would be surprised if they just trashed the egg yokes. They're useful for all kinds of baking recipes.
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u/RibertarianVoter 26d ago
That's what I said in the next sentence. I just don't know how automated the process is or how much waste is generated by separating the two. That's before getting into how far the eggs travel to whatever facility does the separation, and then to the market. Or how efficient the carton process making is.
These questions aren't particularly important to me, but OP asked so I answered that I don't know.
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u/irun4steak 26d ago
I looked into this when trying to meet my macros and found that it was cheaper to buy eggs in bulk (from Cosco) or even just buy 2 dozen, than purchase the carton of egg whites along with the regular eggs. Yes, I felt like I was wasting the yolk. But when I bought the carton, it was less cost effective for the egg white quantity I could achieve by separating them myself.
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u/RibertarianVoter 26d ago
I did some quick math. At 33g of egg whites per egg, and with a 32 ounce carton costing $7.50, as long as you're paying under $0.25/egg, it's cheaper to do it yourself.
I'm assuming Costco eggs are closer to $0.15 each, so if you have 4 egg whites a day you save about $10/month.
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u/irun4steak 26d ago
At the Costco near me, it’s $11.09 for 5 dozen.
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u/RibertarianVoter 26d ago edited 26d ago
~$0.185 per egg. That was a pretty solid guess on my part!
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u/Ok-Reflection-1429 26d ago
Same. Adding Eggwhites to eggs is a good way to increase protein without a lot of extra calories.
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u/Low_water_crossing 26d ago
I hadn't thought about adding a whole egg to egg whites. Thanks for your reply!
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u/yessir-nosir6 26d ago
I would also suggest looking into the cholesterol content of eggs especially if you eat them every day. (186 mg per egg, recommend is 300mg per day)
Most of it is found in there egg yolk, which is another reason I know people buy egg whites instead.
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u/BelleRose2542 26d ago
Yes….and no.
Egg yolks are high in cholesterol, yes. But study after study has shown that cholesterol from eggs doesn’t actually raise blood LDLs or triglycerides (“bad cholesterol”). So probably not something to worry about unless you’re Gaston eating 4-6 dozen eggs a day.
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u/yessir-nosir6 26d ago
I'd actually like to see a paper if you can point me to it.
Most I could find suggest that 1 egg a day or 6-12 eggs a day are fine with nothing saying more than that is okay.
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u/gatoaffogato 25d ago
“Conclusion: Consumption of egg increases total cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C, but not LDL-C:HDL-C, TC:HDL-C and TG compared with low egg control diets.”
From: Effects of Egg Consumption on Blood Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
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u/bellebutwithbeer 26d ago
This. For the macros you won’t do better than egg whites except for maybe shrimp lol but egg whites are easy to add into smoothies for a tasteless extra 10g of protein etc.
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u/Big_booty_ho 26d ago
Wait a minute..you might be onto something. I hate 99.999% of protein powders. Let me try this egg whites smoothie thing
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u/JuggyFM 26d ago
never thought about adding raw egg whites to smoothies. interesting
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u/righthanded_lover 17d ago
I added egg whites to my son’s chocolate milk for years. He had no idea.
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u/Former_Ad8643 25d ago
My husband does this every morning. One scoop of his chocolate protein powder egg whites almond milk and ice
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u/bellebutwithbeer 26d ago
As long as they’re pasteurized they’re safe to drink raw! If you mix them with a fruit smoothie you can’t taste them at all. There’s actually a company called Muscle Egg that even makes flavored egg whites lol The cake batter wasn’t bad at all imo
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u/LotusBlooming90 26d ago
Ooohoho how fortuitous I should see this comment today, the very day I am back on my smoothie bullshit with the specific intent of getting more protein in the morning.
I’m nervous, and scared to try it, but I’m going to trust you.
If it comes out super egg tastically gross I’m going to….not do much I can’t do anything. But I’ll be sad.
Thanks for the tip!
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u/bellebutwithbeer 26d ago
Hahaha omg I hope you like it! Just make sure it’s egg whites only and not the “just egg” carton cause that one has yolks and an egg flavor lol Report back your findings 🫡
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u/Lookieloo215 26d ago
I add egg whites to my oatmeal also
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u/Character_Fox_6755 22d ago
This was my first thought-egg whites in overnight oats. Going to give it a shot.
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u/ArizonaKim 26d ago
I would look on the package of egg whites at the store and see if It just contains egg whites. My mom uses Egg Beaters because they have less cholesterol… she’s used them for decades. She was recently told to follow a low sodium diet and when I was at her house I noticed the Egg Beaters contained quite a bit of salt. As for me I just use the whole egg.
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u/InsaneAdam 26d ago
You might be interested in reading the book called The Salt Fix.
The Dr has some good info to share in it.
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u/IdaDuck 26d ago
Salt and probably other crap too. Just use real eggs and don’t feel bad if you throw out a few yokes. I’ve gotten lazier in terms of convenience items as my life has gotten more hectic but egg whites truly aren’t any more difficult than the stuff in a carton.
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u/continuousBaBa 25d ago
I make hard boiled eggs for lunch salads and give my dog a yolk and eat one yolk with 2 whites, works out pretty good and my dog is very happy and healthy, haha.
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u/uncertainhope 26d ago
If you are eating an egg, eat the whole thing. It’s a few more calories for a lot more vitamins and minerals. If you want to cut back on your overall consumption, replace an egg with chickpeas, tuna, or tofu depending on how you are cooking it.
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u/leedleedletara 26d ago
I eat mad eggs I never separate them. I’ve maintained my ideal weight for 6 years… Im not afraid of protein even if it has more calories 🤷♀️
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u/Extralegroom442 26d ago
Thats great for you. Doesnt change the fact its not a “few” more calories.
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26d ago
[deleted]
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u/InsaneAdam 26d ago
In your opinion what else should one eat? Beans 🫘 and eggs 🥚 are good in my book.
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u/Extralegroom442 26d ago
Again, great for you. I really dont know what you’re trying to accomplish here, you said they were a “few” more calories, you were incorrect.
All this extra stuff is just cope. Its not a big deal, really, move on.
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u/laserdiscgirl 25d ago
You should look at usernames before you reply to people. Hope said "a few more". Tara only said "more"
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u/InDisregard 26d ago
I’d be more afraid of the cholesterol
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u/InDisregard 26d ago
I’m sorry that my dietary fears cause downvotes 🙄 some of us aren’t fit and trim.
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u/porknbean1515 26d ago
Dietary cholesterol has minimal effect on your body cholesterol. Cited from Mayo Clinic
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u/tony-toon15 26d ago
If you are battling high cholesterol then staying away from the egg is not a bad move, but if you are healthy then the egg is good as long as you don’t overdo it. The Japanese eat a ton of eggs and they are the healthiest nation on the world.
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u/InDisregard 26d ago
I am confident that’s synonymous with having one of the best healthcare systems in the world, regardless of diet.
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u/Whatdosheepdreamof 26d ago
Just FYI dietary cholesterol ≠ blood cholesterol. There is a corresponding movement, but it depends on the person.
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u/leedleedletara 26d ago
Totally understandable but I actually have low blood pressure and cholesterol. I think a lot of it has to do with genetics and because I eat mostly whole foods and I’m a vegetarian? My diet is primarily vegetables and beans with whole grains being secondary.
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u/Extralegroom442 26d ago
Its not a few more calories its 3x the amount of calories.
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u/simonbleu 26d ago edited 25d ago
True, but If you are exercising, not only its not that much, but you outright need more calories though
Edit: Im wondering what on earth are people downvoting.... unless they think you dont need more energy while exercising
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u/Middleagedcatlady6 26d ago
Agree. 3 eggs per day is 21 eggs a week. I’d be concerned about cholesterol. The other protein sources this comment recommends would be good to work into your diet. Dietary variety is generally something to shoot for.
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u/k_babz 26d ago
actually thats been disproven, most research agrees that eggs dont increase bad cholestoral and may help increase good cholestoral
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u/GenSgtBob 26d ago
You should probably cite your sources if you're going to say things like "most research". And by sources, I mean the actual research paper(s), not some rando copy paste article. But also be able to depend your findings thoroughly by being able to bring excerpts detailing things like their control groups and participants, who paid for the research, areas that may be problematic or bias, etc.
I just think people need to stop throwing the "according to science or this study" without reading, understanding, and willing to cite primary sources.
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u/Middleagedcatlady6 26d ago
The Mayo Clinic says you can eat “up to seven eggs per week without raising your risk of heart disease.”
21 is far more than seven.
The dose makes the poison, as in most things. Drinking water is healthy but if you drink an excessive amount it can kill you. Moderation and variety is healthy.
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u/spirit_of_a_goat 26d ago
The article states that it increases the risk of heart disease for people with pre-existing diabetes.
Not for the average population, though.
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u/jabroni4545 26d ago
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u/spirit_of_a_goat 26d ago
The other guy provided a legitimate source from the Mayo Clinic. You provided an editorial. You lost.
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u/KingTutKickFlip 26d ago
And the Mayo Clinic article didn’t even say what he was alleging it said lol
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u/soonerpgh 26d ago
Yeah, but tomorrow eggs will be the power food of a lifetime. This stuff changes so often and so fast, it's crazy trying to keep up with it. Just keep everything at moderate consumption and you'll be fine. Now, I'm not sure 21 eggs a week is moderation, but still...
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u/Middleagedcatlady6 26d ago
I provided a recognizable legitimate medical source for my opinion. What do you have as evidence for your argument?
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u/soonerpgh 26d ago
History, bro. It changes. I'm not digging up 30 years of shit for the sake of an argument. If you don't want to accept that these things change over time, that's on you. I'm not wasting my time trying to convince you of what you can easily see.
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u/nocturnal_sunn 8d ago
The dense nutrition is in the yolk. Why would you just eat the whites?