What About Egg Whites?
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Last week, we discovered that egg yolks significantly increase cholesterol regardless of who consumes them—and we now have the studies to prove it!
But what about egg whites? Do they increase cholesterol? Let's figure that out together!
What You're About To Discover:
- Do egg whites increase cholesterol?
- Are egg whites healthy then?
- What would I do if I were you?
Do egg whites increase cholesterol?
I consistently see posts on Facebook asking about egg whites. Do they increase cholesterol? Is it okay to eat egg whites if the goal is to quickly lower cholesterol levels? Let's dive in.
Here's the nutritional value of 1 egg white so you can see how it works:
See the yellow arrow where it says "Cholesterol 0mg"? The '0mg' indicates that egg whites contain no cholesterol, which means they won't increase your cholesterol levels if you consume them.
🔥 Hot Tip: If a food contains 0mg of cholesterol, consuming it won't increase your cholesterol levels. If a food contains any cholesterol amount greater than zero, it will increase your cholesterol levels.
Are egg whites healthy then?
I wish the answer to this question were 'yes.' I absolutely love eggs. My favorite breakfast is Chilaquiles with two over-easy eggs on top. Even though my cholesterol wouldn't increase if I just used egg whites, this doesn't necessarily mean they're a healthy alternative.
Here's the source of calories of 1 egg white:
Notice the orange arrow again? It points to the protein percentage. Egg whites are 91% protein.
I used to think that was a good sign. I used to associate protein with good health, until I was diagnosed pre-diabetic.
The problem with this high protein percentage is its source. If the protein comes from an animal, then we're in trouble. This is particularly concerning if you have diabetes or, in my case, are diagnosed as pre-diabetic.
But why is that?
This study shows that diets including animal protein increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes. It says:
"In healthy subjects, animal protein intake intensifies insulin resistance whereas plant-based foods enhance insulin sensitivity. Similar effects have been documented in patients with diabetes."
The study also shows that insulin resistance can occur regardless of where we are on the weight spectrum. People who try to lose weight by cutting carbs and eating animal protein will intensify insulin resistance and will increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
So, if Keto is your go to when trying to lose weight, you're putting yourself at risk of developing heart disease AND type 2 diabetes.
What I Would do
If I was focused on restoring my health as quickly as possible... I would stop eating egg yolks AND egg whites. Here's exactly what I would do:
- Take all necessary actions to lower my cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- Ensure future meal plans keep my cholesterol low.
- Ensure meal plans don't increase the risk of other diseases like type 2 diabetes.
- Plan around "exception meals".
An example of an "exception meal" is when I'm traveling somewhere special. Let's pretend I go on vacation abroad (which I never get to do!), and I know we'll be eating at a very special restaurant on a specific night. I will reserve the "exception meal" for that night.
The rest of the time, I will stick to my guidelines as closely as possible, especially since they help maintain high energy levels and low cholesterol.
Did this spark a question?
Please email your questions to hello@withoutstatins.com. I'd love to help you with answers :)
References
Adeva-Andany MM, González-Lucán M, Fernández-Fernández C, Carneiro-Freire N, Seco-Filgueira M, Pedre-Piñeiro AM. Effect of diet composition on insulin sensitivity in humans. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2019 Oct;33:29-38. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2019.05.014. Epub 2019 Jun 6. PMID: 31451269.
Hi, I'm Alejandra
Founder Of Without Statins
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