by Ronnie Dauber

Created on: September 20, 2008   Last Updated: October 30, 2008

Have you ever thought about egg whites and wondered if that bland, tasteless food could have any nutritional value? At one time eggs were the focal point of every breakfast because of their protein value, but then it lost its popularity when we learned that the yolks were high in cholesterol.

Did we toss out the nutritional values with the yolk? Not at all. The egg whites are extremely high in protein, and in fact, one cup of egg whites contains about twenty-six grams of protein.

But then the question arises, how can you enjoy eating egg whites that are very bland tasting and make a boring main dish on their own? There is a benefit to them being so bland and that is that they are great fillers and additives that very quickly absorb the taste of other foods around them. And this includes the infamous creative omelette.

But many of us still question whether or not the egg white is limited to protein being its only nutritional value. In-depth researches reveal that egg whites have a lot of other values that makes them one of our most highly efficient nutritional food sources.

These other food values include potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc and iron. All of these nutrients are essential requirements for our daily food intake.

Egg whites are also a good source of riboflavin and selenium, and contain other essential ingredients such as folate, Vitamin B12, niacin betaine and choline.

However, the one component that we don't want a lot of is sodium, and the egg white is slightly high with an average of 403 mg per egg white. Therefore, people who are counting their sodium intake for medical reasons need to consult their doctor about their ability to include egg whites as a regular part of their diet.

The egg yolk, besides being exceptionally high in cholesterol, has many more essential nutrients and fatty acids than the whites. And between the two components of the egg, the yolk has more value on the whole, but is being avoided because of its cholesterol content.

The egg white has risen up in fame, however, and is becoming more popular as a daily staple not only because it is a versatile food that can mix with many other foods, but because of its nutritional values.

The high value of protein in the egg whites have made them important foods for chemotherapy patients. As well, the protein values have led the egg whites to be used for medicinal purposes such as treating wounds. And as every beautician knows, egg whites make a fantastic facial mask again because of its high protein values.

So, for those of us who thought that the best part of the egg was the yolk, I guess it's time to think again and re-evaluate our taste buds. Egg whites are quickly rising up on the scale of necessity because of their high nutritional value, and are eliminating the need for the yolk altogether. We can once again enjoy our favourite egg dishes and know that we are getting many of our daily nutritional values only without the cholesterol.

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