The Amazing Egg Yolk

Who would’ve thought a little, yellow yolk could spark such a heated debate? The yolk gets a bad rap for its high dietary cholesterol and saturated fat content, which has made for awfully colorless breakfasts nationwide. Reconsider that…right now. I like color, white gets boring.

Although the yolk-cholesterol connection is true in theory, the reality is that dietary cholesterol doesn’t have a significant impact on serum cholesterol levels-the cholesterol stored in the body. In fact, when you toss the yolk you’re missing out one of the most nutrient-packed, all-around phenomenal foods available.

To bring that even further, yolks are LOADED with heart-healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The food that was long thought to clog your arteries may have actually been cleaning them out all along…who knew?

Besides tasting great, egg yolks are the nutritional heart of the egg. Most of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients sit within the yolk. The chart below breaks down the varying nutritional contents in the egg yolk and white.

Yolks exclusively contain the antioxidant vitamins A and E, as well as two powerful carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These nutrients help fight nasty free radicals, which are responsible for a ton of diseases, including cancer and premature aging. Yolks also house the full omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content.

Additionally, yolks contain over 80% of the daily required amounts of zinc, choline, vitamin B6, folate, iron, phosphorus, calcium, niacin, and pantothenic acid. All of these vitamins and minerals are essential for optimal health, proper body functionality, and preventing nutrient deficiencies. Iron, zinc, and calcium deficiencies are highly prevalent worldwide in different populations-simply adding egg yolks to the diet could help fix these issues.

With that said, I’m absolutely not anti-egg whites. They’re UBER high in muscle-building protein and electrolytes. I’d just like a compromise between the two parts.

My Recommendation:

2 whole eggs per day is 100% healthy, and highly recommended to take advantage of their nutritional prowess. If you’re planning to eat eggs every day, I’d recommend that you switch to pure whites after the second egg-it’s a great way to bump up your daily protein intake.

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Bryan DiSanto

Owner & Editor-in-Chief at Lean It UP

Bryan DiSanto is the Owner & Editor-in-Chief of Lean It UP, ACE-CPT & CSN, NYU graduate, ex-fat kid, and all-around fitness/nutrition nutjob.

When he’s not working on his (or somebody else’s) abs, whipping up Eggocados, or running a Tough Mudder, he’s probably off yelling at a Carolina Panthers game somewhere.

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