Eggs

鸡蛋

Eggs · one cell's nutrient kit

Stop 1/6

鸡蛋是什么 · 一个细胞的营养包

Eggs are one of the few natural foods that come close to nutritionally complete on their own. A large egg is about 50 g shelled, and the white and yolk have a clear division of labour that explains every trade-off later.

The white (about 33 g) is almost entirely water and protein, with near-zero fat, cholesterol, and most micronutrients. The yolk (about 17 g) is the dense part: nearly all the fat, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), choline, lutein, and iron live there.

So the popular 'egg-whites only' habit is really about taking the protein while skipping the yolk's fat and cholesterol — at the cost of throwing away the egg's most valuable micronutrients. For most people that's a poor trade, unpacked later.

Yolk colour mostly reflects carotenoids in the hen's feed rather than higher nutrition per se.

Read story

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.

Back

Eggs

鸡蛋

Eggs · one cell's nutrient kit

Stop 1/6

鸡蛋是什么 · 一个细胞的营养包

Eggs are one of the few natural foods that come close to nutritionally complete on their own. A large egg is about 50 g shelled, and the white and yolk have a clear division of labour that explains every trade-off later.

The white (about 33 g) is almost entirely water and protein, with near-zero fat, cholesterol, and most micronutrients. The yolk (about 17 g) is the dense part: nearly all the fat, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), choline, lutein, and iron live there.

So the popular 'egg-whites only' habit is really about taking the protein while skipping the yolk's fat and cholesterol — at the cost of throwing away the egg's most valuable micronutrients. For most people that's a poor trade, unpacked later.

Yolk colour mostly reflects carotenoids in the hen's feed rather than higher nutrition per se.

Read story

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.