Egg Protein: The "Gold Standard" for Protein Quality

Egg protein was the protein of choice for bodybuilders of yesteryear and still is for many professional bodybuilders today. Why? It’s considered the “gold standard” for protein quality. If you recall my discussion of the different methods used to determine protein quality, rating proteins by biological values is one common method used. According to this method, egg protein scores a perfect 100. The reason for the perfect score is because all of the protein in an egg is used by the body and it’s readily digested and absorbed. Egg protein is also a lactose-free protein source. Egg protein has all the essential amino acids the body needs and high levels of total amino acids – especially important sulfur-containing amino acids which are essential to various hormonal pathways in the body.

You can obtain whole egg protein two ways – eating whole eggs (duh) or take an egg protein powder supplement.  Whole egg protein, whether you get it by eating whole eggs or taking a whole egg protein supplement, is great if you’re looking for extra calories and fat in your diet.

If want to reap the benefits of egg protein but don’t want the fat and cholesterol, eating just the egg whites is another alternative. Egg white protein, while not as “perfect” as whole egg protein, still ranks high on the biological value scale with a score of 88. The reason for the lower score is because the total protein found in an egg is divided between the yolk and the egg white.

One large egg (50 grams in weight) has approximately 74 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein and 212mg of cholesterol. This information is taken directly from the USDA National Nutrient Database. What’s unique about eggs is that the yolk and egg white have different nutritional values so depending on which part of the egg you eat will determine what you get. Let’s take a look at each separately...

You’ll notice the protein is almost split 50/50 between the yolk and the egg white – with the egg white getting the edge with almost a gram more protein. Here is where the egg white clearly has advantages over the yolk – the egg white has virtually no fat and has no cholesterol! I don’t want to knock the yolk completely because if you look closely at the fat content, almost 60% of the fat in the yolk are the good fats – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

The main concern everyone has with the yolk is the cholesterol. The recommended daily intake of cholesterol is 300 milligrams. With one egg yolk containing 210 milligrams, it is easy to exceed the recommended daily amount. There are alternatives, however, that can be used in order to stay within the recommended daily amount such as substituting two egg whites for one whole egg, using egg substitutes or limit your overall cholesterol intake to allow for one whole egg per day.

Another alternative is to take an egg white protein powder supplement. They are virtually fat-free and are cholesterol free and convenient to take. A high quality egg white protein supplement will have anywhere between 22-24 grams of protein per serving. You would have to eat 6-7 egg whites in one sitting just to get the same amount of protein in one serving of an egg white protein supplement. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy an egg every now and then, but 6-7 egg whites in one sitting is too much. I tried it once because it is cheaper to buy eggs than supplements, but it was just too much egg for me. It's still a good idea, however, to get as much egg protein from eggs as you can to reap the additional health benefits found in eggs.

There are two terrific egg white protein supplements I highly recommend. They are 100% Egg Protein by Optimum Nutrition and Jay Robb Egg White Protein - with Jay Robb being the better of the two.  Both of these products are terrific but I give the edge to Jay Robb because you get two more grams of protein per serving (24g vs. 22g) and has zero grams of fat.  What I really like about Jay Robb's product is that it's not loaded with fillers and sweeteners and is as pure of an egg protein supplement as you can get.  The only negative is that it isn't cheap.  100% Egg Protein will cost about $30 for a 2 lb. jug, while Jay Robb's will cost about $39 for a 2 lb. jug.  

There is one other product I highly recommend made by a company that I consider to be the Internet's best kept secret.  They sell the highest quality protein supplements for a fraction of the cost of the other well-known brands.  As an example, their egg white protein supplements have 24 grams of protein per serving with no fat and no other ingredients other than egg whites!  That's about as pure as it gets.  They sell this high-quality egg protein for less than $15 for a 2 lb. jug!  To learn more about this product and the company behind it, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter and we'll get you the details immediately after you subscribe.

Regardless of what egg protein supplements you buy, pay attention to the labels.  Don't buy a product that is full of junk ingredients like fillers and sweeteners.  Be sure to look at the fat and protein content as well.  The best products will have at least 22 grams of protein per serving and will have very little fat - if any.