The Egg White Way ///
Want to get lean? Want to put on quality muscle? Ever wonder EGG-actly what you need in your diet to help you achieve the look you always desired? Ok, enough with the play on words... let's cut to the chase.
If you don't have egg whites in your diet, you are truly missing out. Not only are these little gems full of protein, but they the purest form of protein and are also low in calories, low in carbs, have a negligible amount of fat, and contain no cholesterol. So break out of your shell and get ready to learn everything you need to know about egg whites and become an EGGS-pert (ok, that was the last egg joke, I promise).
Benefits Of Egg Whites ///
Believe it or not, egg whites are the best absorbing protein you can eat other than whey protein and the most assimilated food. A single egg (with the yolk removed) contains about 3g of high quality protein and about 16 calories. They also contain all eight of the EAAs (essential amino acids), vitamins such as A, E, K, B12, riboflavin, and folic acid. All of these are very important to help not only enhance recovery but to help repair and grow lean muscle tissue after it has been broken down in the gym.
Some of you might already be taking egg whites and not even know it. If you are taking a protein powder that is a blend, check the ingredients and see if there is anything that says "egg albumen". If so, tada! You are taking in egg whites. However, this article isn't going to focus on the powder version-this article is going to talk about the liquid version.
I know what you are thinking... Your mind is racing back to the days of Rocky and when the die-hard bodybuilders were cracking raw eggs and dropping them in a glass just to try and drink it fast enough so that it doesn't come back up. Sorry, those nasty days are over-and for good reason. Back then no one thought about getting sick due to salmonella. Things have changed thank goodness and you can now get a clean and pure form of egg whites delivered right to your doorstep without ever having to leave your house.
Pre-Packaged Egg Whites ///
Liquid egg whites are 100% bioavailable in the body for around 4-5 hours (whereas the protein and egg white powders are only around 70-80% bioavailable in the body for around 2-3 hours). This also makes it very convenient and a great choice right before bed. Protein before bed that breaks down slowly as you sleep keeps your body anabolic so you don't waste away any muscle tissue during the fasting period when you sleep. Another nice feature of liquid egg whites is that they are tasteless and odorless which allows you to use them in your protein shakes or for cooking.
There are several places to get your egg whites delivered from. One such place would be Lana's Egg Whites. Lana Battagello, owner/founder, came up with Lana's Egg Whites to help people benefit from a clean protein source. These processed egg whites go through a pasteurization process that leaves the egg whites bacteria free and ready to go straight into your glass or shaker bottle. This particular brand of egg whites come in an 8.5 pound container and each container equates out to 165 egg whites. The containers are to be stored in a refrigerator until ready to be used.
Just one cup of these liquid egg whites will give you 28g of high quality protein with zero fat and cholesterol. There are no chemicals or preservatives used in their egg whites and you can use them for just about anything ranging from protein shakes/smoothies, omelets, baking, just about anything your mind (or stomach) can come up with.
In addition to being good for you, these liquid egg whites take out the work of separating all the eggs you want to cook, all the mess it creates, and all the time you waste prior to eating and refueling your body. Let's face it, we all could use more time in the day to get stuff done. Factor in the time it would take to constantly be cracking normal eggs and separating them and you gained a lot of time over the span of a week by utilizing a liquid egg white such as Lana's Egg Whites. Utilizing these types of products are quick, easy, safe, and effective-and as long as you don't have any allergies to eggs, anyone can use liquid egg whites no matter age, gender, or fitness goal.
Preparing Your Egg Whites ///
If you prefer to go to the grocery store and buy a few dozen eggs that works as well. When buying them from the grocery store, make sure to get them home as soon as possible and put them directly in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them. When you are ready to prepare them, simply take out the number of eggs you desire and either use a separator to get rid of the yolk or simply use the shell to move the contents back and forth after splitting the shell in half to separate the yolks from the whites.
No matter how you separate the yolk and the white or if you decide to go the easy route (and just purchase egg whites in a container); there are several ways for you to prepare your egg whites. You can make them on the stove by frying them, you can put them in the microwave, scramble them up, boil them, bake them, or even steam them. No matter how you make them, you can always doctor them up with your favorite condiments if you aren't a fan of the taste.
Using things such as salsa, ketchup, etc. will do the trick. The nice thing about egg whites that you buy already pre-made is that they are tasteless, so you can even throw them in your protein shakes. Take 8oz or a cup of egg whites and mix it with a scoop of your favorite protein powder and you have a delicious treat containing over 40g of protein for you hardcore bodybuilders looking to put on lean mass. I even recommend getting creative and making your own recipes with your egg whites. I have heard some people even putting some egg whites in their ground beef before putting their burgers on the grill to add even more quality muscle-building protein, or scrambling them up and adding them into their oatmeal for breakfast. If you think it, you can do it.
Egg Whites
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Conclusion
Enough. Talking about egg whites is making me hungry. I hope this gave a better overview of egg whites to those who really didn't understand the purpose or use of egg whites in their diet and how you can use them to your bodybuilding and physique goals. Egg whites should be a staple in your diet no matter if you are dieting down for a show, looking to add lean muscle mass in the off-season, or getting ready for summer and wanting to look your best.
No matter your physique level or if you compete or not, egg whites should definitely be on your list of things to pick up and utilize. And on that note, I'm walking over to the kitchen to make myself a tasty protein shake with egg whites. Happy and healthy eating everyone!