Individuals
who exercise regularly naturally have higher requirements of proteins than
sedentary persons. Eggs, which contain all of the essential amino acids your
body needs each day, constitute a complete source of protein that can help your
body repair and create new muscle tissue between workouts, especially if you
eat eggs after your exercise. Egg whites contain protein without the saturated
fat and cholesterol in egg yolks; as such, they are considered to be particularly
beneficial and safer to eat on a daily basis than whole eggs.
The
major proportion of an egg's vitamins and minerals are stocked in the yolk. On
the other hand, egg yolks are high in cholesterol, which can lead to
cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis, or clogging of arteries). One large,
poached egg contains about 185 milligrams of cholesterol; according to the
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, less than 300 milligrams of
cholesterol per day is recommended, which is more than half of your recommended
daily intake and is equivalent to four whole eggs per week. If on some days you
eat only egg whites, you can keep your cholesterol intake within recommended
limits.
An egg
has about 6.3 grams of protein, with 3.6 grams in the egg white and 2.7 grams
in the yolk. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) of protein for a healthy
adult female is 10-35% percent of the calories you consume each day; this
amount of proteins promotes muscle growth, tissue repair and a strong immune
system. With exercise, increasing your protein intake can help your body build
muscle mass, but eating more than 2 gram of protein per kg of body weight will
be a source of excess calories which your body will convert to fat. So you need
to keep track of your total protein intake per day from different sources,
whether from your diet, or from protein shakes/supplements.
One egg
contains about 0.5 gram of leucine, an amino acid that that is primarily metabolized
within the lean tissues of your body. A high leucine intake may help you burn
fat while keeping muscle mass.
The
best time to eat eggs may be right after workout. There’s no minimum
requirement for eating eggs. But women should limit eggs to four per week because
eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, which increases blood cholesterol levels.
However, women don’t have to limit consumption of egg whites, since egg whites
are cholesterol-free and contain no saturated fat, which is another contributor
to high blood cholesterol and heart disease.
But
also remember that there are some advantages to consuming the whole egg. Egg
yolks contain higher amounts of essential nutrients, such as iron, phosphorous,
zinc, folate and vitamin A. And, since egg yolks contain fat and egg whites do
not, consuming whole eggs can help increase satiety (feeling full).
