Egg whites are the clear liquid--also called the glair or albumen--that you find in an egg. It is made out of the layers of different secretions of the section of the egg that is found near the front of the hen's oviduct. Egg whites can form both around fertilized eggs just as much as they can form around unfertilized eggs. The main function of the egg white is to provide protection to the yolk of the egg, as well as provide some nutrients to the growth of the embryo. It is made up of about 10 percent proteins that are then dissolved in water. Some people think that they should be ordering and eating egg whites for breakfast, but this is an acquired taste because not everyone will be happy with the taste of egg whites.
Low in Fat
Egg whites are really low in fat, which is why they are good as a breakfast food for that reason alone. As a health food, egg whites are exceptionally good for you if you are on a certain diet or if you are an athlete or bodybuilder who wants to watch what you eat. In contrast, if you consume a whole egg that includes the egg whites in addition to the yolk, you are increasing your daily fat intake by a material amount, especially since a whole egg comes with 5 grams of fat already. You do get more protein if you consume a whole egg, but the amount of extra protein you get by eating a whole egg as opposed to only consuming the egg whites is not a significant amount more.
Source of Protein
Egg whites are an excellent source of protein. In fact, some people swear by them as one of the best sources of protein among all foods. Protein is one of the building blocks for muscle; therefore, eating a lot of protein is a way to build up your muscles in an effective and efficient way. For that reason, athletes like bodybuilders are fond of eating a lot protein for their muscle workouts; they are also fond of getting their protein from foods such as egg whites, and eating egg whites for breakfast is quite a common activity for bodybuilders. Having a good source of protein intake really gets your metabolism going and keeps you feeling full for longer.
High in Sodium
If there is one indisputable negative point about the intake of egg whites, it is the prohibitively high content of sodium in them. To demonstrate the high content of sodium in egg whites, just one small cup of egg whites already comes with 400 milligrams of sodium. If you take into account how much sodium you are supposed to only eat each day based on your recommended intake value, you will discover that 400 milligrams gets you to a significant portion of your recommended intake value in a hurry.
