Boost Your Protein Intake With Eggs


Your body needs protein to repair and replace damaged tissues. Eggs serve as an excellent source of protein in a compact package. If you're trying to up your protein consumption or simply meet your daily requirements, turn to eggs as an easy way to boost your intake at any meal. Women need approximately 46 grams per day, while men require 56 grams, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A serving of eggs puts a dent in your daily protein requirements.
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How Much Protein Is in a Serving of Eggs?

The protein content in a single egg will vary somewhat by the size of the egg, but a medium egg contains approximately 5.5 grams of protein. A large egg supplies 6.2 grams, compared to 4.4 grams for a small egg, 7 grams in an extra-large egg and nearly 8 grams of protein in a jumbo egg.

Both the whites and yolks of the egg contain protein. Images

Where Does the Protein in an Egg Come From?

The protein in an egg comes from both the white and the yolk, with different proteins found in each part. The main protein in egg white, making up 54 percent of the protein contained in the white, is ovalbumen, while the dominant protein, making up 16 percent of the egg yolk, is phosvitin. The egg white contains 3.6 grams of protein while the yolk contains 2.7 grams.

Cooking an egg increases protein absorption.
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How Effective Is the Protein in an Egg After It's Cooked?

Cooking makes the protein in eggs more digestible, according to a Belgian study published in the October 1998 issue of "The Journal of Nutrition." In this study, researchers found that approximately 91 percent of cooked egg protein was absorbed, compared to around 51 percent for raw eggs. Heating may create structural changes in the protein molecule that enable enzymes to penetrate and break down the proteins more easily.

Cooking the egg doesn't affect the protein content.
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Does Cooking an Egg Reduce Its Protein?

The way you prepare the egg has no effect on the amount of protein the egg originally contains, but it does have an effect on how much of the protein in the egg you absorb from the egg. To get the maximum protein from your eggs without consuming added saturated fat, boil or poach them, or cook them in a small amount of healthy unsaturated fat, such as olive oil, rather than butter.

Cooking methods don't change the protein in eggs.
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Does Frying an Egg Retain Its Protein?

A fried egg contains the same amount of protein as an egg cooked scrambled, boiled, done over-easy or eaten raw stirred into in a glass of tomato juice. But a fried egg's protein will be more easily digested and absorbed than a raw egg's. Heating to high temperatures such as occurs with frying can decrease the amount of vitamins in the egg, such as B-complex vitamins and vitamins A and D, however.

A raw egg has no nutritional benefit over a cooked one.
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Does the Body Absorb Raw Egg Protein?

Raw-food advocates feel that raw foods, including eggs, retain more vitamins and minerals. Raw eggs don't supply more protein, however. In addition, your body will absorb raw egg protein, but it will absorb the protein in cooked eggs more effectively, since they're more digestible. Raw eggs can contain salmonella bacteria, which cooking will destroy.

Raw eggs don't supply more protein than cooked.
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How Much More Protein Do You Get From Raw Eggs?

You don't get a single gram more protein from raw eggs than you do from cooked eggs. The size of the egg, not the method you use to cook it, will determine how much protein it contains. To get the most protein from a raw egg, eat both the yolk and the white, since both contain protein.

Commercial protein powder can up your protein intake when you add it to eggs.
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Can I Put Protein Powder in My Eggs?

One way to add more protein is to sprinkle some protein powder into your eggs when you cook them or add protein powder to raw egg. Choose either animal or plant sources of protein powder, depending on your dietary preferences. Whey protein, which comes from milk, is the most popular powdered protein because it taste good and costs little.

Egg proteins do not penetrate human hair shafts.
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Does Protein From Eggs Penetrate Hair?

Eggs have long been traditionally used as an external hair treatment to add nutrients, but the proteins in eggs are too large to penetrate the hair shaft. Only proteins with a low molecular weight, such as silk proteins, can penetrate the hair shaft; larger proteins must be hydrolyzed, or broken down to be absorbed. Egg proteins such as ovoalbumin have a high molecule weight, around 46,000, which is too high to enter the hair shaft.

The type of bread you use and the amount of bacon and egg determine the protein value of your sandwich.
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How Much Protein Does a Bacon & Egg Sandwich Have?

When you make a bacon and egg sandwich, each of the elements -- even the bread -- adds protein to the final package. The number of eggs used also affects the total. However, if you use one large egg, which contains 6 grams of protein; two slices of bacon, which contain around 3 grams of protein each for a total of 6 grams; and two slices of whole-wheat bread, which supplies 3.7 grams of protein, per slice, or 7.4 grams total, your sandwich will provide 19.4 grams of total protein.

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