Egg Beaters and Liquid Egg Whites vs Whole Eggs

If you were a rat, what would you want to look like…Rat A on the left or Rat B on the right?

It seems pretty obvious that Rat A is frisky, happy, and healthy in a normal, rat sort of way, while Rat B looks like he is on death’s door.

As it turns out, the rats’ exterior differences are a physical manifestation of their diet. (1)

Egg Whites vs Real Eggs

Guess what these little guys are eating?

Healthy Rat A is eating whole eggs.

Sickly Rat B is eating Egg Beaters, aka “liquid egg whites”.

How can this be? Processed egg whites are lab-synthesized to match the nutrition in a whole egg.

Developed in the 1970s, Egg Beaters has the same protein, fat, calories, macro minerals, and vitamins as Real Eggs! (2)

Marketed as a “healthy” egg substitute, liquid egg whites like Egg Beaters are routinely served to nursing home residents and is a typical breakfast choice of older Americans seeking to limit cholesterol and saturated fat.

The problem is when you take out the saturated fat and cholesterol from eggs and substitute vegetable seeds oils, nonfat milk, additives, chemicals, and a host of synthetic vitamins and feed it to adolescent rats what do you get?

The result is very sad looking rats like Rat B above.

Not only do these rats eating a factory food like Egg Beaters look unhealthy, they do not develop properly and have mangy looking fur.

In fact, rats fed eating processed egg whites develop diarrhea within one week and die within 3-4 weeks.

Clearly, Mother Nature does not recognize Egg Beaters as food in any way, shape, or form, despite “the science” claiming otherwise.

Egg White Diet

What about Rat A above and rats like him who eat whole eggs? These rats go on to develop properly and live out normal little rat lives.

Are you or a relative eating Egg Beaters thinking it is a better choice for your health?  

Set the marketing mumbo jumbo and misleading doctor-speak about saturated fat and cholesterol aside for a minute and just look at the picture!  

Make the call with simple common sense.

Doesn’t it seem downright foolish to eat processed egg whites if that stuff can make a young rat look like that within one week?

Perhaps it might help you to know that a 2024 review of the scientific literature on eggs found that eggs do not contribute to heart attacks, and for consumers to be aware of the false media narratives demonizing egg yolks.

Eggs are incredibly healthy and make a great contribution to a balanced diet. They have antioxidants and notably decrease triglyceride levels. Egg-predominantly carbohydrate-deficient meals show the best improvement in lipid levels when compared to similar eggless controls. Avoid discarding egg yolks, as they contain antioxidants, essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals that contribute to a healthy and balanced diet. Also, consumers must be aware of the media game, which portrays the illusion that eating their highly processed junk food [like Egg Beaters] is not as bad because the healthy egg yolks are also bad, despite the truth being that egg yolks are good for health. (3)

Dr. Mark Hyman MD agrees! (4)

Not only does the cholesterol in egg yolks not cause heart attacks, but omitting them from the diet by misguidedly eating only egg whites is a loss of critical nutrients that has huge negative implications for health.

Liquid Egg Whites for Convenience in Recipes?

What if you know that yolks are healthy, and you use whole eggs for omelettes and the like, but simply use liquid egg whites in cartons for convenient use in recipes (like meringues, angel food cake, etc.)?

In those situations, I would still advise against using packaged liquid egg whites from the store.

The reason is that the packaging is toxic!

The cartons (such as the popular cage-free 100% liquid egg whites) are lined with a thin layer of plastic, which adds an unwelcome dose of microplastics to the mix.

Thus, while it takes a bit extra time, it is still best to separate shelled eggs to use fresh egg whites in recipes that call for them.

Keep the extra yolks in a glass dish with a lid (they will keep for up to 4 days) until you use them up in smoothies, crème brûlée, eggs benedict, or other dishes.

References

(1-2) Morning Nourishment: Bountiful Benefits and Creative Ideas

(3) Debunking the Myth: Eggs and Heart Disease

(4) Eggs Do Not Cause Heart Attacks

More Information 

Five Fats You Must Have in Your Kitchen
Why Organic Store Eggs are a Scam
What Oxidizes the Cholesterol in Eggs
Are Raw Egg Whites Healthy?
Duck Eggs: Even More Nutritious!