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Whole Eggs vs. Egg Whites: Which are Better?

September 15, 2025

On cooking sites all over the internet, you’ll find tips and recipes with one lofty aim: Make an egg-white omelet that doesn’t taste rubbery or appear anemic.

These recipes usually involve multiple steps, loads of ingredients, and even specific whisking instructions. It’s all a bit complex, especially for a breakfast dish that most people try to pull off during the morning rush.

It’s really a shame because…

There’s no reason to subsist on yolkless eggs.

The whole egg—including the yolk—can and should play a starring role in a health-promoting diet.

Eggs, especially the yolks, are nature’s multivitamin. These fatty orbs house all the nutrition a growing chick needs. As it turns out, what’s good for the chick is also good for humans.

Many people fear egg yolks, often because of decades-old studies that seemed to link elevated dietary cholesterol with elevated blood cholesterol. Newer, better-designed research has since debunked the “eggs raise cholesterol” theory. In reality, consuming whole eggs, including the yolks, will likely do the opposite.

However, to optimize these health benefits, you’ll want to pay attention to how you choose, store, and prepare eggs.

Do Eggs Yolks Cause Heart Disease?

Decades ago, medical experts thought that dietary cholesterol and saturated fat from egg yolks would worsen blood cholesterol levels. This thinking was based on large observational studies that linked increased dietary cholesterol with an increased risk of heart disease.¹

Newer randomized controlled studies tell a different story.

In fact, whole eggs can improve your cholesterol profile by increasing HDL (the “good” cholesterol) and making LDL particles larger and less harmful. In one of these studies, when participants ate 12 or more eggs a week, their total cholesterol dropped.

Several specific markers of heart disease and poor health also improved, including LDL particle number (LDL-P), apolipoprotein B (apo B), and high-sensitivity troponin. Notably, all study participants were older than 50 with at least two heart disease risk factors.² That’s key, because it means whole eggs may lower heart disease risk even in people in high-risk categories.

Other research has revealed similar findings.^3,4 We now know:

There’s not enough saturated fat in eggs to measurably worsen blood cholesterol levels. Many health organizations recommend keeping saturated fat to less than 10% of daily calories, or about 20 daily grams. Consider that one large egg contains 1.5 grams of saturated fat. You’d need to eat 13 eggs a day to reach the 20-gram threshold.
The effects of saturated fat depend on what else you’re eating. Suppose you’re consuming saturated fats alongside refined carbs and sugars (think pastries or fast food). In that case, that combination can drive inflammation, raise small, dense LDL particles (the harmful kind), and worsen cholesterol profiles. On the other hand, a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods, fiber, and healthy fats (like omega-3s) can mitigate or even improve cholesterol levels, even with moderate saturated fat intake.

Yolks Beat Whites for Total Body Health

Cholesterol aside, yolks provide several key nutrients that support many aspects of health and longevity.

That includes vitamins A, D, E, and K, along with B vitamins like B6, B12, and folate. In addition, yolks are rich in choline, which is critical for brain health, and antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin that protect your eyes.

Egg whites are also important, providing about 4 grams of high-quality protein per egg, along with a few trace minerals. If you’re trying to bump up your protein intake, you might want to mix in extra egg whites with some whole eggs. However, there’s no reason to skip the yolks.

Reasons to Skip Eggs

Whole eggs can be a health-promoting dietary option for most people.

However, some people shouldn’t eat them.

If a health care professional has recommended a very low-fat diet for medical reasons, such as gallbladder issues or pancreatitis, you might rightly decide to avoid yolks.

Just as importantly, eggs are a common food sensitivity for some people, particularly the whites, which contain proteins like albumin that can trigger immune responses. If you suspect eggs might be causing issues like bloating, skin problems, or fatigue, you could try eliminating them for a few weeks and then reintroducing them to see how your body reacts.

How to Prepare Eggs

To optimize the health benefits of whole eggs, follow these steps.

1. Buy pasture-raised, organic eggs from a trusted source. Chickens raised on a natural diet produce eggs with higher levels of omega-3s, antioxidants, and nutrients. You can often tell by the rich orange color of the yolk—those are the good ones.

2. Handle and store your eggs properly. In US grocery stores, commercial eggs come pre-washed, which helps remove contaminants from the shell. However, pre-washing also removes the thin, filmy protective layer (called the cuticle). That’s why you need to refrigerate them. In addition, if you purchase unwashed eggs directly from a farm or in your own backyard, make sure to wash the shells to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination.

3. Cook them lightly. Overcooking can degrade many of the yolk’s health-promoting nutrients. So, don’t be afraid of runny or soft yolks. What about foodborne illnesses like Salmonella? While the risk is relatively low, it’s higher in raw or undercooked eggs, especially if they’re not from high-quality, pasture-raised sources. If you’re pregnant, immunocompromised, or serving eggs to young children, thoroughly cooking is the safest choice.