I've seen a lot of fitness buffs eat raw eggs, or egg salads. I want to know how does it help you? Is it just the protein?

I've never heard anything good about raw eggs, so I've never understood that. I think I heard that the biotin in eggs is only activated when they're cooked, actually. And that you have a very slight chance of getting salmonella if you don't cook the egg.

I think the main reason eggs are eaten is for the protein, though, yeah. Not that they have even as much as a glass of milk. Though I've heard there's some kind of problem with milk's protein in that the calcium inhibits absorption of it, or the other way around or something.

The bioavailability of protein from cooked eggs is ~90%, but only ~50% for raw eggs. cooked eggs > raw eggs

Egg whites are an excellent source of protein. They are most beneficial when you eat them raw, and salmonella is an extremely marginal risk. Still, it is a risk; you can buy pasteurized egg whites at any supermarket. Stay away from the yolk.

Normally I wouldn't dare to disagree with Morm, but this isn't correct at all.

Cooked eggs are a higher source of protein than uncooked ones, it has to do with the way your body absorbs it. Your body will absorb 97% of the protein from eggs, the second best type of protein is milk. Nothing else comes close.

Egg yolks contain nearly all of the vitamins and nutrients (and there are a hell of a lot of them in eggs, great food) and 50% of the protein and riboflavin. They also contain all of the fat, and contrary to popular belief you need fat in your diet.

http://stronglifts.com/the-truth-on-high-c...gg-consumption/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2...egg_whites.html

The egg white contains sodium and half of the protein in the egg. That's it.

hmm, I just googled it and have come across as many results affirming one side as the other. I don't know enough about it other than what I've read and heard from other sources to make an argument, so I'll back out of this one.

Yeah I don't even understand how conflicting reports on something that simple can exist. The yolk either has the nutrients or it doesn't haha. Now the whole uncooked vs cooked thing I understand there being a degree of uncertainty.

Now that I've got a moment to think about this, I can answer where the misconception about the yolk comes from. You point out, rightfully, that the yolk contains vitamins and nutrients. It's the protein that most weightlifters and athletes are after more than anything else, though, and egg whites will give you the protein in useful amounts. The aversion to the yolk clearly comes from the saturated fat and cholesterol content, and while even saturated fat is needed in your diet, depending on your goals the added saturated fat from the yolk may or may not be harmful. The level of saturated fat in the yolk is minimal compared to unsaturated, about 1.6g per egg, but this can add up as most lifters eat several eggs in a meal. As part of a cutting diet, many lifters will eat breakfast, including egg whites, immediately upon waking up to give their body a boost after a long night of sleep to minimize catabolism. Dietary cholesterol in the yolk is another concern, though the debate over how much this effects or doesn't affect body cholesterol makes this something more to think twice about. This is the health and nutrition board, which encompasses both nutrition and exercise, so, again, the answer relies on his particular needs but I guess I'm more or less swayed on the issue overall.

As far as ranking egg whites and 'milk' protein, how did you determine the order? Different types of protein have different uses that become important at different points in the day and depending on your workout schedule. Milk protein, or casein, is slow-absorbing, and is the last thing you want to drink directly after a workout. After a workout you want to get the protein into your system as soon as possible; whey protein is the clear choice for this for most. Milk is also probably the last thing you want to consume period if you're on a serious cut or trying to lose significant weight, due to the lactose that comes with it.

So what about boiled eggs? I eat about 2-3 boiled eggs a day. I also chose Eggland eggs (supposedly they're better for you). Should I be scrambling my eggs or what?

I'm trying to gain weight btw.