Beware of raw egg whites!

I blogged about this subject a year and a half ago and I think it timely to remind people that cracking a whole egg into your daily smoothie is not a good idea.

Egg yolks are fine to eat raw but egg whites should not be consumed raw on a regular basis. The reason is that raw egg whites contain a substance called avidin which interferes with the absorption of biotin, a B vitamin. They also contain trypsin inhibitors which interfere with protein digestion. You might experience stomach cramps if you consume raw whites on a regular basis for this reason. These anti-nutrients are neutralized by cooking. Rare / occasional (not daily) consumption is fine. If your gym offers you a smoothie post workout tell them to hold the eggs (or just add the egg yolk). I have seen how this small change alone has made a huge difference to the digestion of a number of clients and friends.

So bottom line: eat as many raw egg YOLKS as you want but save the whites in a small container in the fridge (they keep for a few days) and COOK them next time you are making an omelette  or scrambled eggs.