Eggs contain many vitamins and minerals. Egg substitutes help reduce cholesterol.
Egg substitutes offer an alternative that avoids the cholesterol found in eggs. They contain a few minor ingredients but their composition is almost all egg whites. Using just the egg whites solves the cholesterol problem but leaves egg substitutes without many of the vitamins and minerals found in eggs.
Nutrients
Eat one large egg and you consume 70 calories while receiving 6.3 g of protein and 0.63 g of carbohydrates. The egg contains 4.8 g of fat, of which 1 g is polyunsaturated with 1.8 g each of monosaturated and saturated. The cholesterol count for the egg is 185 mg. Vitamins in eggs include A, D, E, B6 and B12. An egg also contains choline, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc.
Egg Whites
Egg whites are the primary ingredient in egg substitutes. Egg whites compose 16 of the 70 calories in a large egg. Egg whites have 3.6 g of protein and 0.24 g of carbohydrates. They are virtually fat free, containing 0.06 g of fat. They contain almost no vitamins with just a trace of B12. Other than trace amounts, the only elements of egg whites found in eggs are sodium, potassium and magnesium. Most of the vitamins and minerals in eggs are located in the egg yolk -- one example is calcium. Of the 28 mg in one large egg, only 2 mg are in the egg white.
Other Ingredients
Some substances are added to egg substitutes as a thickener such as cellulose gum. Additional items may include vegetable oil and corn oil, spices, salt and onion powder. For most products egg whites are 99 percent of the ingredients. The key vitamins and minerals that need to be added include A, D, E, folate and riboflavin -- these are found in egg yolks. Check the label to make sure they are added.
Combination
Dr. Andrew Weil suggests a third choice other than egg or egg substitutes. Take three eggs for a recipe that calls for only two eggs. Use one egg as normal. Take the other two eggs, crack them, and separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Discard the yolks. Put the two egg whites into the recipe as a substitute for the egg. The egg whites provide the same ingredient as egg substitutes. The one egg provides the vitamins and minerals missing from egg whites.
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