Betcha Didn’t Know not ditching the egg yolks might just serve you right! Read on to find out how you can take advantage of everything the incredible, edible egg yolk has to offer— you’ll think twice before tossing out the yellow.

No need to go all out here and eat them daily, but the yolks being tossed are extremely nutritious and in moderation can be part of anyone’s diet.
Aside from being high in protein and vitamins, you may not know that egg yolks are the richest source of… CHOLINE!

Dubbed "brain food," choline is an essential nutrient that’s needed for our cells to function properly, transporting nutrients throughout the body. Studies also suggest that higher choline intake may reduce the risk of breast cancer in women, and with its amazing ability to lower inflammation fends off the risk of other diseases and cancers as well. Handy little nutrient, isn’t it?

A recent study revealed that more than 90% of Americans aren’t getting nearly enough choline in their diets! It also appears that as we get older, our choline intake decreases. Yikes!

We know what you’re thinking, ‘But don’t egg yolks have cholesterol?!’ Yes, they do. However, nutrition experts have now determined people on a low-fat diet can eat a whole egg everyday without measurable changes in their blood cholesterol levels. Keep in mind, research says it’s the saturated fat more so than the cholesterol in our food that raises our cholesterol levels. Good news!

There are tons of ways to get the nutrients without overdoing it. Rachel’s fave is to make an omelet using 1 whole egg mixed with 3 egg whites. While it’s trendy to go all white, perhaps it isn’t a bad idea to consider the occasional yellow. See? Egg yolks are more than they’re cracked up to be.

References
(1)    Iowa State University researchers (Jensen H, Batres-Marquez S, et al., FASEB Journal).
(2)    Xu X, et al. Choline metabolism and risk of breast cancer in a population-based study. The FASEB Journal, published online on January 29, 2008.
(3)    Jensen HH, et al. Choline in the diets of the US population: NHANES, 2003-2004, Iowa State University (presented at Experimental Biology 2007, Washington DC).
(4)    U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA database for the choline content of common foods, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland, 2004.
(5)    Frazier AL, et al. Adolescent diet and risk of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 2003; 5: R59-R64.
(6)    Shannon J, et al. Food and botanical groupings and risk of breast cancer: A case-control study in Shanghai, China. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2005; 14 (1): 81-90.
(7)    Zeisel SH. Nutritional importance of choline for brain development. J Am Col Nutr 2004; 23: 621S – 626S.