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If you were a rat, what would you want to look like…Rat A on the left or Rat B on the right?
It seems pretty obvious that Rat A is frisky, happy, and healthy in a normal, rat sort of way, while Rat B looks like he is on death’s door.
As it turns out, the rats’ exterior differences are a physical manifestation of their diet. (1)
Egg Whites vs Real Eggs
Guess what these little guys are eating?
Healthy Rat A is eating whole eggs.
Sickly Rat B is eating Egg Beaters, aka “liquid egg whites”.
How can this be? Processed egg whites are lab-synthesized to match the nutrition in a whole egg.
Developed in the 1970s, Egg Beaters has the same protein, fat, calories, macro minerals, and vitamins as Real Eggs! (2)
Marketed as a “healthy” egg substitute, liquid egg whites like Egg Beaters are routinely served to nursing home residents and is a typical breakfast choice of older Americans seeking to limit cholesterol and saturated fat.
The problem is when you take out the saturated fat and cholesterol from eggs and substitute vegetable seeds oils, nonfat milk, additives, chemicals, and a host of synthetic vitamins and feed it to adolescent rats what do you get?
The result is very sad looking rats like Rat B above.
Not only do these rats eating a factory food like Egg Beaters look unhealthy, they do not develop properly and have mangy looking fur.
In fact, rats fed eating processed egg whites develop diarrhea within one week and die within 3-4 weeks.
Clearly, Mother Nature does not recognize Egg Beaters as food in any way, shape, or form, despite “the science” claiming otherwise.
Egg White Diet
What about Rat A above and rats like him who eat whole eggs? These rats go on to develop properly and live out normal little rat lives.
Are you or a relative eating Egg Beaters thinking it is a better choice for your health?
Set the marketing mumbo jumbo and misleading doctor-speak about saturated fat and cholesterol aside for a minute and just look at the picture!
Make the call with simple common sense.
Doesn’t it seem downright foolish to eat processed egg whites if that stuff can make a young rat look like that within one week?
Perhaps it might help you to know that a 2024 review of the scientific literature on eggs found that eggs do not contribute to heart attacks, and for consumers to be aware of the false media narratives demonizing egg yolks.
Eggs are incredibly healthy and make a great contribution to a balanced diet. They have antioxidants and notably decrease triglyceride levels. Egg-predominantly carbohydrate-deficient meals show the best improvement in lipid levels when compared to similar eggless controls. Avoid discarding egg yolks, as they contain antioxidants, essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals that contribute to a healthy and balanced diet. Also, consumers must be aware of the media game, which portrays the illusion that eating their highly processed junk food [like Egg Beaters] is not as bad because the healthy egg yolks are also bad, despite the truth being that egg yolks are good for health. (3)
Dr. Mark Hyman MD agrees! (4)
Not only does the cholesterol in egg yolks not cause heart attacks, but omitting them from the diet by misguidedly eating only egg whites is a loss of critical nutrients that has huge negative implications for health.
Liquid Egg Whites for Convenience in Recipes?
What if you know that yolks are healthy, and you use whole eggs for omelettes and the like, but simply use liquid egg whites in cartons for convenient use in recipes (like meringues, angel food cake, etc.)?
In those situations, I would still advise against using packaged liquid egg whites from the store.
The reason is that the packaging is toxic!
The cartons (such as the popular cage-free 100% liquid egg whites) are lined with a thin layer of plastic, which adds an unwelcome dose of microplastics to the mix.
Thus, while it takes a bit extra time, it is still best to separate shelled eggs to use fresh egg whites in recipes that call for them.
Keep the extra yolks in a glass dish with a lid (they will keep for up to 4 days) until you use them up in smoothies, crème brûlée, eggs benedict, or other dishes.
(1-2) Morning Nourishment: Bountiful Benefits and Creative Ideas
(3) Debunking the Myth: Eggs and Heart Disease
(4) Eggs Do Not Cause Heart Attacks
More Information
Five Fats You Must Have in Your Kitchen
Why Organic Store Eggs are a Scam
What Oxidizes the Cholesterol in Eggs
Are Raw Egg Whites Healthy?
Duck Eggs: Even More Nutritious!
I grew up eating egg beaters, skim milk and tub margarine because my mom had high cholesterol and believed everything that the nutritionist told her about what she should eat. The crazy thing? We lived on a farm and had our own farm eggs and raw milk/butter/cream readily available. I still turned out fairly healthy (I think strong genes helped to play a role in that), but I do wonder how much healthier I would be if I had only gotten the right nutrition as a child.
I saw the word “Eggbeaters” in my inbox and thought “WHAT is that doing in there? I don’t want that!” Then I realized it was your post and it made sense. I’ve never bought it and never would. I only buy pastured eggs from a local farm.
Trader Joe’s sells “egg whites only” in cartons. I really, really want to call them up and ask them if I can have all those extra yolks, because that’s the part I really want. (Not because I want them since I’m sure they’re CAFO, but just to make a point.)
As a child I had an allergy to eggs. We used Eggbeaters instead and I had no reaction to them. Hmmm. Must not be too many eggs in that little yellow carton! Thankfully the allergy is gone and I enjoy pastured eggs almost every day!
Well said, Sarah. I hope someday that people will learn that artificial foods can never replace real food. Thank you for doing so much to spread the truth, time and time again.
This is just criminal – to tell people that it’s “good for you” when they KNOW it is not, is beyond insane. Like their continued attacks on raw milk, forcing people to use the processed milk/dairy. We need to start accusing them of deliberately trying to make people sick…and DIE. Because that *is* what is happening. Watch for the word “safe” when they talk about *their* “foods…they always say real food isn’t “safe” but their foods are. It’s not about nutritious. You can nuke manure until it’s “safe” to eat but….SHOULD you eat it? Of course not! The animal ID scheme (which is alive and well and being crammed down our throats) is part of taking away our ability to feed ourselves with whole, nutritious food. It will make owning your own animals impossible. And that’s the whole idea. We are lifetime ranchers/farmers/homesteaders and we’ve been fighting this monster for six years. They are taking complete control of all food in the whole world, not just America. If you are not up to speed on Agenda 21, you need to do it right away…
I agree Lynne. I think the folks who adhere to “no bar code” eating are definitely onto something. I’m not quite there yet myself as I still buy good quality packaged foods like coconut milk and the like (though I also make it myself though not all the time), I would like to get there one day.
Thank you for sharing this. I confess to eating these from time to time, I honestly didn’t know I was doing anything wrong. I always eat at least one pasture egg a day (DELICIOUS, such a difference) but will definitely be cutting eggbeaters from my diet. I love learning about real foods and cooking clean for my family, thank you!
Great Erica! I am so glad this post helped expose how dangerous egg beaters are to eat .. it is really just a chemistry experiment in a carton, most definitely not really even food!
Well that’s just great! Now when I’m checking out an order with 6 cartons of Egg Beaters in it (sadly, not freakishly uncommon) I’ll have to bite my tongue so I don’t ask them if they have some rats they’re trying to kill.
I scan so much crapola every day, that I’m lucky my tongue’s not completely severed from restraining myself from saying anything.
However, I did have a nice conversation with a young mother buying the non-homogenized, low temp past. milk last night. She asked if I’d seen King Corn and I told her about The Healthy Home Economist and the post on New Zealand and “Food Safety” bill.
Refreshing to meet someone in person who doesn’t want their head stuck in the sand.
Your comment made me giggle. You are a better person than me .. if I were a grocery store cashier, I wouldn’t last a single day before being booted out for chastising the customers for either their gluttonous habits or misinformed food choices.
Both you and I would get fired within the day. LOL
So funny that you said this. Whenever we buy from the grocery store (all we buy there are some organic vegetables, frozen organic berries, and the occasional kerrygold butter.), the casheers all know my mom as the “organic lady with all the kids!” They’re always asking her whether she saw some good coconuts (we alway make coconut milk) over in the produce section, or they’re telling her that they just got a new order of the grassfed raw cheese in from New Zealand. I love our Publix here on FL’s beautiful east coast!
Thank you for posting this. I shared on my Facebook page
Look like Charlie Sheen or Brad Pitt? Egg Beaters: Food for Fools: http://t.co/SkW893qq #organic