Eggs vs. Egg Beaters

FitSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Lately I've been hearing so many people talk about how they use Egg Beaters in place of eggs. Original Egg Beaters seem like a healthier alternative to eggs, because the label says it's made from real eggs and contains no cholesterol, but the truth is it only contains egg whites. That's where the protein comes from (6g per 1/4 cup serving). Then to make up for all the missing vitamins you'd get naturally from the egg yolk, synthetic vitamins, spices, and coloring are added back in to make them look and taste more like real eggs. From my experience, they look and taste a little weird.

To hear more about eggs, Egg Beaters, and your cholesterol then read more.

Just because your cholesterol is high, doesn't mean you have to swear off real eggs forever. One egg contains 210 mg of cholesterol, and since the American Heart Association recommends no more than 300mg a day, it's OK to eat one whole egg every day if you wanted to (as long as you're limiting your intake of steak, cheese, and bacon. Plus you don't want to give up the yolk since it contains less sodium than the egg white, and is a great source of valuable vitamins such as hard to come by vitamin D, as well as calcium, and folate.

Since I'm a firm believer in eating foods as close to the real source as possible, I choose eggs over Egg Beaters. After all it is really not that difficult to separate your own egg whites. If you're concerned about your cholesterol, try eating one egg with two egg whites instead of two complete eggs. This way you'll get the benefits from the low calorie, low fat, and high protein of the egg whites, but you'll also get the vitamins found naturally in egg yolks and only 210 mg of cholesterol. Not to mention, it makes me feel better to eat an egg cracked open fresh from a shell, rather than poured out of a container.

The Biggest Loser Meal Plan

FitSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 04:00:00 -0700

If you're like me, you use The Biggest Loser as a source of motivation. The tough part is that the contestants on the show are in a controlled environment being told what to eat and how to workout and when and why. As for us voyeurs, well not so much since we have to fend for ourselves in the real world.

I have always been interested in what they eat on the show, so it was interesting to see what a sample meal plan would look like from The Biggest Loser's kitchen. It looks like the plan calls for three-meals and two-snacks per day and is broken down to 45% complex carbohydrates, 30% lean protein, and 25% fats. To see a sample of what a day's worth of eating looks like, just read more

BREAKFAST
1 cup berries on top of ½ packet cooked plain oatmeal (about 1/3 cup depending on how much water you put in), sprinkled with 1 Tbsp slivered almonds or walnuts
AND
1 cup liquid egg whites (Egg Beaters) whipped and scrambled with 2 cups chopped veggies (peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomato, spinach)
LUNCH
2 cups garden salad consisting of the following: 1 1/2 cups field greens topped with 1/4 cup red bell pepper, 1/4 cup red onion, 1/2 cup pear wedges, 3 oz. (size of a deck of cards) grilled chicken breast, and 1 Tbsp sunflower or pumpkin seeds (dressed with balsamic vinegar)
AND
1 small whole grain dinner roll
DINNER
2 oz. grilled salmon
2 cups grilled vegetables, lightly misted with olive oil (eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus, artichokes) and sprinkled with herbs such as oregano, parsley
1/3 cup wild rice
1 cup grapes for dessert
SNACK 1
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 slices rolled up deli turkey
5 large olives
SNACK 2
Combine the following:
½ cup pineapple chunks
1/4 cup nonfat ricotta
1 tsp walnuts

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