Eating raw eggs while working out - do we recommend this for bodybuilders?

Have you ever seen Rocky? I've loved this movie franchise since I first saw it many years ago. But one scene never ceased to amaze me. If you read the title of this article carefully again, it will probably be immediately clear that this is ... is the scene where Rocky cracks a couple of raw eggs into a glass every morning and swallows them with not much enthusiasm.

Each time, I wondered if this morning routine was even safe and if it could have any benefit. I therefore looked at a few scientific studies, expert quotes and, last but not least, personal experience. The results of my search can be found in today's article.

Nutritional values don't change, usability does

The most important thing everyone needs to realize is thatthat the nutritional value of a raw egg is no different from a denatured one. They still contain the same amount of all 9 essential amino acids, they still contain the same amount of protein and quality fats, they are still a rich source of vitamins B, C, D, E and K. But what makes a raw egg different from a cooked one is the usability of the protein. And according to one study that has been done the difference is even very marked. While about 90% of the protein was used from boiled eggs, only 50% was used from raw eggs.

But that's not the only disadvantage of raw eggs. In addition, they contain a protein called avidin, which has the ability to bindinto a stable complex with biotin (vitamin B7), thus blocking its biological use. The good news is that this protein makes up about 0.05% of the dry matter of the egg white and, when eggs are cooked, this negative effect is further reduced. Therefore, to significantly impair the absorption of this vitamin, you would have to eat an enormous amount of eggs.

They may be contaminated with salmonella

If you eat raw eggs regularly, you risk contracting salmonella, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever, abdominal paratyphoid fever and salmonellosis. Temperatures of around 100°C (100°F) will destroy it quite reliably, with 75°C (75°F) for at least 5 minutes usually being the effective temperature. Fortunately, the risk of infection is not too great - according to available studies only 1 in 30,000 eggs produced in the USA are contaminated with salmonella. However, this does not change the fact that raw eggs are the most common source of salmonella illness.

How to minimize the risks?

While it is obviously not possible to eliminate all risks completely, you can at least minimize them. Here are some tips on how to do this:

• Buy pasteurised eggs, which are available in larger supermarkets.
• Don't eat eggs that are past their best before date
• Don't eat cracked eggs
• Prefer eggs stored in supermarket fridges
• Store eggs in the fridge

Disgusting taste

Leaving aside the health downsides of eating raw eggs, there's still the fact that the taste will be so disgusting that you'll probably have a hard time not throwing up. Yet an egg omelette with vegetables and fresh wholemeal bread tastes so good. So why spoil the taste?

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What are suitable alternatives?

Basically, I can think of only one case where raw eggs turn out better than cooked ones . And that is saving time. If you can't manage to boil or fry eggs in the morning, there are definitely better alternatives than drinking them raw. One of them can be, for example, protein porridge, which we wrote about on our website a separate review. There, you only need to pour a measured amount into a bowl, mix with a little water or milk and breakfast is on the table. From a nutritional point of view, you take in quality protein and complex carbohydrates, which is the most ideal solution ever.

Why even bother eating raw eggs?

No matter how hard I try, I can't think of a single reason to drink raw eggs at all. While the risk of contracting salmonella is not great, it is still much higher than with cooked eggs. At the same time, we're told that the protein utilization is also significantly lower, and there's even less absorption of some vitamins. On the other hand, you would be hard pressed to find a positive reason. If you can't make it in the morning, you can certainly try, for example, a protein porridge according to our recommendation, but avoid eating raw eggs if possible.

That's all for this article. We hope we've made you at least a little bit clearer on drinking raw eggs, and if you happen to have any questions on the subject, feel free to ask in the comments. We'd be happy to answer.

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