The Health Value of Eggs vs Egg Whites

You do your level best to remain as healthy as you can. You keep track of your calories, exercise on a regular basis and throw away your egg yolks to make a vegetable omelet. Wait, you throw your egg yolks away? Did you know that whole eggs do not necessarily reduce your risk of heart disease? In fact, it may be far worse for your health not to eat your egg yolks. 

Egg yolks and all other sources of saturated fat and cholesterol were first given a bad rap in the early 20th century. Nikolai Anichkov, a Russian pathologist, performed an experiment in which he fed rabbits high levels of pure cholesterol. The arteries of the rabbits became clogged with plaque, leading Anichkov to surmise that cholesterol leads to heart disease. However, it is widely known that the liver makes about 75 percent of the body's cholesterol. This vital nutrient is required by every single one of your 37.2 trillion cells to create their protective membranes. There is a very small flaw in Anichkov's theory: the cholesterol he fed his test subjects was synthetic. Also, rabbits and humans are fundamentally different in their make-up. As vegetarians, rabbits do not consume cholesterol in their natural diet. 

Despite these facts, the research performed by Nikolai Anichkov and Ancel Keys spurred the start of a witch hunt geared toward demonizing foods containing saturated fats. After studying the eating habits of seven different countries, Keys claimed that those who consumed the greatest amounts of animal fat all died from heart disease. Although his data did show a correlation between fat consumption and heart disease, he was unable to prove that the relationship was causal. Also, while mortality rates for heart disease were higher, deaths from nearly every other cause were significantly lower, resulting in longer life expectancies. 

More recent findings regarding egg whites and egg yolks have shed additional light on the subject. A set of 21 studies collected and published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that saturated fat was not associated with an increase in the risk of heart disease. Instead, the true risk comes from the inflammation caused by chronic stress and regular consumption of vegetable oils and processed foods. 

If you have been avoiding egg yolks for fear of endangering your heart, you are missing out on a world of nutrition. Egg yolks are an excellent source of vitamin A, a nutrient that is critical for healthy and vibrant skin. Other nutrients include B vitamins and choline. The saturated fat present in egg yolks is needed for balanced hormone production and vitamin/mineral absorption. 

Egg whites contain the largest percentage of the protein found in an egg. One egg white, on average, contains the following:

• 4 grams of protein
• 1.3 micrograms of folate
• 6.6 micrograms of selenium
• 2.3 milligrams of calcium
• 53.8 milligrams of potassium

Egg yolks, on the other hand, contain the following nutrient profile:

• 2.7 grams of protein
• 30 micrograms of selenium
• 21.9 milligrams of calcium
• 18.5 milligrams of potassium

The yolk itself has more nutrition than the white, but consuming the whole egg will give you a more complete nutrient profile. Eggs are among the most nutritious food on earth. Because eggs provide all the nourishment needed to grow a chick, this statement makes perfect sense.

As long as you maintain the overall number of calories you consume each day, eating whole eggs will not affect your weight. Remember to check with your health care provider or a nutritionist for more information on how to balance fat levels and fitness goals. 

Hoarding a True Society Problem

Hoarding is becoming a real problem for a large segment of the world population. 4% of the people of the world have some degree of hoarding tendencies. It isn’t just junk that people accumulate in their homes or on their property. The problem can be either inanimate or living animals, or both. It can seem like it is a simple issue, but hoarding is a form of compulsive behavior that goes far beyond collection or hobbies. Hoarding can become so invasive it takes over homes and have a negative impact on life and health.

 Collecting items can begin with simple things like figures, photographs, magazines, newspapers or legal items, but turn into the inability to get rid of anything, even old food, clothing or garbage. When dealing with this type of disorder, people can have trouble telling the difference between good and bad, and be blind to the clutter of possessions surrounding them.

Boxes and stacks of items, whether they are clean items or garbage can do more than just make an home cluttered or hard to navigate. It can actually cause structure damage to property as well. Buildings can be stressed by the extreme weight of piled up junk in a concentrated area. The over-collection of anything can also make it impossible to reach parts of rooms, see when outside damage has happened like roof leaks or other things that end up getting worse, and causing extra damage from water buildup. Excessive accumulation of items invites parasites and rodents to move in as well. Rats and mice love boxes, and so do roaches, ants and spiders.

Triggers for Hoarding

Hoarding can begin in early life, starting in teenage years and getting worse as people age. Other times, life situations are known for triggering the problem. In many instances, people who were otherwise normal suddenly began to accumulate things following severe trauma, abuse, divorce or due to depression. Most of the reasons for the disease are centered around anxiety and physical, social or financial loss.

Along with the health hazards of accumulating large amounts of stuff, the act of hoarding also triggers social distress, distrust of others and isolation. It has caused marital problems and destroyed marriages. Even loss of loved ones can’t make people who are determined to save useless items understand the need for parting with the accumulation.

Symptoms of Hoarding Personalities

Hoarders typically put off activities, have a hard time organizing items, have unusual attachments to inanimate objects or can’t throw things away regardless of value. They usually have a false sense of value regarding the things in their lives either financial or emotional. Other times, they just get a sense of security and safety from having things around them.

The desire to keep precious items until it is over-whelming can also get worse with age, and that makes it extra problematic as the piles are hazardous for elderly people to navigate. Cluttered rooms are also fire hazards for people of any age, and some insurance companies may refuse to cover homes that have blocked passages or doorways.

When people hoard animals they often have a hard time keeping up with regular care, and animal-borne diseases become a problem that can spread to areas outside the home and cause a health issue. Animal collectors have a high risk of exposure to ticks, fleas and other parasites as well.

When to Get Help

Hoarding becomes a health risk when cleaning is impossible around the stacks of items. Filthy conditions, or too many animals in one space can become a hazard from feces and urine accumulation, but that isn’t the only time when animal waste is an issue. The stacks of items that are rodent attractions get soaked with urine that builds up.

The biggest health risk is ammonia inhalation and constant exposure that can cause lung damage, asthma or bronchitis. When people have a hoarding problem, they usually need intervention before they get help. Because it is a compulsive disorder, CBT is usually the best form of therapy in resolving the issues surrounding the behavior. Cognitive behavioral treatment can be done as an outpatient in most cases.

Along with depression, it has been linked to ADHD types of hyperactivity. People who have difficulties with attention and are indecisive can develop a problem with deciding what is important and what is not. In those cases, hoarding goes beyond special items and turns into collecting and saving everything, even plastic bags and household supplies.