Home
Nutrition

How Much Protein In An Egg? Nutrition Facts…

Jane Summerfield 8 min read|   Medically reviewed by: Jonadab Ichegbo, M.D
how much protein in an egg

Most of us love eggs in whatever form; be it a delicious poached, fried, boiled, or omelet, they are delicious when served according to our whims – And highly nutritious.

After all, an egg is a complete and versatile food.

Bodybuilders count on it to provide them with a healthy diet because they have plenty of protein in them.

Without protein, your muscles won’t grow, period.

If you exclude fat and water, our body weight is made up almost entirely of protein.

Protein makes up the main component of our bones, muscles, skin, organs, and nails. Excluding the water, our muscles are composed of 80% protein [1].

This makes egg a great source of protein essential for athletes.

In fact, a bodybuilder’s diet needs to be a lot higher in protein than the average person’s to build muscle.

Bodybuilders and other people, in general, know that eggs are a good source of protein.

A long story short, though, is that there is not only one good protein – you need to consume a variety of lean protein foods so you can fuel your body to be at its best.

And whole eggs are your first port of call whether you do other lean meat, turkey breast, chicken breast, plant proteins, or other protein-rich meal supplements.

So How Much Protein is There in an Egg?

When you read up about the amount of protein that is found in an egg, usually the figures given are 6 g of protein.

But actually, that is just the average amount for an average-sized egg.

A small egg might have 4.8 g of protein in it; a medium egg might have about 6 g of protein in it, and a jumbo-sized one will have about 7.9 g of protein in it.

To put it more precisely, per every gram of an egg, there are 125 milligrams of protein.

Dieters often talk about eating egg whites as their source of protein 

But in actual fact, the yolks contain just as much protein [2].

So if one egg contains 7 grams of protein in it, 4 grams will be found in the egg white and 3 g will be in the yolk.

People believe that the white of an egg is the healthier part.

They believe it’s because of the fat content which is in the yolk.

It is the yolk that also contains most of the calories; in fact three times more calories than what the white contains.

That’s why the white of an egg is a smart choice if you want to embark on low fat, high protein diet [3].

It can be an important low-carb protein intake for your weight loss as there are only about 8 grams of protein per egg.

Does cooking an egg change the protein content?

You probably have heard people say they down a raw egg to keep them fit.

That’s true – they are getting all the natural protein from the egg into their body.

But it is said that it is not necessary that you do this.  

It is true that cooking might lower a couple of the nutrients found in most protein but cooking the egg also helps your body to absorb a lot more protein [4].

Cooking doesn’t change the amount of protein in the egg, it only alters the structure of the protein in it.

This process is called denaturing [5].

This means that the proteins, when cooked, are no longer as active biologically.

When you eat the egg raw, the biologically active proteins bind to each other. This prevents them from being absorbed by the body.

Once they have been denatured and cooked, this is not a problem anymore.

There was a study done that found that the body can only absorb 50% of the proteins in raw eggs as opposed to 90% when it has been cooked [6].

Cooked eggs, it seems, are a far better way to access protein. And then, they are more delicious and of course, you don’t run the risk of food poisoning as well from raw eggs!

Eggs are highly nutritious even apart from the protein

There are many vital micro and macronutrients in an egg.

This includes vitamin A, B2, B5, B6, B12, vitamin D, E, and K. Then it’s got other micronutrients too, such as phosphorous, folate, selenium, calcium, and zinc.

All of these are in just one boiled egg!

With so many key vitamins and minerals, you would think it has a lot of calories. With all the other nutrients included, a large egg is roughly 75 calories.

Do free-range eggs have more protein in them than battery chicken eggs? 

For an egg to be called organic, it needs to meet some minimum requirements.

These requirements are set out by the National Organic Standard Board.

That will mean that herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, and hormones are not allowed at all in its production.

One study from 2017 found that organic eggs from hens that had the freedom to free-range and feed on natural foods as they would on an organic farm had higher levels of certain nutrients than eggs from caged hens [7]. 

That makes sense, as freedom means happiness, and happiness means contentment – and that enriches anything!

It was shown that the organic eggs had higher levels of potassium, protein, and copper.

If you eat two eggs, is that more protein than drinking whey? 

Usually, you buy whey protein in powder form. You mix it up with milk, water, or some juice to turn it into a protein drink.

Often the protein content can range from around 15-35 grams in a serving.

Two large eggs will have around 12.6 grams of protein.

It is slightly less than a whey protein drink.

But most healthy adults don’t really need protein supplements if they are getting in enough amounts of protein from eating whole foods.

You Might Like: Whey Protein Flavors That Tastes Good

The Value of Eggs

Eggs have always been considered the standard against which all other protein foods are measured.

This is because its protein composition is so ideal.

They are considered complete proteins because they have all essential amino acids in them [8] – the building blocks of protein which are so important for development and growth.

We need it in our food because our bodies can’t produce them.

Based on all the amino acids that an egg provides, egg protein comes in second only to mother’s milk as far as human nutrition is concerned.

There are nine amino acids that can’t be made by the body.

You need to get these important nutrients from the food you eat.

The foods that have all the nine essential amino acids in them are called complete protein foods.

Scientists often use the egg as the standard for measuring the protein quality of other foods.

The egg scores 93.7% in measuring protein quality – which is higher than any other protein source.

Look at other protein foods, and see how they score:

  • Fish: 76.0%
  • Soybeans: 72.8% which may be slightly higher for fermented soybeans.
  • Wheat, whole: 64.0%
  • Beef: 74.3%
  • Polished rice: 64.0%
  • Corn: 60.0%
  • Dry beans: 58.0%
  • pumpkin seeds: about 35 percent protein
  • Kidney beans: nearly 34%. With the highest beans quality up to 63%
  • Garbanzo beans (chickpeas): 41-52%
  • Hemp seeds:
  • Greek yogurt combines to give just enough protein to give the perfect 1.0 score.
  • Cottage cheese:
  • Salad:
  • Hemp hearts:
  • Slivered almonds,
  • Walnuts

 Wholesome, nutritious eggs provide 12% of the daily value of protein.

Even though protein in itself is a very important constituent of a healthy diet, there are two nutrients further that have been discovered in an egg.

They are lutein and zeaxanthin [9], two valuable bioactive compounds for eye health.

This puts the egg in the “functional food” category.

Functional foods are foods that provide health benefits that go beyond their basic nutrient content.

Surely then you get wonderful health benefits from an egg – well egg-sactly! They are:

1) Eggs don’t raise people’s cholesterol:

When you eat an egg, cholesterol does enter the body.

But it also signals the liver to stop producing cholesterol. This compensates for the decrease in the cholesterol produced by the liver. 

2) Eggs have choline

Choline is a very important nutrient to include in your diet.

It helps to build cell membranes. Choline is crucial in the production of signaling molecules in the brain.

The best source of choline is an egg because it has about 100 milligrams of this nutrient in it.

3) Eggs are good for your eyes

We have learned that eggs contain Lutein and Zeaxanthin, these unique antioxidants stop the degenerative processes from happening in your eye.

When you eat sufficient lutein and zeaxanthin, you help to lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration or AMD. 

4) Eggs have plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in them: 

Omega-3 fatty acids are very important for reducing the effects of heart disease in your body.

It helps to reduce triglyceride levels.

5) An egg may reduce the risk of you having a stroke:

Studies prove that eggs are good for your heart, but they can prevent the likelihood of you suffering from a stroke.

6) Eggs are an excellent source of protein:

Its protein quality is the best which is one of the biggest reasons you should have it in your diet. You can lose weight too; optimize your bone health, as well as lower your blood pressure.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that protein is an all-important macronutrient.

If you have finished baking or cooking and you find yourself left with some egg yolks, don’t just toss them out.

Use them because that extra protein can turn into some amazing protein recipes. Just look at all you can do with this amazing leftover food!

Eggs are considerably less expensive than other animal protein sources.

Apart from their high protein content, they are packed with plenty of other different minerals and vitamins.

They are the perfect food for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and even as a protein-rich snack. 

Did you know you can lose weight by eating eggs?

This valuable protein can help you feel full longer. And that is when you have healthy eating habits.

Eating more protein-rich nutrition rather than eating too much in the name of having a healthy snack is vital too.

You will be less likely to snack between meals.

Eating egg white is a good choice for people on a high protein diet who also want their diet to be low in fat and calories.

You can’t go wrong with this superfood – whether you have it fried, scrambled, or boiled, they will keep you energized throughout the day.

There is so much protein and goodness in an egg that makes everybody from young to old crack a hearty smile.

References