Eating Raw Eggs - Good or Bad

A more serious and largely unconvincingly answered question than, 'Who came first, the Chicken or the Egg?' is, 'Is Eating Raw Eggs Good or Bad?' The former may never be answered due to the recursive causal loop involved, which continues ad infinitum. There is hope for the latter though. Thinking about such a topic reminds me of my essay topics at school - 'Is Television Good or Bad, 'Is Nuclear Power Good or Bad?' and so on. One thing which I always said in those essays, which I will say again is that everything in life has both good and bad sides. In fact, 'good or bad' is relative. You cannot really have a white and black world, the real world is gray!

Getting back to consumption of raw eggs, they are not an exception to this rule. There are certain benefits of eating raw eggs, as there are dangers. Let me put both the things before you and in perspective, which may help you in deciding if eating raw eggs is good or bad.

Those of you, who are fans of the Rocky movie series will remember the scene in Rocky I, where he breaks three or four eggs in a glass and gulps it down before leaving for his run through Philadelphia. I am sure that many of you might have gotten into the 'eating raw eggs-good or bad' dilemma after watching that movie. It is a controversial issue and many body building enthusiasts get confused about it. I researched a lot before writing this article and here are the facts of the matter in front of you. When we are talking about eggs, I assume, we are referring to chicken eggs! They are the most widely consumed eggs.

Is Eating Raw Eggs Good or Bad?
So let's get down to the crux of the matter and see the advantages of eating raw eggs. First we will see the benefits of eating raw eggs and then the dangers involved.

It is Good Because. . .
Here are some of the benefits of eating raw eggs.

• One good reason for eating or rather drinking raw eggs is that it supplies most of the essential amino acids required for proper functioning of the human body.
• Another good reason to eat raw eggs is that they provide a bunch of vitamins and minerals like riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B₆, vitamin B₁₂, iron, choline, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.
• The egg white is the richest source of protein on earth. This makes it an ideal protein supplement. Eating raw eggs for protein is a common practice among body builders. Egg is one of the few natural products which contains Vitamin D.
• One more nutrient called choline is contained in the egg which is recommended for intake by pregnant, as well as nursing women, as it aids brain development of the fetus.

It could be Bad Because. . .
Here are some of the dangers of eating raw eggs.

• One danger from raw egg consumption is salmonella infection. The danger is highly exaggerated however. There is a probability of 1 in 30,000 eggs being infected with salmonella according to a study. If you purchase eggs from vendors who feed their chickens with organic foods and keep them cage free, the danger of contracting a Salmonella infection is lesser. Cold storage of chicken eggs also helps in reducing the risk of infections.
• Another problem is that eating a lot of egg white, can create biotin deficiency. However, this problem can be dealt with if you eat the whole egg instead of just the egg white as the egg white is biotin rich.
• The high level of cholesterol in egg yolk is another risk. However, there is no conclusive research on how much can egg yolk cholesterol be assimilated by the body. However, if you are a person with heart problems, moderate consumption is recommended.

Hope this article has finally settled the dilemma in your mind. There are risks involved but ultimately it's your decision. So the next time anybody asks you 'Is eating raw eggs good or bad?', you know what to say!