Eggs are among the world’s healthiest foods. Both raw and cooked eggs include many essential nutrients and can provide you with remarkable health benefits. People consume raw eggs on their own, mixed into beverages, or even drink them. But what do raw eggs taste like?
The flavor of raw eggs depends on the eggs you get. For instance, whites are more uniformly bland and tasteless. On the other hand, the egg white is slightly salty, and healthy egg yolks taste silky and buttery. For some people, fresh raw egg yolk tastes like vanilla and blends very nicely with avocado.
Read on to find everything you need to know about raw eggs, the benefits of raw eggs, and what raw eggs taste like. why do people drink raw eggs? what does drinking raw eggs do for you? and what are the potential risks of drinking raw eggs?
Discuss with your doctor before drinking raw eggs if you are currently under medical care or are taking daily medication.
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What Do Raw Eggs Taste Like?
The egg yolk is mostly fat, so its taste will be a little buttery, very creamy, and will have a smooth mouthfeel. But the flavor of yolks depends on the eggs you get. For instance, whites are more uniformly bland and tasteless. On the other hand, healthy egg yolks taste silky and buttery.
In the United States, there are at least three commercial options for widely available raw eggs: duck, quail, and hen (chicken) eggs. Duck eggs taste the most ducky and delicious; quail eggs are the blandest, and chicken eggs taste silky and buttery. Nevertheless, some people find raw eggs to taste delicious.
Generally, the color of the yolk is not reflective of nutritional value but the kind of poultry feed. Keep in mind that almost all the nutrients are concentrated in the yolk. The white mainly consists of protein.
Whenever you buy raw eggs, try to get them from your local farmers because the poultry receives better care and are raised free-range as a part of their regular farming. And try to avoid large-scale egg producers and brands.
If you are not used to consuming fresh raw egg yolks, you should begin eating just a tiny bit of it daily and gradually increase the portions.
For example, you can start consuming only a few drops of raw egg yolk daily during the first three days. Then consume half a teaspoon of raw egg yolk daily for the next three days.
You can blend raw eggs with almost anything, including a smoothie, or salad, put in a protein shake, or swallow whole a la Rocky.
You can also blend different fruits, including your favorite fruits or veggies. You can also combine raw egg yolks with cooked potatoes or rice.
Despite raw eggs containing slightly more nutrients, the nutrients in cooked eggs are, in fact, easier for your body to digest and absorb. So, why do people drink raw eggs? Well, let’s discuss this next.
Why Do People Drink Raw Eggs?
One of the reasons people drink raw eggs is the efficiency of ingesting protein quickly. For example, consuming eggs only took 20 seconds. And some people choose to consume raw eggs because they believe that some nutrients can be diminished by cooking.
So, people think drinking eggs will help them. However, the protein of raw eggs is only absorbed by 51% by the human body, which means that you should not be drinking raw eggs to get your protein needs met. Another issue with drinking raw eggs is the risk of salmonella.
To avoid salmonella, the US Food and Drug Administration recommends buying pasteurized eggs to buy pastured organic eggs. Cleaning the egg will also reduce your chances of getting salmonella.
Another reason people drink raw is how it is portrayed in movies like Rocky. In most movies, drinking raw eggs is sometimes perceived as a healthy, fast way for bodybuilders and athletes to consume protein and recover from intense workouts.
Generally, eggs are a quality source of protein, vitamins, and minerals; however, raw eggs and cooked eggs have different digestive and nutritional properties. So, while drinking eggs provides you with many of the same benefits as consuming cooked eggs, cooked eggs remain a superior choice.
What Does Drinking Raw Eggs Do For You?
Raw eggs are generally rich in protein and other micronutrients. And more importantly, raw egg fatty acids can help your metabolism.
Here is what drinking raw eggs do for you:
1- Raw Eggs Are Nutritious
Raw eggs are incredibly nutritious and rich in high-quality protein, vitamins, healthy fats, minerals, eye-protecting antioxidants, and various other nutrients.
One raw egg includes 147 mg of choline, an essential nutrient necessary for healthy brain function. Choline may also play a crucial role in heart health.
| Nutritional Information | One large raw egg (50 grams, 1.77 Ounces) |
| Calories | 72 |
| Protein | 6 grams |
| Fat | 5 grams |
| Vitamin A | 9% of the RDI |
| Selenium | 22% of the RD |
| Phosphorus | 10% of the RDI |
| Folate | 6% of the RDI |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 13% of the RDI |
| Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) | 8% of the RDI |
| Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) | 7% of the RDI |
2- Better Cognitive Performance
Raw eggs are rich in choline, and a higher choline consumption was related to better cognitive performance, revealed a 2011 study.
Long-term consumption of choline and betaine has been shown to prevent cardiovascular disease mortality by decreasing inflammation and other risk factors, according to another study.
3- Protect Your Eyes
Raw eggs are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin. These essential antioxidants protect your eyes and may reduce your risk of age-related eye diseases, according to a study.
4- Raw Eggs Retain Nutrients
When cooked, eggs lose most of their nutrients. Cooking most foods will reduce some nutrients, particularly if you cook them at high temperatures for an extended period.
Cooking eggs lowered their vitamin A content by around 17-20%, found a study.
Cooking may also considerably reduce the number of antioxidants in eggs, revealed another study.
5- Raw Eggs Are Protein Rich
Eggs are among the best sources of protein in your diet. However, consuming eggs raw may reduce your absorption of these quality proteins.
A 1998 clinical trial study compared the absorption of protein from cooked and raw eggs in 5 people. And the researchers discovered that 90% of the protein in cooked eggs was absorbed; however, only 50% was in raw eggs, which means that protein in cooked eggs was 80% more digestible.
Although you might better absorb protein from cooked eggs, you may slightly reduce some other nutrients when you cook them. These comprise vitamin A, vitamin B5, phosphorus, and potassium.
What Are the Potential Risks of Drinking Raw Eggs?
Drinking raw eggs may get you contaminated with bacteria. Both raw and undercooked eggs may include Salmonella, a type of harmful bacteria. And drinking contaminated eggs can cause food poisoning.
Salmonella can be found on eggshells but also inside eggs, revealed a study. Luckily, the risk of an egg being contaminated from drinking raw eggs is very low. For example, one study found only 1 of every 30,000 eggs produced in the US is contaminated.
Even though washing eggshells can decrease much of the risk of Salmonella, it does not eliminate it completely because Salmonella can be present in the yolk due to contamination in the hen’s reproductive tissue.
From the 1970s throughout the 1990s, contaminated eggshells were the most common source of Salmonella infection in the United States.
Since this period, some changes have been made in eggs’ processing, causing fewer Salmonella cases and outbreaks.
These changes include pasteurization. This process uses heat treatment to reduce bacteria and other microorganisms in foods.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends using raw eggs if they are pasteurized.
However, Salmonella contamination is more of a concern in specific populations, including infants and young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and immune-compromised individuals, showed a study.
Effective Tips on How to Reduce The Risk of Bacterial Infection
Even though it is impossible to eliminate the risk of infection from drinking raw eggs entirely, there are a few ways to reduce it.
- Purchase only pasteurized eggs and egg products available in some supermarkets.
- Only buy eggs stored in the refrigerated food section of the grocery store.
- Keep eggs refrigerated in your home. Keeping them at room temperature may cause the rapid growth of harmful bacteria.
- Don’t buy or drink eggs after their expiration date.
- Throw cracked or dirty eggs.
- Cook your eggs thoroughly to eliminate the risk.
Wrapping Up
Depending on your preferences, you might find raw eggs tasteless. However, you can add them to smoothies and shakes where their flavors get mixed with other more dominant tastes.
When eggs are cooked, their tastes become better and more distinct. Therefore, health experts think using cooked eggs is a more healthy option than eating them raw. However, raw eggs and cooked eggs have all the same benefits, and you absorb less protein from raw eggs.
There is also a risk of raw eggs contaminated with bacteria causing Salmonella infection. Purchasing pasteurized eggs will reduce your risk of contamination.
Just keep in mind that very young children, older people, pregnant women, and individuals with weak immune systems should not eat drinking or eating raw eggs.
