Some people believe that eating raw eggs has the effect of moistening the lungs and soothing the throat. In fact, eating raw eggs is not only unhygienic and can easily cause bacterial infections, but it is also not more nutritious.
1. Raw eggs are difficult to digest, wasting nutrients. The human body's digestion and absorption of egg protein mainly rely on pepsin in the stomach and trypsin in the small intestine. However, the egg white of a raw egg contains a substance called antitrypsin, which hinders the digestion and absorption of protein.
2. Raw eggs contain avidin, which affects the absorption of biotin from food, and can easily lead to "biotin deficiency" symptoms such as loss of appetite, general weakness, muscle pain, skin inflammation, and eyebrow loss.
3. The protein structure of a raw egg is dense and contains antitrypsin, so a large portion of it cannot be absorbed by the human body. Only when cooked does the protein become soft, making it more beneficial for human digestion and absorption.
4. About 10% of fresh eggs contain pathogenic Salmonella, mold, or parasite eggs. If the eggs are not fresh, the bacterial contamination rate is even higher.
5. Additionally, raw eggs have a special fishy smell that can suppress the central nervous system, reducing the secretion of digestive fluids such as saliva, gastric juice, and intestinal juice, leading to loss of appetite and indigestion. Therefore, eggs must be thoroughly cooked before eating, and one should not eat undercooked eggs.
Egg Consumption Precautions
Eggs must be cooked and should not be eaten raw. When cracking eggs, be careful to avoid contamination with bacteria from the shell. For infants, the elderly, and the sick, it is best to eat eggs boiled, poached, steamed, or scrambled. Furthermore, spoiled eggs and "balut" (fertilized eggs with developing embryos) should not be eaten. People with coronary heart disease should not eat too many eggs; no more than one per day is advisable. For those with existing hypercholesterolemia, especially severe cases, eggs should be eaten as little as possible or not at all. One can opt to eat only the egg whites and not the yolks, as the cholesterol content in the yolk is 3 times higher than in the white, reaching up to 1400 milligrams per 100 grams.