As summer arrives, from the start of summer to the Dragon Boat Festival, it is a folk custom to eat eggs. Indeed, eggs are convenient to cook, nutritious, and easy to preserve, making them a great food for supplementing nutrition in the summer. However, debates about how to eat eggs have never ceased.
Traditionally, it is believed that eggs should be cooked. However, some radical health and wellness experts advocate eating all foods raw, with eggs being no exception. Residents in some regions also believe that eating eggs raw is more nutritious and can prevent "internal heat." On the other hand, other experts strongly oppose eating raw eggs, considering it very unsafe.
So, what are the respective reasons for eating eggs raw and cooked? There are three reasons for recommending cooked eggs:
1. The surface of eggs is often contaminated with Salmonella, which can contaminate the egg white when the egg is cracked;
2. When eggs are eaten raw, the presence of components like avidin in the egg white results in a protein digestibility of less than 50%;
3. When eggs are eaten raw, the large amount of avidin in the egg white severely hinders the absorption and utilization of biotin. Biotin is an important B vitamin that is not usually deficient unless one consumes a large amount of raw egg whites. A deficiency in biotin can lead to brittle nails, hair loss, and skin rashes or damage.
Commentary: These three points are theoretically sound, well-supported by evidence, and irrefutable. However, a closer look reveals a key fact—all three reasons tell us that the egg white should not be eaten raw, but they do not say that the egg yolk cannot be eaten raw.