I know egg yolks contains A.A. and are not a good zone food. When I first did te zone, I had lost all the weight and did not really care about this. I used to eat both the egg whites and yolks. I read somewhere but don't remember where exactly, must be a weight loss magazine or book, that eggs are better if not cooked too much. So I was wondering if I eat wholes eggs but that are not fully cooked could it be more zone friendly? Or should I just stop right away the egg yolks.. Thank you for your imput...

Your choice as with anything!
Egg Yolks are not Zone friendly because of the AA.
However, there are a lot of good nutrients in Egg Yolks.
Myself, I purchase only local farm pastured, hormone free, antibiotic free eggs.
Even more nutrients, less AA, and eat some raw.
Again this IS NOT a Dr. SEARS ZONE food choice.
For normal store-bought eggs, the rare occasions we might have,
I only eat the egg whites.

Thank you John, your reply makes a lot of sens!

Christine,

I would think that there is the same amount of AA in the yolk before cooking as well as after cooking, but it is just a guess on my part (didn't look it up).

I think you just have to put things in perspective... the benefit of eliminating egg yolk is the elimination of that source of AA in your diet. However, if you do well in eliminating AA in other regards except for the egg yolk, then you are still doing a good thing. Plus, you can't overlook the other benefits of the yolk, as John pointed out.

Kristine, yes, just stop eating the yolks. One of the basic principles of the Zone Diet is to avoid eating AA as much as possible. AA directly causes inflammation in the body at the cellular level. The more AA one eats, the more fish oil (Omega RX) they will need to take to dilute it.

Just putting this out there, not meant to encourage anyone to start eating egg yolks, but where does one draw the line regarding totally eliminating a food vs. moderate intake of a food that has taken such a bad wrap due to its AA content, and seemingly ignoring all of the nutrient benefits?

I posted on another thread a new topic that listed foods with the highest levels of nutrients per nutrient category. Lots of foods listed that are zone favorable, yet some foods that are also not "favorable" zone foods had very high vitamin content of the specific vitamin that was queried. Sometimes I have a hard time with this, ignoring a food for its lack of zone benefit, even if the food might have a huge impact with regard to other nutritional benefits that are not necessarily related to the Zone.

Personally, I feel that the best source of vitamins is our food, and not in a supplement.

Just sayin'.

Re AA, I try to eliminate all that I can from my diet. Any nutritional benefits in the eliminated foods can usually easily be found in other foods. Same goes for the unfavorable carbohydrates I chose to eliminate.

As an example, egg yolk contains sulfur, but so do many favorable Zone foods, such as chicken, fish, milk, cheese, broccoli, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, watercress, garlic, legumes, onions kale, asparagus, leeks, chives, avocados, cauliflower, tomatoes, almonds and cashews.

I am not an expert here, but one would have to eliminate ALL sources of animal protein in order to truly be free from AA. That would entail most of us to become vegetarians. Since this is not a Zone recommendation, there must be a satisfactory point in which a small amount of AA is acceptable. Too much can be harmful, I think we can all agree on that. However, AA does do some positive things in the body, like grow muscle, and possibly help fight off infection.

Again, reiterating my previous post, I am not saying that we should all start eating our egg yolks. Just simply stating that a balance needs to occur, and eliminating most of it is great. However, if one chooses to have a little yolk in their omelet while eating AA free for the rest of the day, I don't really see much harm in that, especially when there are some great nutritional benefits in the yolk.

Egg Yolks have a LOT of nutrients, some of the B vitamins are difficult to get in a USEABLE, ABSORBABLE form - though I forget which one specifically, I will research further, it is one of the B's - which is in smaller amounts naturally in other foods, and not really very absorbable in supplement form.
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There are so many nutrients in Eggs including the yolks, I was surprised!!!
I was going to post here, but too many.
And like everything else, your choice and in moderation.
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http://www.cholesterol-and-health.c..._Yolk.html

Barry Sears has written an entire book about a vegetarian form of the Zone. It's called "The Soy Zone". One could also do a vegan form of the Zone if desired.

P.S. I am neither promoting nor denegrating Egg Yolks.
NOTE: Egg Yolks are not Zone favorable according to Dr. Barry Sears because of the AA.
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Here is a summary from the website posted, previously:
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As you can see from the table, the yolk contains 100% of the carotenoids, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, and K (6 items). The white does not contain 100% of any nutrient.
The yolk contains more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and 89% of the panthothenic acid (9 items). The white does not contain more than 90% of any nutrient, but contains over 80% of the magnesium, sodium, and niacin (3 items).
The yolk contains between 50% and 80% of the copper, manganese, and selenium, while the white contains between 50% and 80% of the potassium, riboflavin, and protein.
It should also be kept in mind that the yolk of an egg is smaller than the white. Where the white contains a slim majority of nutrients, such as protein, this is not due to a greater concentration in the white, but simply to the fact that there is more white in the egg than yolk.
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Egg Yolks Contain Essential Fatty Acids DHA and Arachidonic Acid

One important set of nutrients that should not be overlooked is the long-chain essential fatty acids. Egg yolks contain the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid DHA, which is necessary for the brain and proper retinal function in the eye, and the long-chain omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, which is required for the healthy skin, hair, libido, reproduction, growth and response to injury. These fatty acids are primarily needed by young children, pregnant and lactating women, and people with degenerative diseases involving oxidative stress, especially those of the nervous system such as Alzheimer's. While fatty fish and cod liver oil supply DHA in larger amounts, egg yolks have an advantage over these foods because they also contain arachidonic acid and because they do not contain EPA, which interferes with arachidonic acid metabolism.

According to NutritionData.Com, one egg yolk contains 75 mg of arachidonic acid (AA), 20 mg of DHA, but no EPA.

Animal foods from animals raised on pasture are likely much richer in DHA. In all eggs, both the DHA and AA are contained in the yolk.

Back to the original Question, from the same website posted, previously:
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To Cook, or Not to Cook? The Benefits of Raw Egg Yolks
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Many people believe that the health benefits of egg yolks are greater when the yolks are consumed raw. Heat destroys enzymes, reduces the amounts of certain nutrients, and may make the amino acid cysteine less available, which is needed to synthesize the master antioxidant of the cell, glutathione.
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Those who eat raw egg yolks report easier digestion, increased stamina, and resistance to illness — not to mention a quicker snack if they're on-the-go.
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That said, there is little evidence beyond such anecdotes that egg yolks are truly more beneficial when consumed raw.

Back to the original Q, on cooking Egg Whites vs. raw;
From the same website posted, previously:
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Raw Egg Whites Contain Digestive Enzyme Inhibitors and Anti-Nutrients
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Raw egg whites should not be consumed. They contain inhibitors of the digestive enzyme trypsin, which are destroyed by heat. Consuming 100 grams of raw egg white with one egg yolk compared to consuming the same food cooked was shown in one study to reduce protein digestion from 90 percent down to 50 percent.
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Raw egg whites also contain an anti-nutrient called avidin. Avidin is a glycoprotein that binds to the B vitamin biotin, preventing its absorption. Biotin is necessary for fatty acid synthesis and the maintenance of blood sugar, and is especially important during pregnancy when biotin status declines.
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Residual Egg White Avidin — Cooking Does Not Fully Destroy the Anti-Nutrients
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It is a myth that light cooking completely destroys the avidin.
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According to this study, poaching eggs only destroys one third of the avidin while even frying leaves 30 percent of it behind.
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This raises the question of whether there is a net nutritional advantage to eating any egg whites at all. Most likely, it depends on the individual person. There is controversy over whether biotin produced in the intestinal tract is absorbed — if intenstinal biotin production is indeed nutritionally important, then people whose intestinal flora are less avid producers of biotin probably need to be more concerned about the potential adverse effects of consuming egg white.

And finally, on Pastured eggs (from pastured chickens):
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Finding The Right Kind of Eggs
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Pastured eggs, meaning eggs from chickens that are free to forage for grass and insects, are of much higher nutritional quality than eggs from confinement chickens. The marginal increase in value, of course, is found mostly in the yolk.
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Insects provide a higher DHA content, found exclusive in the yolk, and grass provides a higher vitamin E and carotene content, also found exclusively in the yolk. Egg yolks from pastured chickens are thus a powerful supplement to a healthy diet — a super-food — providing necessary nutrients in which the (SAD) Standard American Diet is deficient.
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To find a source of eggs from chickens raised on pasture, you can visit LocalHarvest.org and do a search for "eggs pastured" or "eggs grass fed" with your zip code. You can also visit EatWild.com and click on your state for a list of farms that pasture their animals.
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Additionally, you may be able to find roadside stands in your area that sell eggs from pastured chickens. Be sure to inquire about the farming practices, to make sure that the chickens are able to forage for both grass and insects.

Thanks for the valuable info, John! Always extremely informative. Really, the take-home point is that no one is advocating egg yolks, but if one does choose to eat them, the best choice is pasture-raised, rather than grain-fed.

I didn't think I would bring up a debate here but I really do like all of your opinions! I would like to have a list of everything that containes the more A.A. is that possible? If I eat pork or chicken legs with skin or even roast beef or bacon I am assuming this is all "poor choices". but to stay out of A.A. like Cranberry said, we have to become vegetarians?? What about coconut.. some say it is bad, saturated fat.... But coconut is a nut from a tree... isn't this natural? And shrimps have a lot of bad cholesterol in them but ironically they are some lowest in fat and calorie... I have concersn with dairy too... I don't think the light cheddar cheese from wal-mart is better than organically grown farm eggs... What about all dairy?? Really, I am not a chemist...

After being in hospital during the x-mass holiday, I thought I should really start changing my life style and yet, I couldn't do it until 3 days ago, and still for how long can I do it this time? Like it says in the book, the insuline resistance and the inflamation... There is so much to check for and I think I am so in a bad shape... I hope I can reverse the course... As long as I eat veggies, fruits, vegetables, good fat and "lean meat and cheeses" and use my scale as much as I can without being obsessed by it, drink plenty of water without flooding myself, I guess I am doing the right thing no?

Yes !

So I think my soft boiled eggs are ok, especially if they come from a local farm....But I also don't add any fat block to my meal, cause I believe there is enough in the yolk itself.. Thanks John for all info.. I still really think I should go as much as possible from the book.. so I found in mastering the zone (my favorite so far) on page 324, a list a poor choices... so I am on the right track with your help and the books

You're welcome.
And I received your "test" e-mail and sent you a reply.

As I was going through this thread, I was thinking "wow, wouldn't it be nice to have a listing right here on this website to see how much AA content is in a block of animal protein?

AA control is such a huge component of the Zone, yet it is nearly impossible to avoid it entirely without eliminating all animal sources (even grass fed/range fed animal products contain AA, just in smaller amounts). I think it would be great to have a list posted on the website broken down by protein blocks, listing out AA content of the food per block (I think it would be easier to compare one food to another if broken down into block sizes, which we are quite familiar with).

I may add this as a website suggestion.

I have forwarded your suggestion to Dr Sears.

Fascinating thread with lots of good info.

@John: I was interested to read your point that pastured chickens produce eggs with less AA. Do you have a source on that? (I believe you, I just want to read more about it and see if it applies also to oxalic acid--I've always had much less GI upset farmstand eggs than store-bought eggs and wondered why.)

@cranberrycat: I think you make an excellent point about there needing to be some sort of "balance" with AA, as opposed to something you completely eliminate. I always thought that point was missed by Dr. Sears, especially since he applies the "balance" principle to insulin. Perhaps that's an area of biochemistry that's not currently well-understood.

[quote]
Posted By Jonathan on 21 Aug 2012 06:58 AM
Fascinating thread with lots of good info.

@John: I was interested to read your point that pastured chickens produce eggs with less AA. Do you have a source on that? (I believe you, I just want to read more about it and see if it applies also to oxalic acid--I've always had much less GI upset farmstand eggs than store-bought eggs and wondered why.)
[/quote]
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I had to go find it, again.
The Federal database has 0mg AA in Egg Whites and 75mg AA in a typical (store-bought) Egg Yolk.
While one comment I found cited a study (they did not reference the study, though) that found 39% less AA in eggs from Pastured chickens. (Pastured Eggs)
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Thanks John. Gives me extra motivation to seek out farm stand eggs.

Here's a good summary of pro (whole) egg points: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/the-...the-world/