Looking to build muscle and bulk up? Whole eggs are the way to go. In previous years, it’s become a fad to skip the egg yolks when making eggs, but that may actually be hampering your muscle building efforts. Here’s why you should be eating whole eggs for muscle building.

The Value of Egg Yolks

A 2018 US-based study, conducted by the University of Illinois, found that egg yolks significantly contributed to muscle-building responses. The study concluded that post-workout muscle-building responses were up to 40% higher in athletes who consumed whole eggs compared to athletes who consumed only the whites of eggs.

Nicholas Burd, the University of Illinois professor of kinesiology and community health who led the research, concluded that the practice of discarding egg yolks to maximise dietary protein intake was largely counterproductive.

“We saw that the ingestion of whole eggs immediately after resistance exercise resulted in greater muscle-protein synthesis than the ingestion of egg whites,” concluded Burd, “This study suggests that eating protein within its most natural food matrix tends to be more beneficial to our muscles as opposed to getting one’s protein from isolated protein sources.”

Researchers deduced that there must be something in the yolks “boosting the body’s ability to utilize (protein) in the muscles.” According to the Harvard Medical School, many of “the health effects of food likely derive from the synergistic interactions of nutrients and other compounds within and among the foods we eat.”

What this means is that many of the nutrients in whole foods interact in a beneficial way, which cannot be replicated by supplements. If you remove the yolks from eggs, you may be eliminating a natural combination of nutrients which work in concert to build muscle more effectively.

Whole eggs are a good source of protein and vitamins, including vitamins A, E, K, B12, riboflavin and folic acid. Eggs also contain all eight of the essential amino acids, which are vital for muscle recovery.

How can I add more whole eggs to my diet?

There are many ways to add more eggs into your diet for muscle building. Boiled eggs are a fantastic and easy way to prepare eggs, and can be consumed on the go. Poached & scrambled eggs also offer delicious options for eating eggs. Alternatively, try adding a boiled egg to your smoothie ingredients before blending or make a delicious omelette or a frittata. For great recipe ideas, head over to our recipes page.