Research shows whole eggs stimulate muscle growth and repair even more than just eating egg whites alone. Besides being packed with protein, the egg yolk contains important vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, D, B12, iron, folate and zinc.
25-30g of protein per meal is a good target for most people, which is approximately 4-5 eggs. This should be one of many meal variations.
However, the number of eggs you eat depends on several factors, especially if you're trying to gain lean muscle mass (and not fat). How many eggs do you actually need to gain weight? For most people 3-6 eggs per day will be enough to gain weight, which can come from both whole eggs and egg whites.
Two eggs give you 12 grams of hunger-satisfying protein. Although 2 eggs does not complete your daily protein needs, it's a great start. Eating two eggs in the morning ensures you are on the right track to hit your protein consumption goal by the end of the day.
Eggs are the richest source of proteins. On average, an egg can provide about 6-7 grams of protein. For an individual who practices a sedentary lifestyle, the daily protein requirement for a male would be about 56 grams and for a female would be about 46 grams. This would equate to consuming around 6-9 eggs per day.
Much of the egg's nutrition, including vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins and choline (which may contribute to mental clarity), is housed in the yolk. Heart experts generally recommend limiting eggs to one per day or half a dozen per week.
If you ate that for dinner and had even just one egg at some point in the day — maybe boiled as a snack, or fried on toast for breakfast — you'd be at 50 grams, as one egg had six grams of protein in it.
So in order to get to 140 grams, you would need to eat a lot of meat (12 ounces+) per day along with other high protein sources including eggs, whey protein, and possibly dairy (yogurt, milk).
And we don't just mean a three-egg omelette. In a clip from Entertainment Tonight, Schwarzenegger mentioned that he ate a lot of meat and eggs: 'I ate 10-15 eggs a day and had my 250 grams of protein a day because I weighed 250 pounds.
If you are an athlete or go for regular weight training, workouts or cardio then you can have more than two eggs a day. Weight trainees are often recommended to eat more than 5 eggs everyday. Whether they consume it with the yolk or without it again depends on their body type.
Although muscles rebuild naturally, for effective results, protein is needed relatively soon – within the first hour - after training, together with carbohydrate and fluids. So your post-work-out meals should be based on protein-rich foods such as eggs, milk or chicken, combined with a source of carbohydrate.
By way of reference, 300 grams of protein equals 7.5 ounces of chicken (60 grams), one 12-ounce steak (85 grams), two 6-ounce cans of tuna (80 grams), a half dozen eggs (35 grams), 3 cups of milk (25 grams), and 7 ounces of tofu (15 grams).
Eggs are a quick, easy and delicious way to help meet our protein needs: two large eggs contain 13 grams of protein! Eggs are one of the few foods considered to be a complete high-quality protein source, because they contain all 9 essential amino acids.
"I typically recommend eggs as a healthy fat and protein source as part of [clients'] meals," he said. "I will recommend three to five eggs, depending on their current caloric needs and activity levels. Some people may not need as many eggs if they're smaller or less active."
That's why the Healthy Eating Plate encourages choosing healthy protein foods. Choose fish, poultry, beans, and nuts; limit red meat and cheese; avoid bacon, cold cuts, and other processed meats.
Good sources of high-quality protein
Most seafood is high in protein and low in saturated fat. Fish such as salmon, trout, sardines, anchovies, sablefish (black cod), and herring are also high in omega-3 fatty acids. Experts recommend eating seafood at least twice a week. Poultry.