The start of a new year is often a time for us to reflect on our eating and lifestyle habits. In doing so, we often make it a goal to find new ways to get our essential nutrients while consuming less fat and calories. One simple way to achieve this is to incorporate more egg white dishes into our diet.

Although egg yolks contain important nutrients and are found to be beneficial to our health in moderation, the egg white is still a healthier choice for muscle development and weight loss. Why egg whites?

Egg whites have no fat, no cholesterol, no trans fats, and no carbohydrates.

It is a well-known fact that substituting egg whites for whole eggs will reduce the amount of fat and calories in your diet. Using egg whites in your daily cooking can also help lower your cholesterol. The cholesterol that is found in eggs resides in the yolk. One yolk contains about two-thirds of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg of cholesterol .

Studies have shown that egg whites are an excellent source of pure natural protein.

The natural proteins found in egg whites are ideal to build the supply of amino acids to build muscle. The egg white contains close to 40 types of proteins and other essential nutrients including- potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc. In fact, the protein found in egg whites, calledalbumen, is recognized as the singular standard food scientists still strive to duplicate in their food, drinks, and meal replacement bar creations.

Egg whites provide the only protein that is instantly absorbed by the body.

Other high protein foods like meats and protein bars and drinks must be broken down by your body before the proteins can be absorbed. This prolonged process results in your body receiving about 1/3 of the protein when the breakdown process is completed. Eliminating this breakdown process makes egg whites a better source of 100% natural protein.

Eating eggs for breakfast is an effective weight loss strategy.

Because egg whites are such an excellent source of high-quality protein without the calories, consuming egg whites in the morning will give your body the fuel it needs to burn fat and calories while building muscle. Studies like those conducted at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that participants eating two eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight and felt more energetic than those who had a bagel containing the same amount of calories.

You can substitute whole eggs for egg whites in just about anything.

Since egg whites are so versatile, they're used in all kinds of food dishes such as egg white omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and salads. You can substitute 2 servings of egg whites for every whole egg in recipes to reduce the amount of cholesterol and calories in your meal. When baking, you can add a tablespoon or less of liquid vegetable oil for a moister consistency.