Dairy and eggs
Egg whites on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 11 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), raw or cooked, per 100 g, for around 50 calories. Three egg whites, about 100 g (3.5 oz), give roughly 11 g of protein for 50 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from egg whites alone you would need about 273 g (9.6 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How egg whites sits on a GLP-1
Egg white is close to pure protein: about 11 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) for around 50 calories, no fat, and none of the yolk that makes whole eggs sit heavily. It is also almost tasteless, which cuts both ways. On a GLP-1 that makes it useful as something you add to other food rather than something you eat on its own, because a plate of plain cooked egg white is one of the more joyless things you can put in front of a small appetite.
When your appetite is small
Buy the carton. Liquid egg whites in a 500 ml (17 fl oz) carton keep for weeks unopened, pour straight into a pan, and 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) is three whites without the shells and the waste. Whisk 100 ml into two whole eggs and the scramble goes from 13 g of protein to 24 g with no extra fat and barely any extra room.
Three ways to prepare it
Stretch a two-egg scramble
Two whole eggs and 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) of egg white, scrambled slowly. About 24 g of protein in a serve that looks like an ordinary breakfast.
Stir it into hot porridge
A splash of egg white whisked into porridge in the last minute of cooking disappears completely and adds 5 or 6 g. Keep stirring so it does not set in lumps.
A thin egg white wrap
Beat 100 ml with salt, pour into a hot non-stick pan and cook it like a crepe. It becomes a soft, high protein wrap for ham, cheese or leftover chicken.
What to eat it with
Egg white has no flavour and no fat, so pair it with both: a whole egg, cheese, smoked salmon, butter, or a dash of hot sauce. Plain egg whites with steamed vegetables is the meal people give up on by day three.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg whites | about 11 g | 50 kcal | this page |
| Eggs | about 13 g | 150 kcal | See the page |
| Whey isolate | about 90 g | 370 kcal | See the page |
| Cottage cheese | about 11 g | 100 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, raw or cooked, per 100 g, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Sold in cartons as liquid egg whites in all three countries, sometimes labelled free range or pasteurised egg white. In the US, some branded egg products are mostly egg white with colour and flavour added, so check that the ingredient list is egg white only.
Questions people ask
Is egg white a complete protein?
Yes. Egg white carries all the essential amino acids, including the leucine that triggers muscle repair, though 100 g (3.5 oz) of it is only about 11 g of protein. It is best used to lift a meal rather than as the whole stop.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.