I just returned from the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition. While standing near Eggland’s Best booth, I overheard the egg representative explaining to another dietitian “People who eat just the egg whites are missing out on the most nutritious part of the egg: the yolk. Egg yolks are important sources of life-sustaining nutrients; they contain the vitamins and minerals!”

I agree with him. Too many athletes are throwing the baby out with the bath water when then toss the yolk and eat only the white.  I invite you to rethink your egg white omelet.

--True, egg whites are “fat free protein,” but a little bit of fat is an important part of each sports meal and is used to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K. The 5 grams of fat in the yolk will help absorb the vitamins in the berries you eat as a part of your breakfast. Of those 5 grams of fat, only 1.5 grams are saturated (bad-for-you) fat. Most athletes can consume 20 to 30 grams of saturated fat a day and still stay within recommended dietary guidelines.

--True, the egg yolk is a rich source of cholesterol, but the impact of cholesterol on heart health is now considered to be very low, less than 1% of causes of heart disease. The impact of saturated fat, however, is the real culprit. Hence, you do want to limit your intake of the bacon, butter and cheese that commonly accompany the eggs.

Eating eggs for breakfast can keep you feeling fuller for longer; this helps with hunger-management and weight-management.  The key to egg consumption is to nix the bacon, butter and cheese but keep the nutrient-rich yolks. Here’s to poached eggs on whole grain toast!

I recently received an email asking:

What happens to vitamins? Do we need to replenish them every day because they get flushed out of our bodies and down the toilet?

And in the course of a bout of exercise, which of them can contribute to a decline in performance? That is, are they removed from the point of use?

Here’s what this athlete needs to know about vitamins.

• First off, vitamins are like spark plugs in a car. They get recycled and re-used.

• As humans, we can store vitamins in our body--in the liver. (That’s why liver is so nutritious, for people who enjoy eating chicken livers or beef liver). A healthy person has about a six-week supply of Vitamin C, and a several months supply of vitamin A.

• If you fail to eat the RDA for a certain vitamin on one day, you will not become deficient overnight.

• The goal is to eat well over the course of the week, month, and year, so you can consume the vitamins you need from food. One day of poor eating will not hurt your performance.

• A decline in performance is more likely due to lack of fuel (from carbohydrates) or lack of water--but not lack of vitamins in an athlete who eats adequately (as opposed to restricts food intake). The exception is the common deficiency of iron, which can lead to iron deficiency anemia.

• By eating colorful vegetables, a variety of fruits, whole grains, lean meats and low fat dairy, you can consume both the vitamins you need for spark lugs and the carbs you need for fuel to excel.

Eat wisely and well!

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD