Despite Old Adage, It Requires About a
Pound of Eggs to Equal the Nutriment
in a Pound of Beefsteak.
The white of an egg is nearly seven-eighths water, the balance being pure
albumen. The yolk is slightly less than one-half water. These figures
apply approximately to the eggs of turkeys, hens, geese, ducks, and
guinea-fowls.
To show how nearly alike the eggs of various domestic fowls are in respect
to composition, the following figures are given by the Department of
Agriculture:
Hen's egg--50 per cent water, 16 per cent "protein," 33 per cent fat.
Duck's egg--46 per cent water, 17 per cent "protein," 36 per cent fat.
Goose egg--44 per cent water, 19 per cent "protein," 36 per cent fat.
Turkey egg--48 per cent water, 18 per cent "protein," 33 per cent fat.
It should be explained that "protein" is the stuff that goes to make
muscle and blood. Fat, of course, is fuel for running the body-machine.
Thus it will be seen that eggs, though half, or nearly half, water, are
extremely nutritious, containing all the elements required for the
building and support of the human body. But the old saying that an egg
contains as much nutriment as a pound of beefsteak is manifestly very far
from correct. It would be nearer the fact to estimate a pound of eggs as
equal to a pound of lean beefsteak in nourishing power.