When it comes to protein, milk & egg protein is the standard by which all other types of protein are judged. That's because both eggs and milk contain the highest quality protein in existence.
An egg contains 6 grams of protein. Egg protein contains all of the essential amino acids needed by the body to function properly. Not only that, the egg contains these amino acids in the identical proportions that the human body needs for sustained growth. Egg protein has the highest rating on the Biological Value Scale. It is rated at 100%, meaning that your body is able to absorb and use more egg protein than protein from any other source.
Milk also has this same high quality protein, and contains all of the essential amino acids. Cow's milk has a rating of 60 on the Biological Value Scale, just under eggs and poultry and beef. However, whey protein, which is a product of milk rates 146 on that scale. Whey protein is a component of many supplements.
When you have such a high amount of quality protein, the calories that can be stored as fat are limited considerably. A breakfast of 2 scrambled eggs with just a small amount of milk will give you 14 grams of protein with which to start your day.
Milk & egg protein are used by bodybuilders to increase muscle mass or in other words, to grow muscle. Proteins are the building blocks of muscle and nothing works better if you want to gain muscle than milk and egg protein. That's why you will find these type of proteins so often made into protein powders for shakes and other supplements.
Protein helps not only to grow muscle but to heal and repair muscles after intense workouts. Protein high in amino acids is necessary for this and milk and egg protein is at the top of the list. These proteins can help stop muscle breakdown and repair damage to muscle tissue. Protein that is found in milk and eggs is used for synthesis, which means it is not used as energy or stored as fat. It is essential to the process of muscle recovery and growth.
While once thought to be a contributor to heart disease, further study has revealed that eggs can be a big part of a healthy diet. Eggs are actually low in saturated fats and help contribute to our "good" cholesterol levels. They contain choline which aids in brain and memory functions.
Eggs are considered to be "nutrient-dense," which means that they fall into a category of foods which give us a much higher percentage of nutrients than calories. Eggs are 1.3% calories compared to 6% riboflavin, 4% vitamins A, E and protein, and 5% folate. Folate is essential for women during pregnancy in producing a healthy baby.
Eating eggs can also be preventative of acquiring certain diseases. Every year the percentage is growing of people who are going blind due to macular degeneration. Right now 6 million Americans have had some loss of sight from macular degeneration and every year 200,000 people go blind from this eye disease. It is expected that this rate is going to triple in the next 25 years. The antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin have been shown to help prevent this disease, and eggs are a valuable source of these antioxidants.
Milk also is very high in vitamins. If you drink one glass of milk every day, you would be consuming 40% of the daily recommended amount of vitamins. Milk also contains 30% of the USDA recommended amount of calcium, which contributes to bone health.