Testing Eggs for Freshness

Since the South Beach Diet® allows you to eat eggs in every Phase of the plan, it's not likely that they'll be sitting around for long. Nevertheless, it's always helpful to know whether your eggs are fresh.

Here's a handy way to tell: Place an egg at the bottom of a glass full of water and wait for what the egg reveals:

If the egg lies at the bottom on its side, the egg is fresh.
If the egg sinks, but with one end up, it's getting old but is still edible.
If the egg floats at all, it's time to go buy some fresh ones.

This test is effective because eggshells are porous, and over time they dry out, letting air in and moisture out. If you are someone who prefers egg whites, then save some time and money by buying eggs in bulk and separating them right away. Egg whites freeze very well and can even be kept for up to three or four days covered in the refrigerator.