Everything You Need to Know About Eggs

Jef L'Ecuyer July 1, 2016 Health, Vegetarian

Egg Allergy

Egg allergy is more common in children than in adults. In fact, for the majority of children who are allergic, the allergy goes away by the time the child is 5 to 7 years old. However, it is possible that the allergy could be lifelong.

Egg white seems to be to blame for these allergies. The albumen it contains provokes an immune reaction in those who are allergic. Even if you’re only allergic to the white, it’s advisable to avoid eggs altogether, both the white and the yolk, as it’s difficult to separate them completely. What’s more, even though the structure of proteins changes during cooking, the majority of people who are allergic will have a reaction even when the eggs are thoroughly cooked. If in doubt, consult your allergist.

Ingredients to Avoid if You Are Allergic to Eggs

Eggs can hide behind other names in processed foods. If you are allergic, you’ll need to ensure you are completely eliminating eggs from your diet. Take a look at this list and avoid all products that contain the following ingredients²:

• Albumen/albumin
• Conalbumin
• Eggnog
• Egg substitutes
• Eggs from duck, goose, quail and chicken
• Globulin
• Lecithin
• Livetin
• Lysozyme
• Meringue
• Silico-albuminate
• Simplesse
• Vitelline
• All the ingredients starting with «ovo» (ovoglobulin, ovomucin, ovovitellin, ovotransferrin, etc.)
• Any part of the egg (white, yolk, dehydrated, powdered, solids, frozen, pasteurized, etc.)

To replace eggs in a recipe, you can use this recipe for egg substitute. Fancy eating scrambled eggs but can’t? Try our recipe for scrambled tofu, which really resembles eggs!

Recommendations

Here are some recommendations for eating eggs:

• General population: 1 egg/day or up to 7 eggs/week³
• People with Diabetes: maximum 6 eggs/week³
• People in secondary prevention, that is those who have already had a cardiovascular event, and are at higher risk should follow the advice of their doctor and/or dietitian. We generally recommend a maximum of 2 whole eggs per week.

Eggs are interesting from a nutritional point of view, because they contain several anti-inflammatory nutrients (such as lutein, zeaxanthin and some phospholipids). They should therefore be part of a healthy diet.

Egg-based Recipes

To start cooking with eggs, or to get inspiration, here are a few recipes where egg is the star of the show:

• Stracciatella
• Asparagus Milanese
• Portobello Egg on Spinach
• Eggs with a Curry Sauce
• Caramel Custard

Eggs with a Curry Sauce

References:

1. Virtanen, JK et al. (March 2016). Associations of egg and cholesterol intakes with carotid intima-media thickness and risk of incident coronary artery disease according to apolipoprotein E phenotype in men: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,  103(3):895-901. Retrieved from : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26864369
2. Egg Farmers of Canada. (2013). All About Egg Allergy. Retrieved from:   http://www.eggs.ca/assets/Uploads/Egg-Allergies-ENG.pdf
3. Dietitians of Canada. (March 2013). PEN Nutrition – Cardiovascular Disease – Key Practice Points. Retrieved from: http://www.pennutrition.com/KnowledgePathway.aspx?kpid=2671&pqcatid=146&pqid=14358

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Author

Jef L'Ecuyer

Member of the Quebec College of Dietitians (ODNQ) and Dietitians of Canada,Jef graduated from McGill University in December 2014. Recently graduated and passionate about culinary arts, Jef poses a simple, effective and practical look at daily meal planning. With this in mind, she works in conjunction with the mission of SOSCuisine...