Egg Allergy ~ What To Avoid

One of my 13 food allergies is eggs. Oh joy! When I was in my 20s, I opted to be a pesca-vegetarian (sort of). 95% of the time I did not eat meat other than fish. About 5 to 10% of the time I would eat meat. meaning if I went into a restaurant, I did not ask if they used chicken or beef stalk when cooking potatoes, rice, etc. Additionally, I would crave red meat. I would eat red meat about once a 3 to 6 months.

I didn't eat eggs by themselves that often. However, I liked eating egg whites of hard boiled eggs. a couple of years before I found out about my allergy to eggs, I started cooking them for my daughter. Became fairly adept at egg cooking. It was easier to maintain a mostly pesca vegetarian lifestyle for 7 years. 

Once I learned of my egg allergy, I started eating meat on a regular basis (it was due to finding out about being allergic to milk, eggs and wheat that instigated this moment). It wasn't fun considering being a vegan who didn't eat wheat.

Onto what to look for with an egg allergy!

You would think that it would simply be listed at egg, right?! Not always the case. Although, the newer FDA labeling laws dictate that it must be listed for consumers to know of the top 8 allergens. Yet... what if the product wasn't made in the US? What if the company forgot to label is separately? You NEED to be aware of other names for egg.

Here is the list I have at the moment:

Albumin


Apovitellin


Cholesterol free egg substitute (e.g. Eggbeaters®)


Dried egg solids, dried egg


Egg, egg white, egg yolk


Egg wash


Eggnog


Fat substitutes


Globulin


Livetin


Lysozyme


Mayonnaise


Meringue, meringue powder


Ovalbumin


Ovoglobulin


Ovomucin


Ovomucoid


Ovotransferrin


Ovovitelia


Ovovitellin


Powdered eggs


Silici albuminate


Simplesse


Surimi


Trailblazer


Vitellin


Whole egg

Eggs are often found in :

Artificial flavoring

Baked goods

Lecithin

Natural flavoring

Nougat

Pasta

Meatloaf / Meatballs / Hamburger patties

Fried Rice 

Drink foams (yes! Not kidding!! Some root beers use egg whites to create the foam. Check all drinks! You would probably have to contact the manufacturer because the amounts might be small enough to not have to list)

When I found out about my allergies, I was told I'm allergic to egg whites. I do not think the doctor tested me for egg yolks. The dietician I was sent to was telling me it was okay to have egg yolks. However, how do you make sure none of the whites are still there? I never ate just yolks. 

Do I recommend you eating yolks only? No. However, if you have a mild allergy to eggs and you don't mind trying it out, then go for it! Not everyone is the same. I will say one definitive remark regarding consuming any amount of allergen... If you have a child, I would keep a strict NO tolerance policy.  My daughter's pediatrician believed in that philosophy. I kept to it for 4 years, and she grew out of some of her allergies. She only had a couple of mild ones left after that.  I was crazy, over the top, strict about it. It worked exactly the way he said it would.

Does that mean it would work for you the same? Of course not. People claim a multitude of methods that worked or did not work. Yet, I think that a strict no tolerance policy of keeping poisons out of your body is ideal. Yes, I consider allergens poison. It wreaks havoc on your body over time. Why chance it? I blog about this topic another day.

Other Eggs?

Are you able to eat eggs from other poultry sources? From all I have read, the answer is no. I haven't attempted to eat other types of eggs. I think after finding out I'm allergic to all animal milk, I took the same stance with eggs.

Reactions?

There are a multitude of reactions from egg allergies. I will cover this in another blog post. I probably could write a book on the subject matter. Not kidding! You would be amazed (or maybe not if you have lived through this or are a parent of a kid who lives with this) what I have found out over the pats 15 years.

One reaction I want to point out now... lowered blood pressure. It IS a sign of a food allergy. Did not know that was one of my issues for so many years. My reaction became exponentially worse depending on what I ate and how much of it. Please be careful. If you have lower blood pressure on a regular basis, take a look at what food you are eating

Nerdy Girl Wisdom :)