Egg Allergies or Sensitivities
Eggs are one of the more common sensitivities, which is a shame, as eggs are very nutritious. As the table below shows, egg whites have a bit more of the protein, but the yolk has the majority of the other nutrients. So when you see diets that recommend you eat egg white omelettes and throw away the yolk, you know the diet is fatally flawed.
| Analysis provided by Chris MasterJohn, WAPF chapter leader | White | % | Yolk | % |
| Protein | 3.6g | 57% | 2.7g | 43% |
| Tryptophan | .04g | 57% | .03g | 43% |
| Threonine | .15g | 55.5% | .12g | 44.5% |
| Isoleucine | .22g | 59.5% | .15g | 40.5% |
| Leucine | .34g | 58.6% | .24g | 41.4% |
| Lysine | .27g | 57.4% | .2g | 42.6% |
| Methionine | .13g | 67% | .064g | 33% |
| Phenylalanine | .23g | 66% | .12g | 34% |
| Valine | .27g | 62.4% | .16g | 43.6% |
| Fat (Note that saturated fats are only a part of the fat) | 0.05g | 1% | 4.5g | 99% |
| Omega-3s (this differs depending on how the hens are fed and raised, so no figure available) | 100% | |||
| Vitamins | ||||
| Vitamin A (only comes in animal fats) | 245 IU | 100% | ||
| Carotenes | 21mcg | 100% | ||
| Vitamin E | .684mg | 100% | ||
| Vitamin D (apart from certain herbs, only in animal fat) | 18.3IU | 100% | ||
| Vitamin K | .119IU | 100% | ||
| B1 (Thiamin) | .001mg | 3.2% | .03mg | 96.8% |
| B2 (Riboflavin) | .145mg | 61.7% | .09mg | 48.3% |
| B3 (Niacin) | .035mg | 89.7% | .004mg | 9.3% |
| Pantothenic acid (formerly B5) | .063mg | 11% | .51mg | 89% |
| B6 | .002mg | 3.3% | .059mg | 96.7% |
| Folate | 1.3mcg | 5% | 24.8mcg | 95% |
| B12 | .03mcg | 8.3% | .331mcg | 91.7% |
| Minerals | ||||
| Sodium | 54.8mg | 87% | 8.2mg | 13% |
| Phosphorus | 5 mg | 7% | 66.3mg | 93% |
| Calcium | 2.3mg | 9.5% | 21.9mg | 90.5% |
| Magneisum | 3.6mg | 80.8% | 0.85mg | 19.2% |
| Potassium | 53.8mg | 74.4% | 18.5mg | 25.6% |
| Iron | 0.03mg | 6.2% | 0.4mg | 93.8% |
| Zinc | 0.01mg | 0.2% | .4mg | 99.8% |
| Copper | .008mg | 38% | .013mg | 62% |
| Manganese | .004mg | 30.8% | .009mg | 69.2% |
| Selenium | 6.6mcg | 41% | 9.5mcg | 59% |
It’s worth finding out which part of the egg you are reacting to, as you may be able to have the other part.
It is usually the egg white that people react to. If that is the case, you might be able to carefully scoop some of the yolk out without getting any white. That won’t help you with baking, but will support your nutrition.
If you react to the yolk, you can easily separate out the white for use in baking and cooking.
If you react to both parts, you need to look for some alternatives.
Egg substitutes
Some ideas for if you need to be egg free.
Eggs for breakfast
The best alternative sources of the valuable nutrients that you get from eggs are organ meats (organic, preferably) and shellfish. Breakfast meats are also good. Or if you’re not dairy intolerant, add in some cheese or a dairy based smoothie. If you can’t face any of these, make sure you get some nuts and seeds.
Savoury dishes
In savoury dishes such as meatloaf, try mashed pumpkin or kumara / sweet potato.
In baking
These all work moderately well, as a binder in baking:
- 1 Tbs of gelatine dissolved in about 3/8 cup (6 Tbs) hot water = 1-2 eggs
- Flaxseed gel: 1 egg = 1 tsp ground flaxseed, plus ¼ cup water. Either soak for a few hours cold, or, simmer, whisking periodically. Let cool a little but doesn’t need to be cold.
- 1 banana, mashed = 1 egg
- ¼ cup apple sauce = 1 egg
- ¼ cup pumpkin works in some recipes
Here are some others that I haven’t tested. If you want to try some out, let me know how it goes.
One egg:
- 1 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer powder + 2 Tbs water. Ingredients: Potato starch, tapioca flour, leavening (calcuim lactate, calcium carbonate, citric acid), carbohydrate gum, Calcium lactate is not dairy derived it does not contain lactose.) This is best for recipes that only use 1 or 2 eggs.
- 2 Tbs corn starch, or arrowroot, or potato starch
- ¼ tsp of xanthan gum & 2 tsp potato starch & ½ tsp oil
- 1 tsp baking powder & 1½ Tbs water & 1½ Tbs oil
- 2 tsp baking powder & 2 Tbs water
One egg white:
- dissolve 1 Tbs plain agar powder in 1 Tbs water. Whip, chill and whip again.
And lastly – one that DIDN’T work. I couldn’t strain out the seeds. So if you come across this one, ignore it. “Simmer 1/4 cup flax seeds in 3/4 cup water for 5-7 mins, till thick. Strain the seeds out in a cheesecloth lined strainer – you’ll need to squeeze it. Use 4 Tbs for 1 egg. For extra lightness, whip the “gel” and fold through at the end of mixing.”
Egg free recipes
Egg free baking can be quite gluggy, and I’ve found that the best results come from either a flat bread or mini muffins. Here are a few baking recipes. For more egg free recipes, check out the egg free category of the blog.