The basics
Allergy to eggs is one of the most common causes of food allergy in infants, young children, and adults. An egg-free diet removes eggs and products that may contain eggs. Some people choose to follow an egg-free diet because they are vegan or lacto-vegetarians.
- Read those labels—Be sure to learn the scientific names for egg, and read nutrition labels carefully to avoid buying products with any form of egg.
- Be thorough—Ask about ingredients at restaurants and others’ homes to make sure the food you are eating is safe for you.
- Find a substitute—Consider what function the egg would serve in your recipe before deciding how to substitute for it.
Best bets: Commercial egg substitutes (read labels carefully; many egg “substitutes” contain egg whites); soft tofu can resemble eggs when spiced and scrambled with cheese, vegetables, or breakfast meats
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Why do people follow this diet?
People generally follow an egg-free diet for one of two reasons: either they wish to maintain a vegan (pure vegetarian) diet, or they are allergic to eggs. Most people who are allergic to eggs are allergic to egg protein and usually react to the proteins in the egg white. However, because it is impossible to completely avoid cross-contamination between yolk and white, people who are allergic to eggs need to avoid eggs completely. The most allergenic proteins in egg white are ovalbumin, ovomucoid, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme. Lysozyme is an unlabeled additive used in cheese preparation. Egg yolk contains three proteins (apovitellenins I & VI and phosvitin) that are also allergenic.
What are the symptoms?
Egg allergy symptoms may include any of the common symptoms of food allergies, including skin rashes or hives, gastrointestinal distress, breathing problems, or many other possible symptoms. In severe cases, a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis may occur; however, such a reaction to eggs is quite uncommon.
What do I need to avoid?
To avoid eggs and egg products ask about ingredients at restaurants and others’ homes, read food labels, and become familiar with the technical or scientific terms for eggs. The following list is not complete. Consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet.
Note: Some of the foods on this list only rarely contain eggs (for example: sausage, sherbet, coffee).
- Albumin
- Baby foods (some)
- Bavarian creams
- Beers (some)
- Beverages (prepared)
- Breaded foods (some)
- Breads (some; especially those with shiny crusts)
- Cakes
- Candy (some)
- Coffee (some; to produce clarification)
- Cookies (some)
- Consommés
- Creamed foods
- Creamed pies
- Cream puffs
- Croquettes
- Custards
- Doughnuts
- “Egg Beaters”
- Egg noodles
- Egg rolls
- Egg whites
- Egg yolks
- Egg substitutes (some)
- Eggnog
- Fondue
- French ice cream
- Fritters
- Frostings
- Hollandaise sauces
- Ice cream
- Marshmallows
- Mayonnaise
- Meat or fish in batter
- Meringues
- Muffins (some)
- Pancakes (most)
- Pie fillings (some)
- Powdered or dry eggs
- Prepared meats (egg as a binding agent)
- Pretzels (some)
- Puddings
- Root beers (some; used to produce foam)
- Salad dressings containing eggs
- Sausages
- Sherbets
- Simplesse® (fat substitute)
- Soups (some)
- Soufflés
- Tartar sauce (and other sauces)
- Wine (some; to produce clarification)
- Waffles
Other words that may indicate egg:
- Apovitellenins I & VI
- Globulin
- Livetin
- Lysozyme
- Ovalbumin
- Ovoglobulin egg albumin
- Ovomucin
- Ovomucoid
- Ovotransferrin
- Phosvitin
Best bets
Egg substitutes:
- Commercial egg substitutes are available, but label reading is imperative; many low-cholesterol egg substitute products contain egg white
- Check the label on mayonnaise-substitute products for egg content
- Soft tofu can resemble eggs when spiced and scrambled with cheese, vegetables, or breakfast meats
Baking:
Are there any groups or books?
American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child’s Allergies and Asthma: Breathing Easy and Bringing Up Healthy, Active Children by Michael J. Welch, MD, New York: Villard, 2000.
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
www.aaaai.org
Food Allergy Network
www.foodallergy.org
International Food Information Council Foundation
www.ific.org
Veggies Unite (on-line vegetarian resource guide;includes eggless
recipes)
www.vegweb.com/food/subs/591.shtml
Bibliography
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: www.aaaai.org. 10/10/00.
Fremont S, Kanny G, Nicolas JP, Moneret-Vautrin DA. Prevalence of lysozyme sensitization in an egg-allergic population. Allergy 1997;52:224–8.
Holen E, Elsayed S. Characterization of four major allergens of hen egg-white by IEF/SDS-PAGE combined with electrophoretic transfer and IgE-immunoautoradiography. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 1990;91:136–41.
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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires February 2010.
