Food intolerances continued…Egg Intolerance

If you cut out a food and it makes you feel great, then continue to avoid the food. If you keep cutting out more and more foods as you have many of the symptoms recurring, then it is not the foods. It is the body malfunctioning and unable to handle the food you eat for what may be a variety of reasons.

This week let’s focus on Eggs which are another major food intolerance for many people especially children. A little boy aged 2 was brought to me with a really bad skin rash and was suffering from very runny bowel movements. Egg was identified which was eliminated form his diet, and there was a rapid improvement in both his gut function and skin.

The skin is directly linked to the large intestine, therefore if you have poor digestion or elimination often the skin will break out as a means of clearing out the body. Egg intolerance can create stomach cramps, diarrhoea, sleep problems, tiredness, skin problems and lots more. I will also test for food sensitivities and digestive health, not just food sensitivities on their own, as that does not give you the full picture.

Egg is widely used as a standalone product: boiled eggs, egg mayonnaise, omelettes etc however egg is also used as a glazing agent, thickener, binder etc in confectionery products and ready meals, including some soups, sauces, burgers and so on.

The only way to avoid it is to know what foods egg is in.

Read labels. Egg is a known ‘allergen’ which means if it is present in any form in the product it must be labelled in the allergen section on the label. This makes it much easier for you to identify. However, if you are very sensitive there is always the risk of cross contamination from manufacturer’s production lines.

Here is the list of egg derivatives for your information as egg is not always labelled as simple ‘egg’. Albumen  , Globulin , Ovomucin, Egg powder, Livetin, Ovalbumen, Egg protein, Ovoglobulin, Lecithin – E322 present in some sweets/gums/.ice-creams etc) if the label says Soya Lecithin that is ok, it is egg free) ,Egg yolk ,Ovovitellin ,Pasteurised egg ,Egg white, Dried egg ,Frozen egg, Vitellin.

Depending on the degree of reaction avoid where possible.