If you have an intolerance to eggs, you may find it difficult to digest them. You may suffer from various complaints, including stomach ache, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, bloating, and abdominal cramps, etc. It is surely not a serious complication but can make your day bothersome and uncomfortable. Then, how to get rid of stomach pain after eating eggs?
We will answer then and more in this article. We will try to cover what an intolerance to eggs is, why you have it, what are various symptoms of egg intolerance, and how to treat these symptoms at home when to see a doctor, and much more. Let’s uncover a bit more about intolerance to eggs.
What is Egg Intolerance?
You may develop intolerance to any food and at any stage of your life. As we know, different foods contain different components. There are very high chances that your body is unable to digest whites or yolks or both. It is an adverse response to your body when you consume eggs. The intolerance to eggs can last for very long, even for years.
When you have an intolerance to eggs, you may experience digestive troubles including abdominal bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and vomiting, etc.
How is Egg Intolerance Different from Egg Allergy?
As we said, intolerance to eggs means that your body reacts abysmally to components of egg, like albumen, proteins, minerals, or carbohydrates. In such a case, you may find it difficult to digest various other foods like dairy foods, gluten, and soy, etc.
Egg intolerance is completely different from an egg allergy, which is usually caused by an abnormal immune response to egg proteins.
People with an intolerance to eggs are unable to digest egg whites, yolks, or both and may develop various digestive complaints. On the other hand, with an egg allergy, the immune system treats egg an invader and starts releasing some powerful chemicals whenever your body gets in contact with eggs.
Egg intolerance is not as serious a problem as an egg allergy. Egg allergy can cause some severe and at times, life-threatening symptoms which usually appear within half an hour of exposure to eggs.
With an egg allergy, a person may notice some weird responses from the body. And may suffer from a wide range of problems including severe vomiting, the sudden appearance of rashes on the skin, etc. Severe allergy to eggs can be very dangerous, as the immune response may trigger even from touching the eggs or inhaling or smalling egg particles.
Egg tolerance is very common and especially notices in people with a weak digestive system. But an egg allergy is not as common.
What Are the Symptoms of Egg Intolerance?
Intolerance of eggs is more about your gastrointestinal tracts than any other organ. And hence, egg intolerance symptoms are very similar to common GIT problems, and they are:
- Abdominal pain, cramping and bloating
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and Vomiting
In some cases, people also get a headache, or very rarely a sense of fogginess. Symptoms of egg allergy are immediate, and those of intolerance may take several hours and even days to develop.
Also Read: Home Remedies for Upset Stomach and Diarrhea
Why do eggs give me diarrhea?
If you usually get diarrhea after eating eggs, there may be some other underlying condition, or maybe, your body is not getting some required nutrients from foods. You may suffer from diarrhea due to eggs if you are not getting enough fiber from your diet. As there are almost no carbohydrates in eggs, a diet low in fiber can cause intolerance to eggs, and you may suffer from diarrhea.
An infection from salmonella can also be a reason why you get diarrhea from eating eggs. Contaminated foods, including eggs, can cause salmonella infection.
What’s the solution? You should try adding more fiber to your diet. And some great sources of fibers are potatoes, breads, oatmeal, nuts, and barley, etc. Always ensure washing eggs properly before cooking.
How is Egg Intolerance Diagnosed?
It is pretty easy to diagnose allergies thanks to the availability of a wide range of allergy tests like skin prick tests and blood tests.
Doctors try to find the antibodies in your blood to successfully make the diagnosis of egg intolerance. But right now, there is no approved test to diagnose egg intolerance successfully.
You can try to diagnose intolerance to eggs by tracking your symptoms after eating eggs. And writing a diary is the best way to do it. You may have to wait for symptoms to appear, as they are not always immediate. You may have to write down the appearance of symptoms, and how long they remain. Also, keep an eye on other foods as well. You might be wrong with your observation about intolerance to egg. Noting down your symptoms regularly is not only very affordable but is more accurate as well.
Your doctor can make a conclusion based on when the symptoms and how long they remain. It will take a few weeks to finally find if you have an egg intolerance.
What Are the Treatment Options for Egg Intolerance?
Avoiding eggs completely is the best and most effective treatment of egg intolerance.
Your doctor may ask you to follow an “elimination diet” to essentially avoid eggs completely for six to eight weeks. Tracking your symptoms over the course, and bringing back eggs very slowly to your diet will help you to find whether you are still intolerant to eggs.
Not only the egg whites, but you may also have to eliminate egg yolks for a few weeks. Your doctor may suggest avoiding dishes that are cooked with eggs like cakes, pancakes, biscuits, and other bakery items prepared with eggs.
Identifying egg products is one of the most important aspects of treating egg intolerance. You should develop a habit of reading the labels of food packages before purchasing them. Here are some common food ingredients that usually contain eggs.
- Egg whites, egg yolks, dried or powdered eggs
- Apovitellin
- Albumin
- Globulin
- Lysozyme
- Livetin
- Ovoglobulin
- Ovalbumin
- Ovomucoid
- Ovomucin
- Ovo vitellin
- Ovovitelia
- Simplesse
- Vitellin
- Siliciabuminate
You can avoid problems from egg intolerance if you can look for certified vegan products. Vegan products don’t contain eggs or any other product from animal sources.
What Are Some Healthy Egg Alternatives?
If you have some certain egg intolerance symptoms, and you need to avoid eggs completely, you can include these alternatives to your diet.
- Tofu
Tofu is made from soybeans and is one of the greatest sources of proteins. You can replace eggs with tofu and can use for breakfast, sandwiches, blending, or scrambling with smoothies. The Internet is flooded with a lot of tasty and healthy tofu dishes. Find out some and try to add in your diet.
- Chia or Flax Seeds
Flax or chia seeds with water can be another healthy alternative to eggs for baking purposes. You can replace one egg with one tbsp of seeds with 2.5 tbsp of water, and add in your recipes to make them fluffy, and tasty.
- Applesauce and Pureed Fruits
Applesauce and other pureed fruits like banana can also be a very good alternative to eggs for baking purposes. Fruits contain pectin, which is a very healthy replacement of animal fats and is used as a stabilizer, thickener, filler, and gelling agent.
You can prepare different types of cakes, breads, buns, and other bakery items with unsweetened applesauce.
- Aquafaba
If you are confirmed about egg intolerance, you can try aquafaba, especially as a replacement for egg whites. Aquafaba is a liquid you get from cooking different legumes, including chickpeas.
- Vegan egg replacers
There are various egg replacers made from nuts, seeds, plant-based starches, and soy available in the market.
How to get rid of stomach pain after eating eggs?
If you get stomach pain after eating eggs, you can try these home remedies to get quick relief
- Chamomile Tea: It works as an anti-inflammatory agent, and can ease stomach pain by relaxing smooth stomach muscles
- Mint: Mint can also relax stomach muscles. In addition, it can soothe the irritated and inflamed stomach and improves digestion.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Thanks to its antibiotic and anti-inflammatory nature, ACV can also improve stomach ache.
- Lime: Due to its acidic nature, lime effectively stimulates the digestive system, bile juices, and other acids. And hence, improves stomach aches and cramps.
- Heat Pad: You can place a heating pad or hot pack on your abdomen to feel better when down with stomach ache after eating eggs. A warm bath can also be an effective way of treating stomach aches.
Intolerance to eggs is not a serious condition and can be managed easily at home. Hopefully, you are now very well aware of this condition and are in good space to understand the difference between egg intolerance and egg allergy. While these tips may help you to feel better, you should get a proper diagnosis from a healthcare professional. You might be getting stomach aches due to some other reasons as well. If the intolerance to eggs is confirmed, avoiding eggs for a few weeks is recommended.
References:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/egg-intolerance#alternatives
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-safety/egg-intolerance#symptoms
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-eggs-cause-diarrhea
