Despite what you might hear, generally speaking, eggs are not inflammatory or ‘bad’ for the gut!
Allergies
There’s a small subset of people who may have an egg allergy – and although eggs are one of the most common allergies in bubs and young kids, the vast majority grow out of them, making an egg allergy in adulthood rather rare. It’s super important for an allergy to be diagnosed by a trained allergist, not an invalid ‘food intolerance’ test where you send your blood or hair away (so please don’t pay for them!).
Histamines
Like so many other foods, eggs are a little higher in histamines. Therefore, in the small number of people who have histamine intolerance, large amounts of eggs may trigger symptoms. Other foods higher in histamines includes most seafood, and several fruits and veggies too, like oranges, bananas, spinach and tomatoes. Histamine intolerance is rather tricky to diagnose, with no simple blood tests able to give you the whole picture (more on histamine intolerance in my book)
If you’ve ever wondered why some egg yolks are darker than others, that’s thanks to higher levels of beneficial plant chemicals (called beta-carotene) making the deep-orange colour. This is often found with free-range chickens, as well as having more omega-3!
Take home
Eggs can be a great source of protein and additional nutrients like choline as part of a balanced diet, so don’t be tricked into thinking you have to ‘cut out eggs’ for good gut health (while I completely understand and respect people who eat 100% plant-based).
How do you like your eggs in the morning? For me it’s got to be a poached egg on top of homemade kimchi and fresh seedy sourdough… or my mini shakshuka egg pots (Eat Yourself Healthy & Love Your Gut)
