Question About Eggs

[Gentleheart]

I think I'm only allergic to egg whites. But it's one of those permanent protein intolerance situations, so I really need to seriously avoid it. But egg yolks are so valuable nutritionally and for cooking, that I was wondering something. Does anyone know if it is possible to separate out the yolk of an egg completely enough to satisfy an allergy to the whites? Do any of you do that? Maybe it's not possible or too much trouble to be worth it. But yolks are a great source of many nutrients, especially lecithin when you can't have soy. Just wondering. Thanks.

[Ursa Major]

I tried that. But every time I baked with just the egg yolks, I would get just as sick as if I had been using the whole eggs. I gave up on that idea. I haven't tried boiling eggs and eating just the yolks, as that way you really should be able to avoid the whites. But I am not too hopeful that I can have the yolks. I have been too chicken to try.

[Gentleheart]

Thanks, Ursula. I figured that. One place I checked on the internet said that you could gently wipe off the egg yolk with a soft towel and then use a needle to pierce the sac letting the actual yolk drain out. That way the "skin" which actually touched the white is not used. It seems like awfully delicate "surgery" to me and probably silly to go that far. Plus you would have to wear gloves so as to not touch the whites. I honestly don't know that I'm not allergic to yolks as well anyway. Testing methods for them seem less reliable than tests for the IgA intolerances with enterolab.

[larry mac]

  Gentleheart said:

I think I'm only allergic to egg whites..... But yolks are a great source of many nutrients, especially lecithin when you can't have soy....

gh,

I may be mistaken, but I always thought the lecithin was in the whites, and the protein & cholesterol was in the yolks. Also, that the lecithin in the whites moderated the bad qualities of the cholesterol in the yolks, so that eggs aren't as bad for you as once thought. Of course that study was probably funded by the egg industry.

best regards, lm

[Gentleheart]

You might have it right and I might be wrong. I do think the protein must be in the whites, though, because that's what I'm allergic to, the protein in egg whites. I'm pretty sure the fat is in the yolks. But I'm not sure about the lecithin part. It sounds like too much trouble to isolate the yolks anyway, so I will probably just continue to avoid eggs altogether.

[Ursa Major]

  larry mac said:

gh,

I may be mistaken, but I always thought the lecithin was in the whites, and the protein & cholesterol was in the yolks. Also, that the lecithin in the whites moderated the bad qualities of the cholesterol in the yolks, so that eggs aren't as bad for you as once thought. Of course that study was probably funded by the egg industry.

best regards, lm

Larry, it has long been proven that eggs being bad for you in any way is a complete myth. Our bodies need cholesterol to function, without it we would die. If we don't get enough of it in our food, our bodies just produce more.

In fact, it appears that people who eat lots of eggs have a lower chance of heart attacks. Egg yolks are the healthiest part of the eggs by far (for people who aren't intolerant to eggs, that is). I wished I could eat them again!

[chrissy]

the protein is in the whites.