Scramble My Tummy – Scrambled Eggs & Digestion
For a person who loves his scrambled eggs, this is a tough article to write. Easy to make, they taste delicious if you know how to make them right.
However, scrambled eggs are not that simple and easy if you happen to have an allergy or intolerance to eggs. Scrambled eggs can cause various digestive complications for such people, which can be made worse with the addition of other ingredients, such as milk, cheese and butter.
According to MayoClinic.com, eggs contain common food allergens that mainly affect children, but can also affect anyone at any age. Most symptoms of an egg allergy occur within a few minutes or up to an hour after you ingest eggs. Symptoms may range from mild to severe and may include skin irritation, asthma, nasal congestion and digestive difficulty. An egg allergy is a hypersensitivity of the immune system to the proteins found in the egg white, egg yolk, or both. The immune system reacts to the allergen, triggers inflammation, causes irritation and swelling in the digestive tract, all of which can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bloating.
Monitor the Effects after Eating Scrambled Eggs
If you suspect an allergy to scrambled eggs (or an ingredient in them), it is important that you write down your symptoms and all the ingredients you added to the mix. Talk to your doctor about the symptoms and avoid the ingredients you used to make the scrambled eggs until you can identify the culprit.
What is Egg Intolerance?
You can really have intolerance to any food, causing stomach pain, cramping, diarrhea, nausea and gas. We all have different types of food sensitivities, and most of them tend to grow with time.
Egg intolerance differs from allergies in that they do not affect the immune system and will most likely not affect other parts of the body aside from the gastrointestinal system. If you suffer from frequent intolerance episodes, keeping a food journal will be helpful to identify which foods cause similar symptoms. Discuss your food journal with your doctor.
Scrambled Eggs Contain Other Allergens
If you are eating out, notify your server about your food allergies before ordering to ensure the scrambled eggs are free of any allergens that affect you. Scrambled eggs may contain other allergen-containing foods, such as dairy products, tomatoes and cheese. You should be aware of the following:
- Cheese contains small amounts of mold spores, which can trigger an allergic reaction if you’ve been diagnosed with a mold allergy.
- Soy or wheat proteins, may cause you an allergic reaction from cross-contamination. For example, if wheat bread was used on a surface that was also used to prepare your eggs, the wheat proteins may contaminate the scrambled eggs.
Scrambled Eggs and Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance affects about 50 million Americans, according to CBS News. Lactose is a particular form of sugar that is found in milk – unfortunately, not everyone can process it well. The most common symptoms of lactose intolerance include bloating, gas and diarrhea. Mixing dairy products in scrambled eggs can cause some complications in the digestive systems of people with lactose intolerance.
Now that you know all this, it does not mean that you get paranoid each time you think of eating scrambled eggs. Just be aware, look for actual symptoms (don’t imagine them), and consult your doctor if you feel you need it. Happy scramblers!
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