Posted 8/30/2015 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
I second what rowingmom says.
Egg whites are one of the most common allergies. I had been having issues with diet and was basically living off egg whites (which I love) for protein. about two years ago, I saw an allergist who liked the whole leaky gut/food sensitivities theory. I don't disagree with him, I just have had many doctors say "if we fix this" everything will be wonderful.
So he put me on a sort of reverse elimination diet. You start with just chicken, white processed rice and salt. Nothing else. No spices. No oils. Nothing.
I lasted for about 4 days until I had nothing in the house but eggs. So I thought, I'll just have a few egg whites. They won't hurt. If chicken is ok, eggs should be fine. Nope.
Two hours later, on the dot, I started throwing up. For hours. I only eat the whites. I don't like yolks. I was sick for days.
So when I mentioned this to the doc, he asked how I had cooked the eggs. I hard boiled them. He said that was the worst way because they we concentrated. He said some people can tolerate the small amounts in thing like baked goods because its just a trace and is changed enough to not activate our immune system.
I have found that you can't use egg substitutes because the only thing in them is egg whites. The doctor suggested that using just the yolk doesn't work either because you can't ever truly separate the two. He also said that some people may have a cross reaction with chicken. He said that most people find turkey to be safe.
I have high hopes that when my GI issues get under control, duck eggs might work. They can be found near me through a couple of farmers markets. They do not have the same type of protein as chicken eggs. In addition, if I remember correctly some vaccines have a connection to egg whites. Maybe this is what sensitizes us to it in the first place.
I have the same issue with dairy protein. Ice cream is the thing I miss most. After two years without it, I found that I could tolerate about a quarter cup of soft serve as long as I ate it before 2pm. I still get stomach cramps but don't throw up. I save it for a special occasion, like visiting Disney. Yeah, can't wait, less than a month to go. My daughter works for Disney and I've only seen her for one day since she moved to Florida in January. I can taste the soft serve now. Too bad I'll only be able to have it once. Then in December, we'll be doing the Eastern Caribbean Cruise. Love to be pampered and snorkeling is the best activity. I just float and no pain.
I'm also hoping to try goat's milk because it too is a different protein. I haven't gotten up the courage yet, but I figure it can also be made into butter and ice cream. I know coconut milk works too but I absolutely hate the taste of coconut and haven't had the courage to try it yet.
Hope this helped,
Kim