The Great Egg Experiment

When I was in my early 30s, I developed true food allergies. I wasn’t dealing with mere food intolerances, nor was I experiencing anaphylactic shock. Instead, certain foods caused me to sneeze as if I had hay fever. Others caused my gums and sinuses to bleed and my throat to swell.

I was eventually diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis. Instead of a nice, smooth esophagus, mine was described as “pillowy.” As you can imagine, that is not a good situation for someone trying to swallow!

The Cruel Irony of Allergies

The most frustrating part was that I developed these allergies to the foods I loved most: dairy products, shellfish, and eggs. I adored cheese (though I’ve always hated the flavor of plain milk), all sorts of shellfish, and I usually had eggs for breakfast. It seemed cruel that the foods I enjoyed most were the ones causing me such anguish.

My reaction to eggs was particularly brutal: sneezing, post-nasal drip, and sinus clogging reminiscent of a full-blown flu. I originally went to the doctor because I felt like I had a never-ending illness; that’s when I first learned the reality of my allergies.

The Elimination Journey

I underwent the complete scratch test, which identified several allergens, but the most drastic ones remained a mystery. Consequently, I underwent a food elimination diet. For two weeks, I forwent most normal foods and subsisted on lamb and squash (butternut, acorn, etc.). Since I love lamb, the diet wasn’t a total sacrifice, though taking half a baked squash to work for lunch—even with a touch of maple syrup—was a bit odd!

At the end of the two weeks, I added one food back at a time. I found that within 45 minutes, I knew if I was allergic. The reactions were quite impressive. Sadly, they confirmed my fears. At 33 years old, I gave up cheese, ice cream, shellfish, and eggs.

Eggs were actually the easiest to quit because they produced the most extensive reactions. While I could sometimes get away with an egg hidden in a cake, something like an angel food cake—made with plenty of egg whites—would produce a miserable response.

Life Without the Egg

For the next thirty-four years, I avoided eggs. I picked the egg nuggets out of Chinese fried rice and stayed far away from quiches, egg drop soup, and custards. Life was good, if a bit more limited. I underwent shots for my many environmental allergies and strictly avoided my “reactive” foods. While my reactions to dairy and shellfish were occasionally tolerable enough to indulge for a day of misery, my body absolutely refused to allow eggs.

From Dinosaurs to Dinner

Then, three decades later, I decided to try again.

My neighbor has egg-laying chickens. I occasionally borrow one to share with the students in my after-school “Animal Friends” class. I use the chicken to demonstrate what dinosaurs evolved into! (A roadrunner would be a better example, of course, but I haven’t been able to catch one of those yet.)

My neighbor mentioned she could use kitchen scraps for her flock. Since I destem a lot of collard greens for my reptiles, I always have plenty of stems and leaves to spare. In exchange for these high-calcium greens, she began supplying me with eggs—eggs from chickens fed only on natural foods. I started to wonder: maybe these would be less reactive?

A Simple Pleasure Rediscovered

Being adventuresome, I decided to try one. I prepared my first egg over-easy. I like the yolk to be liquid but just a little cooked, with only a dash of seasoned salt and pepper so nothing would interfere with the flavor.

OMG, that egg was so good.

I spent the next few hours paying close attention to my immune system. No reaction! After avoiding this allergen for decades, it seemed I could finally enjoy an occasional egg. Perhaps because these chickens are fed non-commercial food, my system was able to handle it.

Since that initial experiment, I’ve enjoyed one egg per week—hard-boiled, soft-boiled, sunny-side up, and over-easy. They are all delicious, and I even love the various colors the shells come in. It truly is the simple things in life that bring the greatest pleasure.

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