General guidelines for egg allergy

The key to an allergen-free diet is to not feed your child foods or products containing the food that causes a reaction. The items that your child is allergic to are called allergens.

Eggs are a commonly used food that may cause food allergy reactions. If your child has an egg allergy, it may not be hard to remove visible eggs from their diet. But you may not be aware of the many food products that contain eggs. A federal law (FALCPA) requires that egg be labeled in foods. But you may find eggs in things not covered by this law. This includes cosmetics, toys, crafts, and pet food. To eliminate foods that contain eggs, you must read all food labels. If you are not sure if something contains egg, ask the food manufacturer.

Some children with egg allergy are able to tolerate foods with egg that have been baked such as muffins or cake. Ask your healthcare provider if your child can eat these foods.

For some children, egg allergy is a lifelong allergy. Many children will outgrow this allergy over time. Follow up with your child's healthcare provider to see if they may be outgrowing this allergy.

How to read a label for an egg-free diet

Don't let your child have foods that contain any of the following ingredients:

• Albumin

• Egg whites

• Egg yolk

• Dried egg

• Egg powder

• Egg solids

• Egg substitutes

• Eggnog

• Fat substitutes made with egg

• Globulin

• Livetin

• Lysozyme (used in Europe)

• Mayonnaise

• Meringue

• Ovalbumin

• Ovomucin

• Ovomucoid

• Ovovitellin

• Surimi

Other possible sources of eggs or egg products

• Lecithin

• Macaroni

• Marzipan

• Marshmallows

• Nougat

• Pasta 

• Egg is used in some ice cream. Read labels on all ice cream containers to be certain there is no egg.

• Cake icing and frosting sometimes contain egg.

• A shiny glaze or yellow baked good may mean egg.

• Fat substitutes made from either egg or milk protein

• Egg whites and eggshells may be used as clarifying agents in soup stocks, consommés, bouillons, and coffees.

Be careful when having these products.

If you need to substitute eggs in a recipe, try one of these methods:

• Mix 1 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon oil + 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ cup applesauce

• ½ of a medium banana, mashed

• Mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons warm water. Wait 1 minute before using the mixture.