Egg Allergy Substitutes

Eggs are a very commonly used food and because it is a compound of numerous proteins, it can prove as an allergen to many children. The sensitive reactions to eggs are triggered at infancy and usually disappear around the age of five to seven. There are least possibilities of it lasting throughout one's life. Badly cooked egg whites or raw eggs, egg shells, tasting raw egg batter, etc. causes more egg allergies than the actual egg yolk. The body's immune system overreacts to the proteins of eggs, by creating special antibodies called, immunoglobulin E (IgE). The immunoglobulin induces certain chemicals in the body including histamine. These chemicals can affect the skin (eczema), respiratory system, cardiovascular system ( nausea, stomach ache, itchy hives around the mouth or urticaria, headache, wheezing etc.) and the gastrointestinal tract. Some people are allergic to eggs but not to chicken.

The master key to be egg allergy free, is to avoid the contact with the eggs. As we all know, egg is the most commonly used food and skipping it from your daily diet may seem hard. But there are various natural as well as commercial egg replacement products, available in the market. Let's get to know some of these egg replacements that will help you to enhance your diet, without the eggs.

Homemade Egg Substitutes
All these homemade and easily accessible egg substitutes, can be used as a nice fill-ins in cakes, pies, cookies and food products, where eggs are used as fillers and binders.

Flax Seeds
This is the best egg substitute used for baking. Flax seeds have great nutritious value. Flax seeds contain a reasonable amount of the alpha-linolenic acid, which is a very useful cure for the inflammatory bowel disease, heart disease, arthritis and many such diseases. Flax seeds also contain a chemical, named lignans, that helps to prevent cancer. Flax seeds can be used in both whole as well as ground forms. You can replace one egg by mixing the flax seeds in water in 1:3 ratio (1 spoon of flax seeds and 3 spoons of water) to make a gelatinous batter.

Potato Flour
Potato flour is made of the cooked, dried and ground potatoes. It is a good form of egg substitution as it is totally gluten-free. Potato starch, mashed potatoes, etc. are also good egg substitutes. To replace one egg you can use some potato flour, ¼ mashed potato or two tablespoons of potato starch.

Applesauce
Applesauce is also pretty useful as an egg substitute. You just have to use the unsweetened applesauce. ¼ cup of applesauce easily replaces one whole egg. It helps the allergic people to enjoy the baked recipes, as well as the weight-watchers, because it helps to make fat-free recipes.

Banana
Mashed bananas can serve as good egg substitutes. One medium sized banana replaces one egg.

Commercial Egg Substitutes

Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum is used as a rheology modifier and a food additive. It is made from the fermentation of glucose and sucrose, with the help of the exoskeleton of the bacteria, Xanthomonas campestris. The Xanthun gum is a white powder, used as a binder to enhance the texture of egg-free cakes and milk-free ice creams. The amount should be one teaspoon per recipe.

Soybean Lecithin
Lecithin is a class of animal tissue phospholipid that contains esters of glycerol, one molecule of phosphoric acid and two molecules of long-chain aliphatic acids. The lecithin in egg yolk is replaced with soybean lecithin. It is used as an additive and emulsifier in many food products. It works as a wetting agent that makes it, a good egg substitute, even though it must be used in amounts of about one percent of the total weight of the recipe.

Ener-G
It is a good example of the commercial egg replacers that are easily available in the market. They are relatively less flavored and can be used in baking cakes, muffins etc.

Other Egg Substitutes

• Egg is also used as a leavening agent. So, to replace one egg you can use the mixture of one tablespoon of vegetable oil + one tablespoon of water + one tablespoon of baking soda.
• Egg white is used as a glaze on some recipes. For the purpose you can use beaten margarine. It proves to be as good as the beaten egg white.
• When using as a binder, you can use two tablespoons of powdered gelatin + one cup of boiling water.
• One tablespoon of smashed Tofu and a tablespoon of water, can prove a good egg replacement.
• Cornstarch, arrowroot starch, vegan custard and chickpeas also work as egg substitutes.

The choice of egg substitutes may depend upon the dish that you are cooking. There are many options available, so choose the best and the most comfortable substitute. Above all, it becomes highly important to read the labels of the ready to eat food products as even the products that are said to be egg substitutes may contain eggs.

With such a wide range of egg substitutes, you really don't need to sacrifice your urge to eat variety of foods by worrying about the egg allergy.