Health, Wellness, & Nutrition Center, LLC 

 "Achieving wellness through awareness"

Egg allergies are on the rise. Typically, children under the age of 5 are more sensitive to the proteins found in egg whites. However, a continued sensitivity after age five may be an egg allergy. Many times it is the chicken feed causing the sensitivity (corn), but if you are suffering egg allergy it affects many foods beyond the egg itself.

Eggs are found in many prepackaged foods. Mayonnaise, “just add water” mixes, pizza dough, and some pasta are examples of hidden eggs. Other places are bagels that receive an egg wash, and breading found on fried foods. Sometimes eggs are used as a binding agent. Meatloaf, meatballs, lentil loaf and other similar foods all use egg as a binder to hold the finished item in a solid form. Unfortunately, many vegetarian packaged products (burgers, etc.) also use egg as a binder. If you are eating a plant based diet and have egg allergy look for products marked vegan. Vegan products do not contain eggs.

Eggs serve several purposes in recipes. These include leavening, binding, and providing structure or texture in finished products. There are several substitutes for eggs that will still produce a satisfying end result.

If you are not opposed to the added banana flavor, the one ripe banana can replace one egg. Best recipes to use bananas in are cookies, sweet breads, and cakes, especially pancakes. Roughly one ripe, mashed banana equals one egg. Bananas add moisture, which can increase the denseness of the cookie or cake.

One-quarter cup of applesauce can replace one egg. The best recipes in which to use applesauce are those that don't require significant structural support such as cookies or brownies. The end product will have a slight apple taste, be moist and airy. Applesauce is added with the other wet ingredients.

A personal favorite is the use of ground flax seeds to replace eggs. Mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with three tablespoons of water with a fork or whisk and let sit for 20 minutes. The mixture will turn gelatinous, with a texture similar to egg whites. Flax offers additional omega-3s along with binding, leavening, structure and texture in your finished products. If you are looing for an all-purpose substitute for eggs, then flaxseeds are a great choice.