The key to success is to understand where the eggs are hiding! You can be successful living without eggs if you do your homework. There are a lot of products out there that have eggs or have preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and other additives that are derived from eggs. FDA enforces the labeling of eggs if it is used in a recipe; however, they don’t recognize if the preservative, stabilizer, or emulsifier was derived from eggs. That is why you need to do your homework.
Knowing what to look for can seem impossible. When I first began this blog in August 2022 it seemed an impossibility. However, through due diligence, I have written a lot of articles explaining what to look for and how to research it.
There are eggs hiding everywhere as manufacturers care more about getting products to market than they do properly labeling the foods. Below are some tips to help you be more successful at locating the eggs.
Milk products, and some cheeses – Calcium Carbonate – have some serious side effects especially if you are allergic to eggs. These include lo nausea and vomiting, increased thirst, headaches, and muscle pain along with unusual tiredness. You can experience mood changes and loss of appetite. Most importantly if it is made from eggshells and you are allergic to eggs then you can have an allergic reaction. There are other substances that have Calcium Carbonate – they are Calcite minerals, limestone, and aragonite. The Gastropod shells from shellfish skeletons and pearls have calcium carbonate too. The calcium ions in hard water react with the carbonate in limestone to create limescale and it can be converted to an antacid. Excessive consumption can cause hypercalcemia and digestive issues.
Most calcium carbonate used in food and calcium supplements is from rocks (Calcite and aragonite), and synthetically produced from the sedimentation of coral which has the shells of small shellfish and snails. This is bad if you are allergic to shellfish. The FDA considers it as “Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Some Calcium carbonates are made from egg shells. On the chance that it is made from eggshells for people who are allergic to eggs do your homework. Double-check the product.
Here is a list of Milks that I can drink – they do not have egg-by-products in them:
Sam’s Club – Members Mark Almond Unsweetened Vanilla – the Tricalcium phosphate is made from limescale and this product is made using almonds – so if you have a nut allergy don’t drink this. The Gellan gum, sunflower lecithin, and locust bean gum (AKA carob bean gum) are not derived from eggs.
Public – GreenWise – Original Soymilk – I was not sure about the calcium carbonate and contacted the green wise company. Their calcium carbonate is not derived from eggs. It is from powdered minerals. There is a little cane sugar in the product too. Cane Sugar is what you want to buy. If it says Sugar on a product and not Cane Sugar then it is usually from beets.
Horizon Organic – Half and Half – Ingredients: Grade A organic milk, Grade A organic cream.
Organic Valley – Heavy Whipping Cream – Ingredients: Organic Grade A cream (Milk) Gellan Gum. (Gellan gum has been studied for 30 years and is approved by the U>S> Department of Agriculture, European Union, and World Health Organizations Joint Council on Food Additives. and is used as a building agent, emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener. It is found in baked goods, jams, sauces, ice cream, and confectionary products. It is an exopolysaccharide produced by bacteria fermentation and is considered vegan. So if you see a product with Gellan Gum it doesn’t have a lot of bad side affects.
Cheese – Some cheeses contain lysozyme which is an egg protein that slows the harmful development of microorganisms. That is the case for Grana Padano. The ingredients of Grana Padano is cow’s milk, salt, rennet, and lysozyme (egg protein).
Parmigiano Reggiano is safe from eggs – it is made from cow or sheep’s milk, salt, and rennet. (Only cows that are fed exclusively dry feed, green forage, and meadow hay are used). Very organic no additives are used so it is safe. EU law states Parmesan must contain only three ingredients: milk, salt, and animal rennet. If anything else is added it can’t be called Parmesan or Parmigiano – Reggiano from Italy.
Dressings and Mayonnaise – Salad dressings that are mayonnaise-based and even salad dressings that are oil and vinegar-based have added egg to extend the shelf life and help with emulsification. Olive Garden uses eggs in their Italian dressing both at the restaurant and in the bottle for sale. I bring my own when I go to a restaurant. If you forget you can make your own. At Carrabba’s they give you olive oil and herbs to dip your bread. I like to take that and add lemon or vinegar to it to pour onto my salad. All you do is ask the waiter/waitress for lemons, vinegar, olive oil, etc. Check out the Dressings section in my blog and use the dressing for the Burrata Salad. It is a lemon-infused Italian dressing that is quite yummy. I make and give it as a gift sometimes.
Pastas – There are some freshly made pastas that use eggs. Some of the boxed pasta has eggs. Make sure you check the label. (Muellers, and Ronzoni uses egg. Barilla and Banza are boxed pasta that routinely don’t use eggs. Check the labels for the ingredients)
Bread – There are many breads that use eggs and many that don’t. Check my article on Breads for my fully researched listing to help you choose which is best for you. My favorite is D’ltaliano enriched Italian Bread. It is great for sandwiches and toast, and use it instead of croutons for sage dressing to go with your Thanksgiving meal.
Packaged and canned products – there is a whole lot of additives preservative and emulsifiers that have sneaked their way into these. Especially look out for the powered cheese that goes in the Mac N Cheese boxed items. I make my own cheezy bechamel sauce. ( 5 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup flour, whisk over medium heat in a pan for three or 4 minutes until flour is cooked and slightly golden then gradually add 2 cups of whole milk, and whisk 10 minutes until fully blended and it thickens some, then add your seasonings, salt, pepper, nutmeg, Parmigiano Reggiano and cheddar cheese, also a little fontina works well too. Stir until melted and add to Barilla macaroni shells or tubes and bake a little in the oven with some cheese on top.)
Frozen foods especially frozen microwavable dinners.
Alcoholic beverages
Wines are fined or clarified with egg whites, fish bladders, gelatins, and milk proteins or clay to increase the fermentation and add shelf life. It is frustrating because the wine labels are not required to let you know how they are processed. Knowing which wines are free from egg whites can save your life if you’re allergic. There is a great website that can help. Barnivore.com is a search site where you can look up different wines, beers, and ales to find out if they have eggs or not.
Takara Plum Wine – A Japanese wine known as Ume-shu – a combination of Shochu – white liquor and ume, the Japanese Plum. Umeshu is a traditional Japanese liqueur that is made from the ume plum. It is steeped in sugar and alcohol and dates back over 1000 years. Ume originally was considered a medicine that soothed sore throats because of its low alcoholic content. Umeshue doesn’t need to go through the fermenting or distilling process like other wines. Ume plums are harvested around June. The ingredients to make it yourself require Ume plums, rock sugar, and liquor for steeping. I have never made it myself. From what I have read you soak the plums for about 12 hours to make them less astringent to have a smoother flavor. The ratio to make it is 1kg of fruit with 1/2 kg of sugar layered with the plums. Then pour over 2 L of white wine and store it in a dark place for about 6 months to have a more mellow ambrosia.
Stella Winery,
I emailed Stella Rosa Winery. Here is a list that is NOT VEGAN-Friendly. –
- Stella Bella Wines
Stella Rosa Wines
Rosa Red Apple
Stella Artois Apple Cider
Here is a list that is Vegan Friendly – So Enjoy!
- Stella Black
Stella Rosa Blueberry – I have successfully drank this without any reactions.
Prosecco
Moscato (blue capsule)
Stella Rosa Moscato D’Asti IL Conte – I have successfully drank this without any reactions.
Remember most Stella Wines are Vegan Friendly {NOT ALL} So for any wine always ask the question Is this wine fined with eggs? My favorite is Stella rosa Moscato D’Asti
Wine Clubs can offer vegan wines that are animal-friendly.
One such club which is the first one from the USA is Veganwines.com. You can sign up for a price to get different vegan wines that are free from animal products. You can email them at [email protected] if you have specific questions. I have not researched their wines so always ask them about Wines that are clarified and fined without eggs to get a list.
