Are Eggs A Dairy Product?

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

For some reason, eggs and milk are often put in the same food group, which leads to the incorrect conclusion that eggs are a dairy product. For people with lactose intolerance or dairy allergy, this distinction is of great importance.

This article aims to clarify this issue a little more and eliminate confusion once and for all.

Are eggs a dairy product?? Simply put - no, they are not.

The definition of a dairy product is a food that is derived from the milk of a mammal, such as a cow or goat. This includes the milk itself and the products it creates, such as cheese, yellow cheese, cream, butter and yoghurt.

With that in mind, everyone knows that eggs are laid by birds, such as chickens, geese and quails. Birds are not mammals and do not produce milk.

So, although eggs are usually lined up with other dairy products in stores, they are not a dairy product.

Why are eggs placed in the same food group as dairy products?

Although the origin of eggs and dairy products is completely different, they are similar in two ways - both are obtained from animals, both have a high protein content.

Vegans and vegetarians avoid both eggs and dairy products because they come from animals, which in turn contributes to confusion. In addition, in the United States, as in many other countries, eggs and dairy products are placed together in the store, which reinforces the misunderstanding. The main reason they are combined in this way is that they both need a refrigerator and the same temperature.

Eggs and lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance is a digestive condition in which the body cannot absorb lactose, the main sugar in milk and dairy products. Recent research shows that over 75% of people worldwide have this problem. The symptoms of this disease are gas, stomach cramps and diarrhea.

Fortunately for you, however, eggs are not a dairy product and contain neither lactose nor milk protein. So, just as eating dairy products does not affect people with egg allergies, so the opposite is true - eating eggs will not activate lactose intolerance in people with this problem.

Exceptions are people who are allergic to both.

Eggs are extremely nutritious and healthy

Eggs are one of the most valuable products you can include in your diet. Although relatively low in calories, they are rich in high quality protein, fat and a variety of nutrients.

One egg contains:

- 78 calories;

- 6 g of protein;

- 5 g of fat;

- 1 gram of carbohydrates;

- 28% of the daily value of selenium;

- 20% of the daily value of riboflavin;

- 23% of the daily value of vitamin B12.

Eggs also contain small amounts of almost every vitamin the body needs. On top of that, they are one of the few sources of choline - an extremely important nutrient from which most people do not get enough.

In addition, they saturate easily and are a great food, suitable for diets. Scientists have even proven that eating 1 egg in the morning for breakfast can reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories.