Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn? - PaleoHacks.com

Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-11-05T11:17:12Z

I'm curious if any hackers have knowledge of this -- firsthand or otherwise. A student asked me if I knew what might be causing her heartburn. I'm thinking of suggesting she eat whole eggs b/c from the sounds of it, she's probably eating too low fat.

Edit to add: She mentioned she had been eating chocolate as her only "bad food", but that she was refluxing big time after a lunch of salad and egg whites. Hence my question.

UPDATE 12/15/11: I have not gotten any feedback, though I did suggest she lay off the eggs entirely to see if it helped. I'll try to remember to ask for an update. THANKS for all the input gang!

Answer by Lisa for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-11-05T12:19:38Z

Yes! At least for me. I have an iron stomach that can tolerate pretty much anything, but egg whites will leave me doubled over for hours. Yolks are no prob.

Answer by sarah-ann for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-11-05T12:22:03Z

Eggs in general are not a great choice for someone with compromised digestion. This doesn't seem to be well known in paleoland as eggs are sort of sacred. I know this from personal experience only, my reflux practically resolved when I got serious about eliminating eggs.

Hopefully I can heal enough to start incorporating them again, cos I love them. :(

Answer by Rick Osborn for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-11-05T13:24:56Z

I love eggs, but I have heartburn whenever I eat them too. And, I always get the best eggs I can find, but it doesn't seem to matter. I also get heartburn from chicken. I still eat both sporadically, but I know that when I do that I'm going to have indigestion. Eggs are one of those foods that's on the list for causing issues. I'd suggest cutting them out for a couple of months and then add them back and see how it works. We develop intolerances for foods when we eat them too often.

Answer by Jack Kronk for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-11-05T20:08:29Z

interesting. i developed heartburn when I went VLC and I had seriously upped my egg intake. been eating eggs ever since I have often wondered if the egg white proteins are irritating me. i might do an experiment.

Answer by TrynAgain for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-11-20T17:05:45Z

Chocolate gives me MAJOR heartburn. Esp the lower % chocolate. Your student should try to stop chocolate first

Answer by raydawg for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-11-27T15:00:17Z

Before going paleo, I had no issues with eggs. During the 1st couple of months after, I couldn't digest them, and had issues with reflux. After a few months I was able to digest eggs again without issue.

Assuming your issue isn't an actual allergy, I suspect this is due to levels of various micros such as magnesium/potassium and the like which are needed to get proper levels of stomach acid and digestive enzymes.

In my case part of the problem was caused by not having a gall bladder. So adding in digestive enzymes such as Now Superenzymes and Betaine HCL, over time resolved the issue. Robb Wolf's protocol for digestive enzymes is to take one pill at a time, upto 5, until you feel heat above your abdomen so you can figure out the dose you need. For me, 2-3 with a Betaine HCL cap is the perfect combo. YMMV - you could give either digestive enzymes or Betaine HCL a try, or revisit eggs again later.

Also, it's a bad idea to eat egg whites by themselves, most of the nutrients are in the yolk. Please do not worry about cholesterol, as that's one of those conventional wisdom myths that's destroying everyone's health. Eat the yolks, they're very good for us, and best yet, they contain the B vitamins needed to prevent homocysteine issues caused by the protein rations in the whites.

Answer by Nance for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-12-11T15:56:20Z

I'm a long-time GERD sufferer with a hiatal hernia but I've never noticed any problem with eggs.

Then again, I always eat them in the morning and my reflux seems tied to having food in my stomach in the evening. My most effective strategies are to avoid wheat and stop eating by about 4 each day. Wheat is a 100% trigger.

Answer by incision for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2011-12-16T01:56:58Z

Egg whites are great. They do not cause acid reflux they cause alkaline reflux!!!

Presence of fat or protein in the duodenum causes release of Cholecytokinin which stimulates the gallbladder and even the biliary tree to contract. Bile (alkaline) in the duodenum commonly refluxes into the stomach and even a small reflux into the esophagus will produce persistant symtoms. H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors do not help as they only help with acid. A liquid antacid will provide prompt relief. One with aluminum if you tend to be constpated.

If you are thin and this is happening, then you probably have a hiatal hernia. If you are over weight it is part of the disease, and it will go away when you lose weight.

Answer by jan for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2012-02-07T02:38:53Z

i dont think they can but everyone is differnt. i have read that to much fat in your diet can cause heartburn to eat low fat and high fiber and lost of fruit (non acid fruit-apples bananas) and vegis. I have been told that chocolate will cause it. I

Answer by Jamie for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2012-06-07T14:16:29Z

There are many causes of heartburn. Your LES can be weakened. You have have too much, or more commonly too little stomach acid. You can have enzyme deficiences, or food allergies or quite commonly its SIBO - bacteria in the small intestine.

Is there any sugar in her salad dressing? That could be the culprit (most dressings are high in sugar, sugar feeds bacteria in SIBO)

For everyone reacting to eggs, nuts or grains -

Eggs whites, along with nuts and grains all contain some anti-nutrients - these are to protect the vulnerable seeds and eggs from predators by making them hard to digest and problematic to eat.

People with compromised digestion, particularly leaky gut caused by SIBO or other diseases can develop intolerances to anti-nutrients - although usually grains are the worst. Anti-nutrients when they are absorbed through the mucosa of the gut over time produce these food allergies.

Its worth noting that the egg yolk does not have anti-nutrients, and also contains all the good nutrients..

Hope that helps..

For the question poser - i would suggest she tries both a sugar free dressing, and eating an egg yolk without the whites.....and then look into the causes for her heartburn based on that (bacteria, or leaky gut/anti-nutrient intolerance)

Of course id just as likely suspect the sugar in the salad too as it could also be SIBO.

"A liquid antacid will provide prompt relief."

Your post is very confusing. An antacid is an alkaline substance. You cant make an alkaline substance less alkaline by adding another alkaline. Thats like putting out a fire by throwing some fire at it.

Answer by hhsuey for Can Egg Whites cause Heartburn?

2012-06-18T05:25:43Z

here's a good article on eggs, arguing that the whites may do more damage than provide nutrition. http://paleodietlifestyle.com/an-egg-yolk-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away/

Basically, avidin in egg whites binds to biotin (a b-vitamin) and deactivates it. Also, though egg whites are a source of protein, they tend to be anti-microbial and kill off your natural gut flora.