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I've been Paleo for two months now (No grains, sugar, dairy, legumes). And since day one I've eaten at least one egg a day. I buy cage/hormone free brown eggs from either Trader Joes or Whole Foods.

About a week ago, I noticed a dulling painful belly ache an hour after eating meals with eggs. (It's not a belly ache where it ended in going to the bathroom to feel better, the only thing that helped it go away was time.) I had a cold at the time, so I thought it was just me being sick. But after noticing no tummy problems after meals without eating eggs. I put two and two together. But not before I consumed another carton of eggs first.

I've avoided eggs for a few days now (belly ache free), until yesterday where I was making deviled eggs for Easter and tasted the filling. The belly ache came back not even a few minutes later.

I've never had a problem with eggs in the past and I do love them. They're such a easy go to protein.

Has anyone else had this problem when switching to Paleo?

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i've had the egg thingy before going gluten free or paleo. I haven't had a chicken egg for years. I recently got tested for food allergies and chicken eggs showed up. Maybe you should switch to some other eggs like duck, goose, quail...etc. From what I read these eggs are well tolerated by people w/ chicken egg allergies. I ordered some duck eggs to try... – Alchemille Apr 25 2011 at 21:02
I think that's a great idea. I've been tempted to try duck eggs. – MissMary Apr 25 2011 at 21:25
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just had duck eggs the other day, poached, they were excellent! paleohacks.com/questions/33444/… – tartare Apr 25 2011 at 21:40
Duck and goose eggs <3 – OmNomBacon Dec 8 at 23:15

16 Answers

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Try eating just the yolk... you may have a issue with the whites alone (ovo leptins). See if you still have an issue. If that is the case, you may just have to eat something other than eggs, or just egg yolk.

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It sounds like you need to change egg brands. Try a dozen Non TJ or WF...just regular supermarket eggs and see what happens.

It is possible that Salmonella enteritidis was in the feed eaten by the chickens and infected the yolk and white of the egg. It is rare but it can happen. The chickens are healthy and the grower doesn't even know there is a problem.

Usually Salmonella is on the shell of the egg if there is any. I have heard of people washing their eggs before cracking to get rid of any exterior salmonella.

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generally those eggs sold at say a Trader Joes or Whole Foods would be washed. "cage free" and "hormone free" really can be misleading. Technically, a bunch of birds in a giant stinky ammonia filled overcrowded warehouse are "cage free" and if you don't treat them with hormones, they're "hormone free". Hormone free does not necessarily equate to "not sick" animals. Eggs are pretty porous and you could be sensitive to some of these factors. If the supermarket eggs don't work, try eggs from a local farmer's market. – tartare Apr 25 2011 at 21:22
I'm a little scared with playing with more fire. I was concerned with a possibility of salmonella. I did however have a sensitivity with a dressing my sister made that had eggs in it. I believe she used Jewel brand eggs. – MissMary Apr 25 2011 at 21:30
You never know which egg grower might have had a problem. Changing brands change growers. Many large growers package under 20 to 30 different brands. So trying to isolate one brand as being the culprit is of no help. The next carton of that same brand may be grown at entirely different farms. If you can't tolerate any eggs then you have to look at your gut and how well it is functioning. – Dexter Apr 26 2011 at 0:04
We don't have salmonella on eggs here were I live, small country, easy to regulate the feed etc. But anyway many, many people here get stomach problems from it, so I really doubt it's the salmonella. – mM Dec 9 at 16:43
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I've had similar symptoms, though in my case it was associated with other pre-ulcer type symptoms. I found that it was the egg white that was the problem and that it was greatly mitigated if I boiled the eggs (how I cook em most of the time) for at least 10 minutes. Also, eating the eggs alone (rather than in a big meal that included starches too) helped (probably due to faster gastric emptying when eating a smaller single-macronutrient meal. Anyway, my problem likely is totally different than yours - just thought I would share in case it sounds similar.

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I get the stomach issue randomly, it seems. Most of the time, I just make sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked, and that solves the issue. I've noticed that it also seems to occur if I'm eating them in the morning or early afternoon, but never at night.

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I get intestinal pain from eating the yoke. I can only eat the egg whites-Eggbeaters (Egg whites).

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I have the same issues with eggs. They hurt my belly after eatting them. I can eat eggs when they are cooked in with other things like cake. But after eatting the eggs I feel like I have to run to the bathroom do my thing but my belly still hurts after that and yes I do have to lay down. Found out that after I had my kid I might of got allegoric to eggs so in your case you might be to sorry. Can't eat no part of the egg.

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Are you allergic to soy prtein? Do your eggs contain high levels of soy protein? Be advised chickens are not vegetarians by nature; yet many farmers, even the ones that raise free range chickens, feed their chickens strict vegetarian diets that often include high amounts of soy. Some studies indicate soy protein somehow ends up in the eggs. Perhaps your body is challenged to digest soy protein. YMMV.

FYI: Here's a source for soy-free eggs: http://grassfedtraditions.com/organic_soy_free_eggs.htm

I have no affiliation with and am not compensated by this company.

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It's more likely that it's just the eggs, and not the feed chickens get, eggs cause, for many, autoimmune probs, leaky gut etc. It's very common. – mM Dec 9 at 16:41
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I have the same problem as well. Noticed it after I did an elimination diet. I have called restaurants to see if it's premixed eggs they use that bother me, but it is actually the reg eggs that are giving me issues. Guaranteed long lasting stomach ache - like 3-6 hours and feels like increased temps in my gut too - when I eat frittatas or omelets. However sunny side up doesn't have the same effect. I'm thinking it's an intolerance brought on by the amount consumed and maybe way they are cooked?

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If you ever figure out what it is let me know! Eggs randomly hurt my stomach as well, Long dull pain. I stopped eating them a long time and then tried them again and was able to eat omelets every day for like 3 weeks with no issues. Then suddenly I can't eat them again even after some months. Very annoying!

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Overcooked yolks make me nauseous and a little bit dizzy.

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Sometimes I have problems with eggs and sometimes they're fine, alone or in a bigger meal, over-cooked or runny. It seems the more frequently I eat them the more likely I'll get a negative reaction. If I eat them once a week I'm usually safe, however even then a batch will effect me and my concrete-stomached-non-paleo boyfriend so it must not be a problem of the intestinally-sensitive. I think Paleo Papa is on to something with the soy-feeding...or maybe some ass at the grocery store didn't get them into the cooler fast enough.

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At times I have had a stomach ache about an hour or so after eating eggs, then I can eat eggs for months and months with no problems. The last two times I have had eggs, I have ended up with a stomach ache again. Does anyone know whether stress levels may have something to do with this?

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I'm not on that diet, but I've noticed recently that eggs do not sit well with me at all. So, far if I eat the liquid ultra-pasteurized eggs, I don't have an issue. I read one form that spoke of the high protein content causes this problem, and if you eat a Papaya afterward you should be good. Papaya has a natural enzyme that helps digest the protein. Nothing is confirmed, we're in this together. I love eggs, but I ate 3-4 hard boiled ones the other day, and I got tore up.

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I'm not paleo but I eat a reasonably healthy diet and i love eggs. I used to think of them as one of those foods you can count on if you're feeling achey or sick, but the last 4 or 5 times I've eaten them...ouch. Hence why I just googled if there's such a thing as egg intolerance and ended up on this page. It's the same as what others here have described - a long ache and not associated with needing to run to the toilet, just the pain by itself. I think I'd better avoid them, which is such a shame as they're so healthy and tasty and everyone serves them.

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I did a test if I have problems with cholesterin respondance to double check my egg consume of 4-5 a day. But I'm ok, so eggs are good for me.

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The exact same thing happened to me. After years of eating two eggs for breakfast every day, I figured out that they were the trigger of the episodes of severe stomach acid pains I was having. It wasn't the source of the eggs, I tried a few different farmer's market eggs. I suspect it's something related to the histamine induced by the lightly cooked egg whites, as I can eat foods with a bit of well cooked egg. Also, the stomach aches were much more likely to happen during my PMS period, which further points to histamine.

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