Sometimes it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it that makes the difference. A little tweak in something you were already doing can create a dramatic shift.
I’m talking about eating raw eggs.
If you didn’t drop your phone in order to hurl, keep reading. I’m dead serious. Once you get over the yuck factor, raw eggs rock!
Egg Yolks Increase Your “In-house” Antioxidants
Your body produces glutathione, catalase and other antioxidants to reduce inflammation and mitigate oxidative stress. But if you have chronic health issues, these pathways can be damaged. You won’t be able to produce enough to overcome the stress and inflammation in your body.
The lipids in egg yolks are anti inflammatory. But beyond that, they boost your body’s ability to produce your own anti inflammatories. (1) It can especially be helpful in your digestive tract.
Besides helping you produce your own antioxidants, egg yolks also contain them.
Are Raw Eggs “Healthier” Than Fruit And Vegetables?
That depends on how you look at things, but speaking specifically about antioxidant potential: raw egg yolks win. 2 RAW eggs have double the antioxidants of an apple. (2) The same study that determined that also showed that cooking the eggs eliminated half the antioxidants.
Raw eggs have high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin. They are carotenoids (a form of vitamin A) that benefit every one of your organ systems and cells.
Lutein and zeaxanthin benefit you in several ways:
- They are antioxidants
- They are anti-inflammatory
- They help prevent clogging of your arteries (yes, you read that correctly! Egg yolks DON’T clog your arteries)
- They can help reduce hypertension
- Reduce your chances for Type II diabetes!
- Can inhibit the formation of ulcers
- Has anticancer effects! (3)
- Helps protect your liver
- Is critical for eye health especially as you age
Unfortunately, these carotenoids are super sensitive to oxygen, heat, light and metal exposure — all of which are involved with cooking. Eating them raw eliminates these factors. Cooking also reduced the antioxidant potential of aromatic amino acids like tryptophan and tyrosine. (4)
Lutein and zeaxanthin are also in vegetables like darky leafy greens, pumpkin and carrots. But some people have a genetic polymorphism that makes it hard for them to absorb and use carotenoids from vegetables. Animal sources are easier to assimilate for most people.
The difference in absorption is because of the specific lipids that are in egg yolks — phospholipids.
Phosphatidylcholine
Your eggs will have several different types of phospholipids, but predominantly it will be phosphatidylcholine. It will make up about 72% of the yolk. (5)
This lipid makes up about 20% of the membranes of all your cells. It’s pretty important stuff! You need it to maintain the structural integrity of your cell walls.
5% of your cell’s genes focus on the synthesis of lipids. (6) Considering the millions of things that go on in your body, that’s actually a lot. Not having enough phosphatidylcholine can give you a wide range of issues:
- You need it for brain health. A lack of it is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. (7)
- Low levels can cause liver failure (8)
- Not enough can lead to ulcerative colitis and other digestive issues
- Problems with your nerves
- Autoimmune conditions
- Increased chance of asthma and allergies (9)
Allergies? Hmmm… let’s investigate this further.
Vitamin A And Allergies
About 70% of your immune system is in your gut. (10) So if your gut isn’t happy, NOTHING in your body will be happy! Surprisingly, you don’t have to have symptoms of major gut issues for your microbiome to be ticked off.
All you need is a vitamin A deficiency.
Vitamin A gets the microbes in your gut to play nice with each other AND play nice with YOU. The microbes like to metabolize vitamin A. (11) When they don’t have it, you’ll have increased inflammation.
When you don’t have vitamin A, you’ll have a reduced tolerance for the world around you, and that includes allergies to foods, smells, basically anything.
Oral Tolerance
Having food allergies is sometimes referred to as possessing a low oral tolerance. Retinoic acid is a metabolite of your microbiome processing vitamin A. This metabolite sets into motion a series of reactions in your gut that say: relax, you’re fine! This is not an offensive food! (12)
It raises your oral tolerance!!
Your body actually naturally wants to be tolerant. “Rest and digest” mode is it’s preferred state of operation. But chronic illness or trauma can get it so riled up that everything seems like an intruder. Your immune system starts to constantly fight instead of monitoring things in a steady, more peaceful manner.
But retinoic acid doesn’t only settle down the cells in your digestive tract. It calms them down in your bronchial passages as well. So the amazing constituents in raw egg yolks can help with breathing issues too.
My Experience
When I read about other people with chronic health issues eating raw eggs, I honestly thought they were nuts. There was something cracked alright, their brain!
But the more I read about the science and people’s testimonials I decided to try it. I was especially interested in how people were reducing their allergies and increasing oral tolerance.
I was only eating about 7 or 8 different foods… that’s pretty low oral tolerance I’d say! High protein foods were especially bad. It was hard for me to eat a normal volume of food too.
I was quite petrified to try. Both because of the idea of “raw” and raw egg whites are high histamine which can trigger an allergic reaction. I was having trouble with COOKED egg whites, how in the world could I eat raw ones? My eyes would itch within minutes of cooked egg whites.
I started with one yolk, mixing it in my coconut yogurt. It actually tasted really good! Kind of like I had put butter in my yogurt. (Disclaimer: that egg was from my Dad’s chickens, they taste waaaay better than from the store) Right away I could feel it was helping my digestion. That was a pleasant surprize! It encouraged me to keep pressing on. I slowly started eating more yolks per day, working my way up to 4 in total.
Then I started with the whites. Those did NOT make me feel as good. But I wasn’t having an insane reaction to them like I had to just cooked ones in the past. The whole oral tolerance thing was actually happening!
I’ve also noticed a reduction in overall inflammation.
It’s taken me 5 months to tolerate 4 whites. I’ve been able to add back a few other foods as well.
I’m definitely going to continue this, and I’m hoping to work my way up to 6 eggs per day. The results have been totally worth it.
Anyone else have enough courage try raw eggs? 😉