An egg free diet contains no eggs or foods made with any part of an egg.
Many pastries, desserts and breads contain eggs and thus cannot be eaten with an egg free diet. People who follow an egg free diet may include: individuals with an allergy to eggs, fruitarians, lacto vegetarians and vegans.
Most people who are allergic to eggs are allergic to egg protein and may react to the proteins in the egg white. However, because it is impossible to completely avoid cross-contamination between yolks and white, people who are allergic to eggs need to avoid eggs completely. The most allergenic proteins in egg white are ovalbumin, ovomucoid, ovotransferrin and lysozyme. Lysozyme is an unlabeled additive used in cheese preparation. Egg yolk contains three proteins (apovitellenins I & VI and phosvitin) that are also allergenic.
Those following an egg free diet may avoid the following products because of their egg-containing potential: albumin, some baby foods, battered meat or fish, Bavarian creams, some beers, some breaded foods, some breads (particularly those with shine crusts, i.e. Portuguese sweet bread), cakes, some candy, some coffee, some cookies, consommés, creamed foods, creamed pies, cream puffs, croquettes, custards, doughnuts, egg beaters, egg noodles, egg rolls, egg whites, egg yolks, some egg substitutes, eggnog, fondue, French ice cream, fritters, frostings, hollandaise sauces, ice cream, marshmallows, mayonnaise, meringues, some muffins, pancakes, some pie fillings, powered or dry eggs, prepared meats, pretzels, puddings, root bears, some salad dressings, sausages, sherbets, some soups, soufflés, tartar sauce, some wines and waffles. Other words that may indicate egg include: apovitellenins I & VI, globulin, livetin, lysozyme, ovalbumin, ovoglobulin egg albumin, ovomucin, ovomucoid, ovotransferrin and phosvitin. This list is not comprehensive and a qualified healthcare professional should be consulted for a complete list.
Some hidden sources of eggs many include: eggs used to create the foam or milk topping on specialty coffee drinks or used in some bar drinks; some commercial brands of egg substitutes contain egg whites; most commercially processed cooked pastas (including those used in prepared foods such as soup) that contain egg or are processed on equipment shared with egg-containing pastas; and fresh pasta.
When baking, eggs may be substituted for: 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp liquid, 1 tbsp vinegar; 1 tsp yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water; 1 1/2 tbsp water, 1 1/2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp baking powder; or 1 packet gelatin, 2 tbsp warm water.