Good eggs

Some HSI members are thinking about eggs. Not because Easter is coming right up, but because of a recent e-Alert (“Playing Catch-Up” 4/3/03), in which HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., said, “A raw blended egg should be drunk fairly quickly, or refrigerated, as leaving it out at room temperature will also start the ‘cholesterol oxidizing’ action.”

I had a hunch that comment would bring in a few e-mails. Here’s one from Wanda: “Aren’t eggs dangerous in its raw state due to salmonella?” And Ken wondered the same, asking, “You indicated that drinking a raw blended egg was OK. I was always under the impression that eating raw eggs in any form was unhealthy and likely to result in food poisoning and other ailments. So, which is correct?”

While it’s true that salmonella can cause serious illness, your chance of getting a salmonella contaminated egg are very slim. A 2002 Department of Agriculture study estimated that in the U.S., less than two and a half million eggs are contaminated every year, leading to well under a million cases of illness. That may seem like a lot, but not in comparison to the total number of eggs produced in the U.S. each year: 69 billion. So going just by the numbers, you actually have only a slightly better chance of picking up salmonella from a raw egg than you do of winning the Power Ball lottery.

Nevertheless, people do win the lottery, and there are definitely bad eggs are out there. But there are ways you can significantly reduce your chances of eating one. According to noted nutritionist Dr. Joseph Mercola, salmonella risk is much lower with eggs that come from healthy chickens – in other words: chickens that are not raised in cramped cages, as virtually all commercial chickens are. And if they’re given organic feed, all the better.

Beyond buying your eggs from a local organic farmer, there are some tell-tale signs to look for before consuming a raw egg, such as a crack in the shell, a bad odor, or an infirm yolk. Eggs that fall into any of those categories should be discarded.

So to answer Wanda and Ken: if you decide to take your eggs uncooked, you’ll get far more nutrients and higher quality protein, but it’s obviously best to take a few precautions to avoid getting that bad egg.

Sources:
“Raw Eggs For Your Health – Major Update” Dr. Joseph Mercola, 11/13/02, mercola.com