One of the most common questions asked to those who have switched to a plant-based diet is “Can vegetarians have eggs?” In our country (and not only in ours), chicken eggs have a cult status. If you have ever traveled on trains, then you have met fellow travelers who happily consumed this product throughout the trip. The male audience will probably remember more than one or two examples of how action heroes drank egg cocktails in pursuit of big muscles. But are eggs really good for you? What's really hidden under the shell? Do vegetarians eat eggs? Let's find out!
Can vegetarians eat eggs?
There are several types of plant-based diets; You can find out more about this in the relevant materials on our website. Here we will briefly note that the very concept of vegetarianism allows for the possibility of eating eggs. This is due to the fact that the egg you purchased in the store is not fertilized by a rooster, a chicken cannot emerge from it, and therefore, in theory, such a product is safe. But not everything is so simple, and we will talk about this below. The type of plant-based diet when a person consumes eggs is called “ovo-vegetarianism.”
Why do some people become vegans?
People choose a vegan diet for a variety of reasons. Often the decision involves a combination of ethics, health issues and environmental reasons ().
Benefit for health
Eating more plant-based foods and reducing or eliminating animal products can provide health benefits, including reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases, especially heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer (,).
In fact, a study of 15,000 vegans found that vegans had healthier body weights, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels compared to omnivores. In addition, the risk of developing cancer among them was 15% lower ().
Benefits for the environment
Some people choose a vegan diet because they believe it is more environmentally friendly.
However, an Italian study that compared the environmental impact of omnivores, vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy, and vegans found that a vegetarian diet had the most beneficial environmental impact, followed by a vegan diet ().
Researchers speculated that this is because vegan diets often include more processed plant-based meat and dairy substitutes. In addition, vegans typically eat larger amounts of food to meet their caloric needs ().
Animal protection
In addition to health and environmental causes, strict vegans are also strong advocates for animal welfare. They reject the use of animals for food or any other use, including clothing.
Vegans argue that modern farming methods are harmful and cruel to animals, including chickens.
For example, in commercial egg production plants, hens are often housed in small, enclosed cages, beak-trimmed, and induced to molt to regulate and increase egg production (, ,).
Conclusion:
People who choose a vegan diet are often driven by a combination of beliefs about health, the environment and animal welfare. In general, vegans do not eat eggs because they do not accept commercial poultry farming practices.
Reasons why vegetarians don't eat eggs
A reasonable question arises: why can vegetarians eat eggs, but they still refuse them? There are several good reasons.
- According to the oldest source - the Rig Veda - eggs are a symbol of new life.1 By consuming eggs, according to the Vedas2, you cause suffering to unborn beings. By destroying the embryo of a living being, you harm your karma. Such a person, according to the scriptures, will not be able to fully devote himself to self-knowledge and will remain in the mode of ignorance.3
- Many people know the expression “we are what we eat”; this principle was known in ancient times. Ayurvedic doctors have said and continue to say that food is filled with the energy of the cook, and urge a person to cook only in a good, blissful mood. Living things and food are filled with the energy of the place where they are located. Most often, birds are kept in terrible conditions in poultry farms. Animals and birds are in a constant state of fear and stress, and they are also subjected to injections of various hormones - all this is reflected in the eggs. By consuming them, a person allows the energy of suffering, horror and fear into his life.
- Another reason why vegetarians do not eat eggs is health concerns. It is known that egg yolks contain excess cholesterol, which negatively affects the cardiovascular system; In addition, the risk of salmonellosis cannot be excluded.
Summarize
- Many vegetarians eat eggs even if they exclude meat and fish from their diet.
- Those who eat eggs and dairy products are known as lacto-ovo vegetarians, while those who eat eggs but no dairy products are ovo vegetarians.
- However, depending on ethical, religious or medical reasons, some vegetarians may avoid eggs.
The article was prepared by experts for informational purposes only. It should not be used as a guide for treating medical conditions and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. In case of illness or any symptoms, you should always consult a doctor and not self-medicate.
Tags: Vegetarianism, Eggs
About the author: Anastasia Sheveleva
Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor of the highest category, therapist, registered dietitian, nutrition consultant. More about the author.
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Harm of eggs to the body
It is known that a disease such as salmonellosis is transmitted through the consumption of meat and eggs. Over the past 15 years alone, the number of identified cases of this disease in the Russian Federation has increased 7 times.4
This type of intestinal infection is transmitted through bird eggs. Unfortunately, there is an opinion that it is enough to wash them before cooking or eating, and then trouble can be avoided. But the shell does not have a uniform structure, which makes it possible for salmonella to penetrate inside the egg, especially if it is cracked5. If you still eat eggs, then under no circumstances eat them raw.
Scientists at Northwestern American University6 have proven that eating eggs increases the risk of heart disease by 3% and the risk of early death by 4%. This is due to the high cholesterol content in the yolk.
A new study from Oxford7 states: “Due to the high lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, the only people likely to consume egg yolks may be those who know they will die young from another cause.” A direct quote from Dr. J. Spence perfectly emphasizes the attitude of the scientific world to the question of whether to eat eggs.
Which vegetarians eat eggs?
Vegetarians who eat eggs are still considered vegetarians, but have a different name.
Below are the different types of vegetarians depending on whether they consume eggs and/or dairy products (1):
- Lacto-vegetarians : avoid eggs, meat and fish, but consume dairy products
- Ovo-vegetarians : avoid meat, fish and dairy, but eat eggs
- Lacto-ovo vegetarians : avoid meat and fish, but eat eggs and dairy products
- Vegans : Avoid all animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy and often other foods such as honey
As you can see, vegetarians who eat eggs are considered ovo-vegetarians or lacto-ovo-vegetarians depending on whether they eat dairy products.
Summary:
Vegetarians are still considered vegetarians if they eat eggs, but they are a different type of vegetarian than vegetarians who avoid eggs.
Cruelty to animals
However, when raising the question of eating eggs, it is worth thinking not only about your health, but also about the ethical side - about the health of the birds. In 2021, the Latvian Animal Protection Organization conducted an investigation called Dzivnieku briviba. Activists managed to get into places where chickens were kept, which were considered exemplary8.
Animal activists have documented and published on their website horrifying footage of how the birds are kept. Devoid of feathers, with parasites, and sometimes without beaks, the birds were kept in cramped cages, sometimes together with already dead individuals. Farmers violated even the minimum requirements for keeping animals.
Unfortunately, there is no and cannot be certain that in 5 years something has changed in this matter, since production is aimed at extracting maximum benefits at minimum costs. The exploitation of birds and animals is completely incompatible with ethics. Animals around the world are kept in terrible conditions; By buying factory products, you support violence against living beings, encouraging the owners to continue their inhumane acts.
Is it possible to be a flexible vegan?
Technically, a vegan diet that includes eggs is not actually vegan. Instead, it is called ovo-vegetarian.
However, some vegans freely include eggs in their diet. After all, egg laying is a natural process for chickens and does not harm them in any way.
When researchers surveyed 329 people following a vegetarian diet, 90% of them cited concern for animal welfare as their top motivator. However, one third agreed that they would be able to accept some types of animal food if animal welfare standards were improved. ()
Those who follow a vegetarian diet are willing to include eggs from chickens or poultry that they know are ethically raised, such as free-range chickens or those kept as pets on a backyard farm.
One of the challenges of sticking to a vegan diet long term is that it is quite strict. A study of 600 meat eaters found that taste, familiarity, convenience and cost are common barriers to quitting animal products. ()
A flexible vegan diet that includes eggs solves many of these problems for people who want to adopt a vegan diet for health and animal welfare reasons but are concerned about the restrictions.
What to remember
The flexible vegan diet includes eggs from ethically raised chickens. Adding eggs helps those who are concerned that a strict vegan diet may lack variety, familiarity and convenience.
Chickens in villages and on private farms
“Well, I’ll buy eggs from those who care for animals and raise them on their private farms,” a reader who is thinking about combining eggs and vegetarianism might say. However, before you do so, please consider the facts below.
There is a whole branch of agriculture called “free range farms”. It is difficult to get into such possessions, and it is almost impossible to do this with a camera. It is known that when an egg is taken from a chicken, it strives to lay a new one, making up for the loss, and this will continue until the bird’s body is exhausted. During this time, the chicken will lay an average of 200 eggs, undermine its reproductive function and become unnecessary to the farmer. Nice old ladies who sell “their village things” also take advantage of this feature of chickens; The only difference here is in volume.
Did you know that a chicken can live fifteen or even twenty years? When birds are stressed and their eggs are taken away, life expectancy drops to five years. What do they do with the bird afterwards? As a rule, they are killed and eaten, or left to “survive.” A weakened chicken begins to get sick, sometimes it is attacked by younger individuals and spends the rest of its days in suffering. Please think about this next time you stand at the egg counter.
Plant-based alternative to eggs
In the 21st century, when more and more people are changing their diet to plant-based, you can easily buy egg substitutes on the Internet or in specialized stores for vegetarians. In the West, for example, vegetarian eggs made from mung beans have emerged.
The product is suggested to be used for making scrambled eggs and omelettes. There is no doubt that it will soon appear on the shelves of major Russian cities. But what about those who don’t have vegetarian stores nearby? Make an alternative product yourself!
Can you have eggs on a vegetarian diet?
A vegetarian diet is often defined as avoiding animal meat.
So even if vegetarians exclude beef, poultry, and fish from their diet, many of them still eat eggs (1).
However, some people do not consider eggs a vegetarian food. If the egg has been fertilized by a hen and a rooster mating, giving it a chance to be born, vegetarians who don't eat animals may want to avoid eggs.
Conversely, if the egg has not been fertilized and will never become a bird, it will be considered vegetarian and treated as an animal by-product along with milk and butter.
Most commercial eggs in the grocery store are unfertilized.
Finally, some religions that encourage a vegetarian diet, such as Hinduism and Jainism, may not consider eggs to be vegetarian and therefore prohibit them (2).
Summary:
Since eggs are not technically animal meat, they are generally considered vegetarian. Eggs that have been fertilized and are therefore likely to become animal eggs cannot be considered vegetarian.
How to replace eggs for a vegetarian in baking
Various options for replacing eggs in cooking:
- Mix flax seeds with water. For one tablespoon of seeds, take three tablespoons of water and mix thoroughly. This will be the equivalent of one chicken egg. If necessary, replace flax seeds with chia seeds, the proportion of ingredients is the same.
- When making pastries, replace the egg with a banana. One well-mashed banana easily replaces one egg.
- Oatmeal is a great alternative. Soak two tablespoons of cereal with two tablespoons of water, leave for 30 minutes and get the equivalent of one egg.
Whether vegetarians eat eggs or not depends on the type of diet, knowledge about the dangers of eggs and understanding of the ethical side of the issue. Those who consider themselves strict vegetarians avoid eating foods such as eggs and honey. If you finally decide to give up slaughter food and eggs, then do it gradually, start with fasting days.
To begin with, let one day a week be free from eating meat and fish, then increase the number of days to two. So, gradually, step by step, you will move on to proper and healthy eating. Be healthy!
Why do some vegetarians eat fish?
If a vegetarian refuses animal food, then it is logical to assume that he also does not eat fish. However, some vegetarians still allow themselves to include fish, seafood and dishes made from them into the menu. Why?
They argue this by saying that fish and seafood have undeveloped or underdeveloped intelligence, so their death does not in any way affect humanity and the structure of the planet as a whole.
However, classical vegetarians do not share this approach and do not accept such people into their camp. They even received a separate name - pescatarians.
Attention! All vegetarians refuse meat and fish. Refusal or acceptance of milk, eggs and honey depends on the personal beliefs of a particular person.
