by Filmgirl37

Created on: February 25, 2007   Last Updated: April 06, 2012

Is it safe to eat raw eggs? Yes and no. The two most common concerns about the digestion of raw eggs are one, that the digester will contract Salmonella and two, that the digester might become biotin-deficient. While these are, in fact, possible dangers, there are some facts to consider. As to the possibility of a biotin deficiency, the risk of this is lessened if you eat the egg whole together with the egg white as opposed to just the egg whites themselves.

With respect to Salmonella poisoning - again, it is true that the possibility exists for the infection to occur if you eat raw eggs. But here are the facts. Of the 69 billion eggs that are produced per year, Salmonella is only present in 2.3 million of those eggs. That translates to 1 out of every 30,000 eggs or 0.0003% of all produced eggs. Furthermore, buying cage-free, organically-fed and organically-certified chicken eggs significantly reduces any potential of Salmonella infection.

And while no one should wish a Salmonella infection on anyone, there is both good and bad news about it if you are an unlucky contractor. First, it is not necessarily as deadly as it was once thought to be. A lot of people have passed on information claiming that a person who contracts Salmonella poisoning will definitely die within 24 hours. But this is not always the case. Salmonella is relatively benign in a person with little to no prior health problems and it is treatable with probiotics. Probiotics contain a friendly bacteria that can help to fight off this infection. If taken properly, your condition should improve within a few hours. If you are a child, pregnant, elderly, or do have serious health issues like cancer or HIV, the complications from Salmonella are much greater.

But under the proper circumstances, there are both benefits to consuming raw eggs and ways in which raw eggs can be safely incorporated into your healthy diet. First, raw eggs should always be stored properly. This means that they should never be left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours and they should be placed in the coldest part of a refrigerator whose temperature is 40 degrees or just a bit below. Secondly, raw eggs should never be consumed if they have a foul odor or if the shell has been accidentally cracked. Thirdly, eating raw eggs does have some healthy advantages. They are one of the few foods that contain vitamin D and the digestion of a raw egg can boost your immune system. Further, should you aptly purchase the free-range, organically certified eggs discussed earlier in this article, they can be used as a health tonic. And, finally, all eggs contain Lecithin, a vital nutrient in processing fats and cholesterol.

While homemade raw egg recipes such as those for egg nog or ice cream might be risky, the eggs can be safely eaten if the cooking base of the egg reaches 160 degrees. When cooking something like ice cream, meringue, frosting, candy, and other raw egg delights, use a thermometer to be sure that the ideal temperature has been reached.

In short, while your digestion of raw eggs should be limited, it does not have to be completely excluded if you follow all important safety measures and consume them sparingly.

Research for this article was done by using information from the following web sites:

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/raw- eggs.htm
http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id= 268
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC3507.htm

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