This is probably one of the top five questions that I get asked about the Wahls Protocol. Why are eggs restricted on the Wahls Protocol? Do eggs create inflammation in the body? Can eggs trigger autoimmune symptoms and flares? And does this rule really apply to you?

Most people ask for two reasons: 

1. They want to make sure that they’re following the protocol properly because they’re worried if they do something wrong, they won’t get results.
   
2. They feel like they’re already restricting enough foods, they don’t want to add another thing to the list unless they absolutely have to.

So, let’s get to the bottom of this. 

Why Dr. Wahls eliminate eggs on the Wahls Protocol?

The honest and short answer, because she is allergic to eggs. 

She has a known allergy to eggs so she didn’t have them in her diet when she got her big health transformation when she went from a wheelchair to a bike ride in one year. 

And when she wanted to get approval to run her protocol through a clinical trial, the only way they would approve the clinical trial is if she replicated exactly what she did during that year. 

She wasn’t able to make any changes. 

So there’s the short, honest and direct answer. 

But that can leave you wondering, well, that’s a bummer that she has an egg allergy, but I don’t. I’ve eaten eggs my whole life, so do I have to eliminate them or not. 

If I don’t have an allergy why can’t I eat them?

They certainly make breakfast time a lot easier – especially when you’re already eliminating gluten and dairy – two of the most common breakfast ingredients.

Can Eggs Create Inflammation & Trigger Autoimmune Symptoms

What about eggs is inflammatory?

And the response my surprise you because the inflammation actually comes from the egg whites.

We’ve been so trained to think that it’s the yolk that’s the problem because of cholesterol, which isn’t 100% true anyway, but that’s another topic for another day. 

The inflammatory component is in the egg whites

The protein in eggs, specifically ovalbumin, can stimulate the immune system, leading to inflammation and potential symptoms or flares. 

Inflammation is a key player in autoimmune diseases—it can worsen symptoms and potentially lead to flare-ups. 

By eliminating or reducing intake of foods that might trigger an immune response, like eggs, individuals with autoimmune conditions might see a reduction in symptoms and overall inflammation.

Can I Eat Foods that Contain Eggs like Bread?

According to the Wahls Protocol, you want to completely eliminate them from your diet, and that includes avoiding foods that include eggs as an ingredient.

So you want to read nutrition labels well. Flip to the back of the package where the nutrition facts and ingredients are listed. 

You’ll likely see three sections. 

First are the nutrition facts – the numbers. That’s where they list the calories, grams of fat, carbs, protein, fiber and sugar. 

Typically below that are the ingredients. It’s a list of ingredients in order of quantity, so the first item is the ingredient that has the highest quantity. And just a good rule of thumb here is you should be able to pronounce and recognize most of the ingredients on this list. 

But it’s below the ingredient list where I want you to check out. That’s typically where they list allergens. So you may say something like, “contains gluten, wheat, milk, soy or eggs.” That’s where my eye immediately goes when I’m looking at a food. 

If gluten, dairy, soy, nuts or eggs are in the food, it’s a hard no for me. Those are the foods that I personally avoid. 

Because I get so many questions about it, I’ll share my personal experience with eggs. 

My Personal Experience with Eggs 

I grew up eating eggs. Hard boiled eggs were one of my favorite snacks growing up. I also loved scrambled eggs and omelets. And I certainly ate foods that contained eggs – bread, cake and muffins.

It wasn’t until I was doing a Yoga Teacher Training program in 2016 when we were doing a 30 day vegan diet. I wasn’t thrilled about doing it because I enjoy fish, eggs and meat. Yet, I couldn’t deny how much better I felt on it. 

So after the 30 days was up, I decided to keep meat like chicken, turkey, beef, all of that meat out of my diet. I would just reintroduce fish and eggs. 

Well a couple weeks later I realized that I wasn’t feeling as great. It took me a while to figure it out but I brought meat back in but eliminated eggs and that’s when I felt my best. 

And it was eventually confirmed through testing that I had a allergy to egg. So, I eliminated it completely from my diet. 

Over the years, I’ve thought about trying to reintroduce it but I’ve been doing so well, I didn’t want to rock the boat. 

The lesions on my brain that I had at the time of my diagnosis shrunk within 6 months and now almost 8 years later I haven’t had any new lesions or activity. 

I’m not messing with that! 

However, just a few weeks ago, I had an accidental exposure and I couldn’t believe what happened. I talk all about it on My MS Podcast.

How You Can Test Your Sensitivity to Eggs

So, how can you tell if you have a sensitivity to eggs? 

The easiest approach is to eliminate them for one to three months. 

Remove them from everything you eat. 

Read the labels.

Avoid any foods that contain eggs. 

This allows your body to start healing from the damage they could be causing. 

Pay attention to the results. 

If you don’t have it already, down a free copy of my wellness tracker so you can track your progress. 

Print a copy and track your progress.

Then once that time is up, you can reintroduce them and again, track the results. 

This is a process that I really guide the clients that I work one and one with to really play detective to see if any symptoms arise and what your tolerance is for it.

That gives you more confirmation of really knowing what affects you, so you’re not constantly guessing. 

What’s Your Experience with Eggs?

I’d love to hear about your experience with eggs. Not everyone finds them to be inflammatory. Others keep them out for good measure. What have you found works best for you?

Share in the comments below.

I love hearing from you!