Are Eggs Considered A Dairy Product? - Healthline

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Written by Adda Bjarnadottir, MS, RDN (Ice) — Updated on July 30, 2019

Dairy status
Causes of confusion
Lactose intolerance
Benefits
Bottom line

Contrary to what some believe, eggs are not dairy products. Foods are only considered dairy products when they are produced from the milk of mammals. Eggs are laid by birds, who are not mammals and do not produce milk.

For some reason, eggs and dairy are often grouped together.

Therefore, many people speculate whether the former are considered a dairy product.

For those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk proteins, it’s an important distinction to make.

This article explains whether eggs are a dairy product.

Eggs are not a dairy product

Eggs are not a dairy product. It’s as simple as that.

The definition of dairy includes foods produced from the milk of mammals, such as cows and goats (1).

Basically, it refers to milk and any food products made from milk, including cheese, cream, butter, and yogurt.

On the contrary, eggs are laid by birds, such as hens, ducks, and quail. Birds are not mammals and don’t produce milk.

While eggs may be stored in the dairy aisle and are often grouped with dairy, they’re not a dairy product.

SUMMARY
Eggs are not a dairy product, as they’re not produced from milk.

Why eggs are often categorized with dairy

Many people group eggs and dairy together.

Though they’re not related, they do have two things in common:

They are animal products.
They are high in protein.

Vegans and some vegetarians avoid both, as they’re derived from animals — which may add to the confusion.

Furthermore, in the United States and many other countries, eggs are stored in the dairy aisle of grocery stores, which could lead people to believe they’re related.

However, this could simply be because both products require refrigeration (2).

SUMMARY
Eggs and dairy products are often grouped together. They’re both animal products but otherwise not related.

Eggs and lactose intolerance

If you’re lactose intolerant, it is perfectly safe to eat eggs.

Lactose intolerance is a digestive condition in which your body cannot digest lactose, the main sugar in milk and dairy products.

It’s estimated that about 75% of adults worldwide cannot digest lactose (3).

People with lactose intolerance may develop digestive symptoms like gas, stomach cramps, and diarrhea after ingesting this substance (3).

However, eggs are not a dairy product and don’t contain lactose or any milk protein.

Therefore, similarly to how eating dairy won’t affect those with an egg allergy, eating eggs will not affect those with a milk allergy or lactose intolerance — unless you’re allergic to both.

SUMMARY
Since eggs are not a dairy product, they don’t contain lactose. Therefore, those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk proteins can eat eggs.

Extremely nutritious and healthy

Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat (4).

Despite being relatively low in calories, eggs are rich in good-quality protein, fat, and a variety of nutrients.

One large egg contains (5):

Calories: 78
Protein: 6 grams
Fat: 5 grams
Carbs: 1 gram
Selenium: 28% of the Daily Value (DV)
Riboflavin: 20% of the DV
Vitamin B12: 23% of the DV

Eggs also contain smaller amounts of almost every vitamin and mineral that your body needs.

What’s more, they’re one of the very few dietary sources of choline, a very important nutrient that most people don’t get enough of (6).

Plus, they’re very filling and have been shown to be a great weight loss food (7, 8).

In fact, studies indicate that the simple act of eating eggs for breakfast can cause people to eat up to 500 fewer calories over the course of the day (8, 9).

SUMMARY
Eggs are low in calories but highly nutritious. They’re also very filling and may aid weight loss.

The bottom line

Though eggs and dairy products are both animal products and often stored in the same supermarket aisle, they’re otherwise unrelated.

Dairy is produced from milk, whereas eggs come from birds.

Thus, despite the widespread misunderstanding, eggs are not a dairy product.

How we reviewed this article:

History

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Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.

Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Written by Adda Bjarnadottir, MS, RDN (Ice) — Updated on July 30, 2019

Are Eggs Considered A Dairy Product? - Healthline

Eggs are not a dairy product

Why eggs are often categorized with dairy

Eggs and lactose intolerance

Extremely nutritious and healthy

The bottom line

How we reviewed this article:

Evidence Based

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