Eggs are one of the most common foods in people's kitchens and found in so many recipes but eggs are actually completely unnecessary in the diet and can be easily replaced.
Moving Away From Eggs and Chickens as Food
There are so many ways we can get our protein requirements and plenty of plant-based alternatives are available for chicken and eggs that are cruelty-free. You can help chickens today by not eating eggs.
Finding vegan alternatives may feel difficult at first, however the good news is that eggs are one of the easiest animal ingredients to replace! The plant-based alternatives are much healthier being rich in fibre and devoid of harmful saturated fats.
Here are 8 ways to replace eggs in your diet so you can start living a cruelty-free life!
- Egg-Free Baking
- Seeds
Mix 1 tbsp of ground flax or ground/whole chia seeds with 3 tbsp of water. It will thicken naturally in 5-10 minutes and you can use this to replace the eggs in almost all baking recipes for muffins, cakes, cookies, and breads. - Egg Replacers
You can easily purchase vegan egg replacers at the grocery store and they are shelf stable and easy to use! - Fruit Puree
Use ΒΌ cup of mashed banana, pumpkin, apple sauce or other fruit purees to replace 1 egg.
- Seeds
- Omelettes
- Chickpea Flour
Chickpea flour is extremely versatile and it can be used to make vegan omelettes! Check out this easy recipe. - Tofu
Tofu is made from fermented soy beans and is an incredibly nutritious food. It's important to buy organic though as much of the soy today is genetically modified. It makes for an excellent egg substitute given its neutral taste. Here's a great recipe to try!
- Chickpea Flour
- Scrambled Eggs
- Tofu
Tofu is truly the magic ingredient to replace eggs and when seasoned with black salt, it tastes almost indistinguishable from eggs! You can add veggies and different spices to tofu. It's extremely versatile! Here's a Southwest Tofu Scramble, great for breakfast any day.
- Tofu
- Egg Salad
- Tofu
Try this amazingly easy Vegan Egg Salad made with tofu!
- Tofu
- Mayonnaise
- Many leading brands of mayonnaise now make vegan mayo, not only is it healthier but it's easy to make! Here's a recipe using avocado which is a healthy alternative.
- Meringue
- Aquafaba
The chickpea water found after you drain chickpeas can be used to replace egg whites in meringue! Simply add 3 tbsp of aquafaba to replace 1 egg white.
- Aquafaba
- Egg wash
- Plant milk or oil
Egg washes can be easily substituted with a bit of soy milk, almond milk or oat milk To have a darker colour, you can add a little bit of sugar to the milk before brushing. You can also brush with a little bit of melted coconut oil to get that beautiful brown glaze.
- Plant milk or oil
- General protein replacement
- You can easily find protein-rich plant-based foods such as in nuts, beans, legumes. Quinoa and millet are also rich in protein with 8g per cup. 1 cup of cooked beans has 15-20 grams of protein. Just 100g or about half a cup of tofu has 10 grams of protein. These are all healthy options to eggs and can easily be incorporated into the diet.
Why Should We Eliminate Eggs?
- Eggs Are Bad For Your Health
Eggs are a common staple food in many households but it's not healthy as many people believe and there's cruelty in every bite. Regarding the health aspects, one egg yolk has more saturated fat than the recommended daily limit and research shows high saturated fats to be detrimental to our health. Egg consumption is related to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes according to research. Most eggs also come from factory farmed chickens and as The Guardian writes, "If consumers knew how farmed chickens were raised, they might never eat meat again".
- At hatcheries where hens are bred to lay eggs, all male chicks are culled at birth
50 billion chickens are slaughtered worldwide every year. Male chicks are macerated alive shortly after birth because they are considered waste as they cannot produce eggs and their flesh is not considered appropriate to be processed into meat. These poor ground-up chicks are used as fertilizer and chicken meal often found in pet food and animal feed. Some countries are recognizing the animal cruelty with chick culling and are trying to make changes. In 2020, France announced they will be moving forward with a ban to live shredding of chicks as they adopt new technology that would make it possible to identify the gender of embryos inside the egg. Even though new technologies may spare male chicks from the horrors of being brutally killed shortly after birth, their mothers will continue to suffer immensely if we do not stop consuming eggs.
- Factory-farmed chickens which supply 99% of the world's chicken and egg products are some of the most abused animals in the world
Wild hens naturally lay 10-15 eggs a year. Meanwhile factory farmed hens are forced to lay 300 eggs a year. Hens are kept in extremely filthy, and cramped conditions where they are forced to lay in their waste with the stench of ammonia heavy in the air. Dead and sick birds are often found laying in cages.At birth, all hens are debeaked with a burning hot blade with no anesthetic and have to deal with two years of continuous torture. Before their misery can be put to an end, they have to endure a grueling trip to slaughter in non-temperature controlled transport trucks even on heat and cold alert days. This is often the only time these chickens have even been outside to see the sun and have fresh air that's not filled with ammonia. Chickens are often handled very roughly during this process with many sustaining injuries from being slammed and kicked around. An estimate of 30% of hens suffer broken legs and wings by the time they reach the slaughterhouse. Many utility chickens sold are actually injured chickens with missing limbs. Their torture does not end quickly once they arrive and their despair and suffering can be seen in their eyes and battered bodies. Instead of having beautiful feathery plumes covering their bodies, most factory farmed hens are bare with few broken feathers from years of torture. Many die before they reach their final destination.
At the slaughterhouse, their death does not often come quick. It is believed many chickens fail to be stunned properly and many millions of chickens are being slaughtered live. Many have been reported to still be alive when they are submerged into boiling water baths which is part of the defeathering process. From birth to death, chickens suffer unspeakable pains and terror which are so wrong on so many levels.
- Eggs are a Source of Diseases That Can Make Humans Very Ill
In factory farms, chickens are not given the opportunity for any natural behaviours and the stresses are apparent in their broken bodies. Many have never even opened up their wings fully given the horrible ways they are kept. Given these conditions, many chickens are also sick and diseased which poses a human health concern as well. Many zoonotic diseases have risen from birds including the Avian Flu, Salmonella, Campylobacter, E.coli and others. The only way to stop chickens from posing a risk to human health is for us to stop farming them and eating their flesh and eggs.
- Make the switch to an egg free diet today! There is nothing humane or healthy about eggs. Thankfully, with so many vegan food options, they can be easily replaced. By making the switch, you are also sparing chickens from a lifetime of agony, and it's all within the choices we make with our diet. Not only will you be moving towards compassionate living, you will be helping your health by eliminating a major source of saturated fat. Plant-based proteins are also superior in terms of nutrition, often containing lots of fiber, minerals and vitamins without the saturated fats, antibiotics, hormones and other toxic chemicals.
Make the change today and start feeling the difference in yourself!
Author: Animal Save Movement