Are Eggs Dairy?
No, eggs are not dairy. Dairy refers specifically to products made from mammal milk (cows, goats, sheep). Eggs come from birds (chickens, ducks, etc.) and are in a completely different food category. They are often grouped with dairy in grocery stores and dietary discussions because both come from animals and require refrigeration, but biologically and nutritionally they are unrelated.
Key Takeaways
- Dairy products are defined as milk and foods made from milk: cheese, butter, yogurt, cream, and ice cream.
- Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but not dairy; lacto-vegetarians eat dairy but not eggs.
- People with egg allergies react to proteins like ovalbumin, completely different from dairy allergens.
Explanation
Dairy products are defined as milk and foods made from milk: cheese, butter, yogurt, cream, and ice cream. The defining characteristic is origin from the mammary glands of mammals. Eggs are the reproductive cells of birds, containing everything needed to develop a chick. They have completely different nutritional profiles and biological origins.
People with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies can safely eat eggs (unless they also have a separate egg allergy). Lactose intolerance involves inability to digest milk sugar; eggs contain no lactose. Dairy allergies involve reaction to milk proteins like casein and whey; eggs have different proteins entirely.
The confusion arises from several factors: eggs and dairy are often sold in the same grocery section, both are animal products, both are used in baking, and some dietary frameworks group them together. Vegans avoid both, and some vegetarians avoid both, reinforcing the mental association. But scientifically, they are distinct food categories.
Things to Know
- Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but not dairy; lacto-vegetarians eat dairy but not eggs.
- People with egg allergies react to proteins like ovalbumin, completely different from dairy allergens.
- Some religious dietary laws treat eggs and dairy differently.