Re: Egg Whites/Biotin (was: Protein packed breakfast smoothie?)

[Guest guest]

At 10:56 AM 9/17/2009, you wrote:

On the subject of raw eggs, or

rather egg whites, you should be aware that egg whites contain a

substance (avidin) which is known to bind biotin (a B-vitamin) in the

body, and can cause a biotin deficiency in susceptible individuals.

Although plentiful in many foods, biotin deficiency can occur where

digestion is compromised (biotin is synthesized from healthy gut flora)

and where egg white consumption occurs. If you are consuming egg whites,

keep your eyes open for symptoms of Biotin deficiency: hair loss,

weakness, lack of muscle coordination, etc.

The interesting thing is that the yolk of the egg contains more than

enough biotin to compensate for that which is bound by the avidin. The

key, I think, is that you say, " I only had egg white smoothies 2-3

times a week. " This is another reason for eating the whole food.

And, of course, cooking the egg white eliminates the avidin.

For someone who's concerned about the avidin -- well, savory smoothies

would be the perfect place to put all the egg yolks from the egg whites

being used to make souffle bread.

BTW, good to see you posting again, Nina.

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

Marilyn,

What about using all yolks and not all of the whites. Like 3 yolks 2 whites do

you think this still disturbs the ratio to such an extent?

Also, between raw eggs and cooked eggs.. How many eggs in total do you think one

should consume a day? I do 3-5 a day. Is that insane?

Jodi

[Guest guest]

Nina,

How does one check a biotin deficiency?

Thanks,

Jodi

[Guest guest]

Nina,

How does one check a biotin deficiency?

Thanks,

Jodi

[Guest guest]

Nina,

How does one check a biotin deficiency?

Thanks,

Jodi

[Guest guest]

Dinah wrote:"Please tell me what you took to remedy your deficiency, and how much"Jodi wrote:"How does one check a Biotin deficiency?"--------Hi Dinah,I took 10,000mg legal Biotin daily, in addition to legal multivites and probiotics (which I tolerated AFTER I was past the intro phase of the diet and had made some progress addressing my bacterial overgrowth and yeast overgrowth.) I also stopped the egg white smoothies as an experiment and amazingly the hair loss corrected itself within a couple weeks after doing so.I did a fair amount of reading at that time about B-vitamins and learned that some of them are actually synthesized from healthy gut flora, meaning that if your flora are a mess then you *may* run into deficiency. As most articles say, biotin deficiency is

pretty rare, since it's so readily available in so many foods. But when one has a digestive disorder and can't absorb or synthesize nutrients fully or properly, the risk for deficiency is higher.Hi Jodi,Honestly, I do not know how one tests for a biotin deficiency. I know that some macro-nutrients and minerals are tested via the blood, and I had some of those tests (B12, magnesium, calcium, etc.) but it was only through symptoms AND THEN relief of symptoms following supplementation that I confirmed my biotin deficiency. The massive hair loss and repeat fungal infections clued my doctors in. And I was highly motivated to figure out why I was losing my hair. You know, looking back, I probably had symptoms of deficiency before the hair loss started, but it was really the hair that got my attention. FWIW, the B-vitamins are pretty safe to supplement, since they're supposedly water-soluable (and flush out if you get too

much.)There's more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BiotinHealth to all!-Nina in MA

[Guest guest]

Dinah wrote:"Please tell me what you took to remedy your deficiency, and how much"Jodi wrote:"How does one check a Biotin deficiency?"--------Hi Dinah,I took 10,000mg legal Biotin daily, in addition to legal multivites and probiotics (which I tolerated AFTER I was past the intro phase of the diet and had made some progress addressing my bacterial overgrowth and yeast overgrowth.) I also stopped the egg white smoothies as an experiment and amazingly the hair loss corrected itself within a couple weeks after doing so.I did a fair amount of reading at that time about B-vitamins and learned that some of them are actually synthesized from healthy gut flora, meaning that if your flora are a mess then you *may* run into deficiency. As most articles say, biotin deficiency is

pretty rare, since it's so readily available in so many foods. But when one has a digestive disorder and can't absorb or synthesize nutrients fully or properly, the risk for deficiency is higher.Hi Jodi,Honestly, I do not know how one tests for a biotin deficiency. I know that some macro-nutrients and minerals are tested via the blood, and I had some of those tests (B12, magnesium, calcium, etc.) but it was only through symptoms AND THEN relief of symptoms following supplementation that I confirmed my biotin deficiency. The massive hair loss and repeat fungal infections clued my doctors in. And I was highly motivated to figure out why I was losing my hair. You know, looking back, I probably had symptoms of deficiency before the hair loss started, but it was really the hair that got my attention. FWIW, the B-vitamins are pretty safe to supplement, since they're supposedly water-soluable (and flush out if you get too

much.)There's more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BiotinHealth to all!-Nina in MA

[Guest guest]

Marilyn wrote:"The interesting thing is that the yolk of the egg contains more than

enough biotin to compensate for that which is bound by the avidin. The

key, I think, is that you say, "I only had egg white smoothies 2-3

times a week." This is another reason for eating the whole food.

And, of course, cooking the egg white eliminates the avidin."----Hi Marilyn,I completely agree with you about whole foods. SCD has opened my eyes to the beauty and necessity of whole foods, and how we can get into trouble with partial and synthetic foodstuffs. Nowadays, I laugh in amazement that my teenage body let me get away with feeding it diet soda, Cheetos, and gumdrops. Oy.I'm not quite sure what I'd call those items now, but probably not "Food". :-)Best, Nina

[Guest guest]

Marilyn wrote:"The interesting thing is that the yolk of the egg contains more than

enough biotin to compensate for that which is bound by the avidin. The

key, I think, is that you say, "I only had egg white smoothies 2-3

times a week." This is another reason for eating the whole food.

And, of course, cooking the egg white eliminates the avidin."----Hi Marilyn,I completely agree with you about whole foods. SCD has opened my eyes to the beauty and necessity of whole foods, and how we can get into trouble with partial and synthetic foodstuffs. Nowadays, I laugh in amazement that my teenage body let me get away with feeding it diet soda, Cheetos, and gumdrops. Oy.I'm not quite sure what I'd call those items now, but probably not "Food". :-)Best, Nina

[Guest guest]

At 08:29 AM 9/18/2009, you wrote:

I'm not quite sure what I'd call

those items now, but probably not " Food " .

Nina,

I knew how far I had come in my view of foods when, a couple years ago,

they put in a new snack machine and a new drink machine at -- you guessed

it -- my fitness center.

I wandered over to look at it. Brightly colored, prettily packaged

whatevers. I looked at it. Admired the attractive display -- and had no

desire to purchase any of it because it was not food and drink as I have

come to think of it.

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

At 08:29 AM 9/18/2009, you wrote:

I'm not quite sure what I'd call

those items now, but probably not " Food " .

Nina,

I knew how far I had come in my view of foods when, a couple years ago,

they put in a new snack machine and a new drink machine at -- you guessed

it -- my fitness center.

I wandered over to look at it. Brightly colored, prettily packaged

whatevers. I looked at it. Admired the attractive display -- and had no

desire to purchase any of it because it was not food and drink as I have

come to think of it.

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund