mayo and little kids

[Charlotte Sometimes]

I make my own mayo now but I'm always nervous giving it to the kids (aged 3 and 4) cos of the raw egg in it.  Am I being silly?  I get my eggs from a local guy and the hens are free range and very healthy.

What is the salmonella risk anyway?

[Renee Lee]

Very very very very low, especially if you're getting them from local, free range hens.  

 

Because the salmonella hangs out on the outside of the shells, I would rinse/wash the outside of the eggs before cracking to be extra sure.

 

Here's some talk from Chris Kresser about raw milk and pasteurization. it's not eggs, but some of the data applies: http://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-is-raw-milk-dangerous

 

Do some digging past that and then make the call for you and your family.

 

EDIT:

 

Actually, I'll do some of the work for ya. In Chris' article, he links to this review of food outbreaks and illnesses. http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/outbreak_alert_2008_report_final.pdf

 

In the 16 year period, there were 72 egg related (purely eggs, not egg dishes like egg salad or french toast) outbreaks and 1,747 illnesses. There were a total of 168,898 reported food-related illnesses during that period, so eggs make up 1.03% of that.  It's pretty insignificant.

 

Coupled with the fact that salmonella contamination almost always happens because of unclean/neglectful conditions for the birds (read: poop filled nesting boxes, etc), the reasons/causes for contamination are so low for free-range, happy, well cared for chickens, that personally...i think the risk is acceptable.

 

That's me though. If you're more risk averse than I am, you may opt for the "better safe than sorry" way of thinking, which is totally legit.

[Boykinbaby]

let's put it this way, if you weren't paleo/W30 would you let them lick cookie/brownie/cake batter while baking without thinking?  same thing lol, most people just don't think of the raw egg in those things.  I've given my 9 month old a taste of homemade mayo to her pleasure and no harm if that says anything

[jmh]

Let me start this by saying I am not a doctor or anyone with knowledge on the subject and am just offering my opinion. My youngest is 17 months and loves to dip things. I wanted to make ranch for my little guy with homemade mayo so I called my pediatrician to ask the same question. He has been around for a long time and is one of those rare doctors that is really devoted to kids and is very pro-eating healthy. He said he strongly advises not to give raw eggs to young kids and the elderly because their bodies are not strong enough to fight off some of the things adults do. He has had first hand experience with salmonella and said it is not pretty. To me it is not worth the risk and I will wait until they are older but every parent is different and should make their own choice:)

[KnottyMama]

I agree with everyone about the safety of making your own mayo, but here is a great cashew mayo that I use for my egg sensitive dh.  I love it!

 

http://www.addictedtoveggies.com/2012/01/raw-vegan-mayo.html

[SpinSpin]

My 2 year old loves my homemade mayo--and he eats it right off a spoon! He has to come 'help' when I make it, it imitates the sound of the blender revving up and as soon as it is done it is 'Taste! Taste!'. He has been eating it for over a year now, with no issues and I practice safe food handling at home and I am fine with him having it. Plus, it doesn't hang around for long here--I make a single batch at a time and it is usually gone in a few days--we eat a lot of salads and I use it in dressings and as dips too.