A viral social media trend encouraging people to add raw eggs to their morning smoothies for a protein boost has drawn sharp criticism from nutritionists and food safety experts. The trend, which has accumulated over 80 million views on TikTok, shows influencers cracking raw eggs directly into blenders alongside fruit and protein powder.
While raw eggs do contain approximately six grams of protein each, the risk of salmonella contamination makes the practice potentially dangerous, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates that one in every 20,000 eggs is contaminated with salmonella bacteria, which can cause severe gastrointestinal illness.
Registered dietitian Dr. Laura Chen recommends pasteurized liquid egg whites as a safe alternative for those seeking to add egg protein to smoothies. She also notes that simply cooking eggs before adding them to a smoothie base preserves all the nutritional benefits while eliminating the food safety risk entirely.
