What Is the Egg Ick and Why Do We Get It?

Ladies, you know the feeling. He’s got a lot going for him. Great body, super reliable, always there for you in the morning. And then one day, out of nowhere, he gives you “the ick.” You can’t look at him without wondering how you ever stomached his presence in the first place. His natural smell makes you sick to your stomach. 

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Only, for once, I’m not talking about a man. I’m talking about an egg. 

What is the egg ick?

It’s not a long-term aversion to eggs, and it’s not a reaction to eating a bad egg. (The opposite, actually.) It’s more like a sudden, dramatic wave of disgust that usually happens after you’ve been eating eggs pretty consistently. One day you’re meal-prepping hard-boiled eggs for the week, the next day the mere smell of sulfur gives you a wave of pregnancy nausea. 

If you’ve been afflicted by the egg ick, know this: You aren’t alone. And if you wanna know why this happens, well, there’s a couple theories floating around. (No, before you ask, these are not peer-reviewed studies with proven data to back it up. The egg ick discourse is a lot of conjecture… but that doesn’t mean it’s not interesting or true!) 

Theory #1: You’re Getting Taste Fatigue

If you’re eating eggs every day, your brain could be getting bored. Psychologists call this “sensory-specific satiety,” where the more you consume a flavor or texture, the less appealing it becomes. And the moment an egg becomes less appealing, you might start to get grossed out by the fact that you’re eating, you know, an unfertilized ovum from a chicken’s cha-cha.  

Theory #2: You Might Have a Food Sensitivity to Eggs

This one is pretty interesting! Some people have or develop an intolerance to eggs without realizing it. You might have bloating, stomach discomfort, or other digestive cues that your body doesn’t love eggs as much as your taste buds do. According to nutritionist Meaghan Greenwood, that’s all it takes to trigger this phenomenon. If your brain picks up on those cues subconsciously—voilà, the egg ick is born. 

Theory #3: Hormones

Y’all, if you feel like you get grossed out by eggs on a cyclical basis, your hormones could be at play here. Hormonal fluctuations can do weird things to taste and smell, triggering a variety of food aversions, eggs included. Pregnancy is famously linked to sudden egg aversions, even for lifelong egg lovers. 

Theory #4: Eggs are just kinda gross, man.

This is my theory. I came up with it. To be clear: I love eggs, and I’m writing this article as someone who has never personally experienced the egg ick—and god, I hope I never do. But that doesn’t mean eggs aren’t some of the weirdest food on planet earth. They’re slimy and milky and sometimes even a little bloody and they smell like sulfur!! Sulfur, people!!! I mean, imagine trying to describe to an alien what it is that you’re eating. I just did that little thought experiment in my head and had an existential crisis. 

Anyways, if you have any wacky egg ick theories no one’s talking about, I’d love to hear ‘em. Sound off in the comments.