This year Easter falls on Sunday, April 15^th.  Children have enjoyed many different traditions with Easter such as Easter egg hunts, coloring Easter eggs, devouring chocolate Easter bunnies (usually starting with the ears first), and many other holiday traditions.

Just how did the Easter rabbit and Easter egg come about?  In ancient times, the symbols of the Norse Goddess Ostara, were the hare and the egg.  Both represented fertility.  From these, we inherited the customs and symbols of the Easter rabbit and the Easter egg.  Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples symbolizing regenerative life.

Today, Easter eggs are decorated a variety of ways.  Most commonly, hard cooked eggs are colored with food coloring, water and vinegar.  Food coloring tablets are fairly harmless and made up of mainly sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate.  According to the Regional Poison Control Center, these tablets are not considered toxic or dangerous, unless a child swallows 20 or more tablets.  Therefore when decorating eggs, children should always be supervised by an adult.

In order for children and adults to remain healthy in dealing with Easter eggs, here are a few guidelines one should remember.  (1) At the store, choose Grade A or AA eggs with clean uncracked shells.  Make sure they've been refrigerated in the store.  (2) Take eggs straight home and store them immediately in the refrigerator set at 40 F or slightly below. (3) Do not wash eggs.  This could increase the potential for bacteria on the shell to enter the egg.  (4) Once hard cooked, these eggs will keep refrigerated for one week.  (5) It is recommended to not keep Easter eggs (which have the possibility of consumption) out of the refrigerator more than two hours.

To avoid acquiring bacterial illness, do not eat eggs that have been "hidden" or played with, especially any in contact with dirt or the outside elements.  Dirt or soil on shells is probably the most common cause of the bacterial invasion of eggs.  The most common bacterial contamination is usually Salmonella or Staphylococcus, causing nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever.  If your child becomes ill with any of the above signs or symptoms, call your pediatrician for further advice.

Finally, regarding the nutrition of eggs, here is a breakdown.  A whole egg contains 75% water, 12% protein, 11% fat, 1% carbohydrate, and 1% minerals.

I hope you have found this segment helpful and informative.  I wish you a happy and healthy holiday this spring!

Raymond Deeb, M.D.
Board Certified Pediatrician 

Published April 2001 in:  Tucker Times, Decatur Dispatch, Brookhaven Buzz, Norcross News

For more information on food safety, please visit
Food Safety and Inspection Service at:  www.fsis.usda.gov