Is it Possible to Drink Too Much Eggnog?

Kimberly Johnson 

Pumpkin spice lattes, peppermint shakes, hot chocolate; do any of these sound familiar? Well, if so, I think you may be forgetting one in particular. That's right, eggnog! When looking at the wide variety of classic holiday drinks, this one is sure to be on the top of the list, but…is there such a thing as too much of it? 

Eggnog can be a homemade or store-bought beverage that consists of egg yolks, sugar, milk, heavy cream, and vanilla. According to a Consumer Reports article, “Eggnog made with raw, unpasteurized eggs can contain salmonella, a leading cause of food poisoning”. Although it's in the name itself, you may have never realized or even thought about the health risks that eggnog poses to those who drink it frequently during the holidays. 

“That just grosses me out because I don't want to like, get a chunk of egg when I'm trying to take a drink of it”, Bailee Foster said. “You gotta risk it for the chocolate biscuit”, Jazmine Martinez said. 

Though there are chances that eggnog may impact you negatively, there are some benefits to drinking the holiday beverage.  Bustle reports, “A cup of eggnog has over 400mg of the mineral potassium, about a third of your daily needs of calcium, and some vitamin B12, riboflavin/B2, vitamin A, phosphorus, and iron.”

“I think everybody should drink it then,” Joslyn Rivera said. 

“I think that's a good thing, because proteins and vitamins are good for you, but I still think it's scary,” Halie Peterson said. 

Overall, if the eggs in your eggnog are pasteurized, you should be safe from getting any kind of sickness. Whether you prefer a little at a time, or chug a whole glass full, the thick texture and sweet, nutmeg taste of eggnog will always give it a leading number on the Christmas roster.