Dear Egg Police: SETTLE DOWN!

The title of this post should say it all but in case you are having a hard time reading between the lines…I am indeed suggesting that consuming multiple whole eggs (yolks included) per day is perfectly healthy! There is a lot of paranoia out there when it comes to eggs and especially the “ever-dangerous” yolk. I have actually seen someone stagger to their knees after telling them I have been known to eat 4-6 eggs (including yolks) per day. Why is it that eating 4-6 eggs per day makes people think you are lining yourself up for an immediate heart-attack but eating a donut, 3 pieces of pizza, and piece of birthday cake in a day seems to be relatively acceptable????

Can someone please relay the following to the Egg Police: Eggs are packed with healthy nutrients, lean protein, vitamins, minerals, the good fats, and even antioxidants. Oh and I almost forgot…be sure to tell them that the yolk is where most of the benefits are found! There is a catch: not all eggs are created equal…

Your eggs are what your chickens eat! Believe it or not chickens are meant to eat grass, bugs, and critters. Unfortunately most chickens never get that opportunity and are force fed corn/grain! This process severely limits the nutrient profile of the eggs that grain fed chickens produce! You can see it in the color of the yolk…a DARK yellow almost orange yolk is GOOD…a light yellow yolk is BAD. The dark yellow yolk indicates the chicken was allowed to feed on grass, bugs and critters at least some of the time…this process results in the eggs containing much higher levels of omega-3’s along with an overall higher quality nutrient profile!

While in Vermont during the weekend several weeks ago we were able to get our hands on one dozen eggs from farm-raised chickens that were allowed to roam in the fields, eat grass, bugs, and critters. We brought them home cracked them in a bowl and I realized my Mom had a few eggs from the grocery store in her refrigerator. I figured the more the merrier so began to crack them into the same bowl…can you tell which one is from a grocery store/originally from a chicken that was fed grain and never a blade of grass, bug or single critter? 

Not convinced yet…Here is some lovely research to help change your mind.

If you get bored with scrambled & over-easy here are 14 ways to change it up!

How do you shop for eggs & know where your eggs come from/what they are fed? Look for local eggs and look for any mention on the label that they were allowed to eat grass or be in a pasture. Also seek eggs that are from chickens fed with additional omega-3.

Are you wondering if the eggs you normally buy stack up against the rest when it comes to the above criteria? Check the Cornucopia Institute Egg Scorecard. Hopefully after reading the links sprinkled throughout the above text you have made a pact to eat more eggs from chickens that eat grass, bugs, and critters! Here is how the farm-fresh eggs from VT turned out for us:

more eggs please!

References:

Aaron, K. Buy The Healthiest Eggs – http://www.menshealth.com. August 17, 2011.

Are Egg Whites Better than Whole Eggs? – http://blogs.menshealth.com/bellyoff-nutritionist/are-egg-whites-better-than-whole-eggs/2011/08/01/. August 1, 2011.

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/healthy-5-star-egg-recipes-00400000048762/page16.html

http://www.cornucopia.org/organic-egg-scorecard/index.html

Weight Loss & Breakfast: Eggs are Better. – http://www.healthhabits.com. April 20, 2009.