It is so important to your health in general that you select eggs sourced from naturally raised chickens. That means happy and free, pasture-raised hens who live on a diet of bugs, worms, seeds and grasses, outside where they can get some sun on their cheeks.
The image below shows how you can tell what that hen’s life has been. The orange yolk on the left is what you will see in healthy chickens that live on a natural diet, outside where they receive health benefits from the sun. The shells are thicker and harder because the chicken has not been forced to lay an unnatural number of eggs in its productive lifetime. Thin brittle shells are a sure sign of factory farmed, nutrient starved hens.
The color of the yolk of mass-produced eggs is pale yellow. When boiled, it will form a dark greenish-grey outer layer on the yolk. These chickens have been fed grains and low-quality chicken feed, raised indoors, usually in cages, with no access to sunshine. They not only lack nutrients, but these eggs are actually harmful to your health.
The egg yolk on the right is a hybrid situation chicken that is fed a combination of bugs and scratch. They may sometimes get access to outdoors and the life-giving sun, but don’t be fooled by the terms “cage-free” or “free-range”. Those are just marketing tactics to get consumers to believe they are making a healthy choice.
Mind your food’s food.
Chickens that are victims of mass egg production are fed a diet that is anything but natural to them. What is scratch, anyway? In a word, it’s junk food for chickens, and it serves to create low quality eggs and poultry meat. If you eat this quality food, you are very likely contributing to future illness in your body.
Omega-3 fatty acids are heart and brain healthy. Omega-6, when out of balance, creates inflammation in the body. This ratio is important when considering your food choices – eggs, especially. Pasture raised eggs are higher in Omega-3, as well as vitamin A and E.
There is only one brand that I have found that meets or exceeds my requirements (this is NOT sponsored post). VITAL FARMS eggs and butter are available in major grocery chains as well as some local stores. VF is a cooperative of many egg farmers who have agreed to stringent egg production practices. Aside from your local organic farmer’s market, these are the best eggs available, as far as I can tell.
Even at $6 per dozen, breakfast is only a buck. Support your local farmer now, or support the medical industrial complex later.
Be well.
For more info on healthy food choices, read this post.