The Nutritional Advantage of Free Range Eggs
Aug 22, 2011 by Bill Rawls, M.D.
Like seeds, eggs have everything necessary to nurture new life, and therefore are packed with nutrition. Eggs are important sources of certain vitamins and minerals and are an excellent source of quality protein. Eggs have high levels of lecithin, a very important ingredient for healthy cell membranes. Although they have been maligned in recent years because they are high in cholesterol, eggs also tend to be high in favorable essential fatty acids.
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke need not be of concern unless you have inherited a cholesterol metabolism problem or you tend to gorge on eggs. Never forget the story of the man who won an egg-eating contest by a wide margin on one day and promptly had a stroke on the next.
The best bet for finding healthy eggs is buying from local farmers, preferably those who have a reputation of allowing their hens to forage for food naturally and supplement with processed food only minimally. I was somewhat taken aback the first time I opened a box of true “free-range” eggs. Having been accustomed to the commercial variety— uniformly bright white, evenly sized and shaped eggs—anything else seemed a little odd. Inside a box of free-range eggs will be found a wonderful assortment of sizes, ranging from seemingly very small to large enough to have wonders about the capabilities of the hen to have produced it. Shell pigmentation varies from light gray to mottled brown. Egg differences do not stop at the shell. When cracked into a frying pan, the yolks are of varying colors, all much more intensely orange than the commercially-produced equivalent.
Although the taste may not be significantly different, the nutritional value very much is. Hens that are allowed to forage for natural foods produce eggs that are generally about one-third lower in cholesterol and have a much more favorable complement of essential fatty acids. The mineral content is higher and the probability of the egg harboring unwanted toxins is much lower. All in all, they are better for us and better for the chickens that produced them. A “second best” option is buying commercial eggs that are from chickens fed with organic feed that is high in omega-3 fatty acids. These eggs can be found in almost all grocery stores. Do not make the mistake of buying eggs that are simply labeled “cage free.” The “cage free” label only implies that the chickens are allowed to stay outside of cages. Generally it means that they live on a concrete floor and eat the same foods fed to other commercially-raised poultry. Eggs from chickens raised on organic feed are a step better, but they may not be true free-range eggs. If it’s not scratching in the yard for worms, it’s not a true free-range chicken!
Categories: Recipe Ideas,
Tags(s): Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Essential Fatty Acids,
