Sunday, March 13, 2011

Secret 10: Have a Good Egg

The egg is an excellent example of "garbage in, garbage out" or "you are what you eat".

According to Beare, the egg is a great addition to a healthy diet - as long as it's a good-quality egg.

Sally recommends eating eggs because:

  • the egg is a complete protein i.e. it contains all eight essential amino acids
  • an egg provides 6 g. of protein, or around 15% of the daily protein requirement
  • eggs do not increase bad or LDL cholesterol levels
  • egg yolks contain antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.  These are thought to reduce the risk of eye cataracts
  • eggs contain minerals such as iron and zinc
  • eggs have 13 vitamins including the fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E
However, you have to be careful that you are eating a nutritious egg, preferably from a hen that is fed an organic, all-vegetarian diet free of steroids, antibiotics or hormones.  The least nutritious egg is also the most common and cheapest one available at your local supermarket:

Only $1.89 per dozen battery-laid eggs

If you look at the egg carton more closely, chances are that you will find more information about the origin of the egg on the inside of the cover.  The cheapest eggs available are factory-farmed eggs.  These eggs are laid by hens that live and die in a crowded cage and are reared on 'food' that contains animal waste (cheap), steroids and hormones (to increase the egg-producing capability), and antibiotics (to keep infectious diseases at bay in overcrowded, unhygienic cages).  If the egg carton makes no mention of the hen's diet or the hen's ability to move around freely outdoors, you may assume that the feed is cheap and the mobility is non-existent. Hens raised on such feed lay eggs with an unhealthy omega 3: omega 6 ratio of 1:20, and the human who consumes such eggs in turn will have a similar, unhealthy omega 3: omega 6 ratio.

For up to nearly twice the price of battery-laid eggs, the consumer is offered a healthier choice: 

Your choice of cage-free, omega-3, and organic eggs at $3.50 or higher per dz.
So how do you choose a good egg when all you want is to get in and out of that supermarket as fast as possible?  Here's Sally's 'quick guide to a good egg':

Avoid:
  • farm-fresh: this is a marketing gimmick that means nothing
  • free range: just 2 to 5 sq.ft per chicken can already be called 'free range'
  • hens raised on feed that contains animal products, steroids, hormones, antibiotics and pesticides
  • being mislead by pictures of happy hens feeding on pasture unless this is supported by text on/in the egg carton
Choose:
  • cage-free: this will be stated on the cover as well as inside the cover, check for the 'cage-free' certification
  • organic: to avoid pesticides; check for USDA certified organic
  • hens fed an all-vegetarian diet free of hormones, steroids, chemicals and antibiotics
  • diets that include flax seed may have a healthier ratio of omega 3: omega 6 such as 1: 2
  • egg cartons that are made of recyclable materials
I decided to do a blind taste-test on two kinds of eggs:
  1. cage-free, non-organic
  2. organic, not clearly stated whether this was a cage-free egg
I could not get myself to try out, let alone purchase, the factory eggs.

Cage-free egg, NOT organic

The cage-free egg was flavorful, but had a bit of a strange aftertaste.

Organic egg from Chino Valley Ranchers, $2.00 for 6 eggs

The organic egg was neutral and the egg yolk barely had any taste.  

I would suggest trying out eggs that are both organic and cage-free until you find the one you consider to be the most flavorful.

And finally, once you have your quality eggs, what is the healthiest way of preparing them? Sally recommends boiling or poaching eggs over frying or scrambling as the former is least damaging on the egg's essential fats.  And how many eggs does she recommend per week?  Four or five.

Take-home:  if you are fortunate enough not to have an egg allergy, by all means add this invaluable protein to your diet, however, eat only the best quality you can obtain and afford.






Some brands you might like to try (organic AND cage-free) if you live in Colorado:
  • Organic Valley
  • Nestfresh
  • Farmer's Hen House




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