Which Eggs Do I Buy???

Hello beautiful people! I have a question for you guys today.

Raise your hand if you get confused and/or overwhelmed about 𝐞𝐠𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐬 ✋

I know I definitely was before I was trained in Functional Nutrition. The sneaky marketing tactics makes them all sound so good.

But that actually couldn’t be further from the truth! There is a BIG difference.

Below, I outline the FOUR 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗴𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. The list goes from highest to lowest quality eggs (as far as nutrition is concerned AND the actual chickens’ wellbeing is concerned).

So shall we?

1) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐥𝐤: 🟠

The color of the yolk indicates the health of the chicken. Chickens raised in a pasture eating worms, etc. will have a really dark orange yolk. Chickens raised on grains and corn will have a more yellow yolk. The darker the yolk, the better!

2) 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱: 🙌

Whole, organic, pasture raised eggs are incredible nutritious. They have 3x more Vitamin D, 70% more Vitamin B12 (for energy), 50-200 more folate (B9), and 40-60% more Vitamin A. ALSO, 2-7x more omega-3 fatty acids, and 2-3x more Vitamin E (for that healthy hair, skin, and nails). The healthier and happier the hen, the healthier the food and your body will be!

3) 𝗖𝗮𝗴𝗲-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲: 👩‍🌾

This label means most of the egg-laying hens raised in factory farms live in small battery cages that are shared with five to ten other hens, and each is allotted space the size of an iPad. They are living on top of each other in filth. They get sick a lot and are given antibiotics and hormones…which negatively affect OUR hormones!

 4) 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲:

These chickens, by law, have to be allowed access to outdoors. But most of these doors are very small and only a couple hens can get out at a time. Most will not be able to spend time outside, as a typical factory “farmer” has around 20,000 chickens to look after. Farmers do not have to specify how much time the chickens are out or how much space they have for them to live.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗱𝗼?

This post is NOT intended to incite fear - at all. Yes, pasture raised eggs are more expensive in stores than the other labeled eggs. What you can do, if you can, though, is find a local farmer who follows great farming practices, and purchases their eggs weekly! If you have none near you, don’t worry! Just focus on getting pasture-raised majority of the time and don’t beat yourself up when you happen to buy the other labeled eggs. Stress is more toxic than the eggs itself, I promise!

Remember, you’re doing your best and it is good enough! 💯 🫂

P.S. ALWAYS eat the egg yolk! It is more nutritious than the egg white. No, it will not raise your cholesterol, that is a myth. 2-3 eggs a day won't kill you, I promise. In fact, here is a fun fact for all of you: the egg yolk has ALL the vitamins and minerals a person requires except vitamin C.