There has been a big back and forth over the recent years about eggs being good or bad for your health.

The good news is that current science supports them as being a great food to have in your diet regime.

Eggs are an amazing source of some key vitamins, minerals and essential omega-3 fats that current science says go ahead and eat them up.

For men, eggs offer great support for hormone health, healthy skin, building muscle and supporting cognitive health, all at an affordable price and really easy to prepare.

Check out THIS article that explains the top 10 health benefits of eggs.

Like anything, be sure to eat in moderation as too much of a good thing can actually be bad for you.

I bet your challenge is how do you know which eggs at the supermarket or farmers market are the right ones for me to buy…right?

Well I’m here today to help decode the mystery for you.

1). Learn the marketing terms:

Don’t believe everything you see on the cartons.

Marketers are trying to promote a product to sell it to you based upon fancy graphics and text vs simply stating the facts.

Here’s a summary of the most popular terms:

  • “Conventionally Raised” – Birds raised following traditional methods & fed non organic feed.
  • “Grades AA, A, and B” – reflect the eggs’ appearance and quality. Grade AA is best, with thick, firm whites, high, round yolks and clean, unbroken shells. Grade A eggs, most commonly found in stores, have the same qualities as AA, but with slightly less firm whites. Grade B, rarely sold retail, are primarily used in prepared egg products.
  • “High In Omega-3 fatty acids” – This sounds good, but as eggs naturally contain omega 3 fatty acids, all it’s doing is promoting something that is already there.  However, some birds are fed additional omega 3’s in their diet with flaxseeds, which can raise their levels to be more beneficial for you.  You can check out the nutritional facts panel to see which ones have higher values.
  • “Farm fresh” – Another meaningless term, as freshness is determined by how old the eggs are when you buy them, not when the hen laid them.
  • “Natural” or “all natural”– All this means is that the food has no additives and was minimally processed.  As eggs are a natural product by design, this does not mean anything beneficial and there are no added benefits here.
  • “Vegetarian feed” – This may sound good, but conventional raised chickens are fed GMO corn, soy or wheat which is not good for them and it’s certainly not good for you.  As chickens are omnivores, they like to eat insects, bugs, grubs, seeds and plants they need a diverse diet as do you.
  • “No added hormones” – Based upon FDA guidance, it’s illegal to add hormones to eggs at any time, so its a phase with no added benefit.
  • “United Egg Producers Certified.” – This may sound good, but it’s a voluntary program that has pretty simple requirements to qualify and offers no added benefits.
  • “Cage free” – Means that the birds are allowed to move about within the hen house and not stuck inside of a cage.
  • “Free-range” – Similar to cage free, this is much better, as the birds are allowed to get some “outdoor” exposure.  As this is not regulated, it can mean they only have a peep hole to stick their necks through to get some sun or are actually roaming about the fields eating insects and healthy plants.
  • “Organic” – Best option to go for.  Eggs must come from chickens that are fed only organic feed (i.e., feed that is free of animal by-products, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or other chemical additives). No genetically modified foods can be used. No hormones or other drugs can be used in organic egg production. Organic eggs must come from chickens that live in cage-free environments and have access to the outdoors, even if their outdoor area is just a small pen or enclosed yard area.

2). Find out where your eggs are coming from

  • Support small family run farmers who typically follow the organic standards
  • Buy local and support your local CSA, farmer’s market or co-op
  • Find ones that follow Regenerative agriculture principals that focus on long term agriculture

3). So what should you be looking for:

Ideally look for these three classifications on the carton and you’ll be picking an awesome egg:

  • USDA Certified Organic – Meeting these standards shows that the feed was organic and that the birds were raised with higher standards than conventionally raised one
  • Certified Humane – Meeting these standards shows that the birds were raised following strict standards to assure that they lived a good life.
  • Animal Welfare Approved – Guarantees animals are raised outdoors on pasture or range for their entire lives on an independent farm using truly sustainable, high-welfare farming practices.

4). What brands meet these standards:

  • It’s always best to buy from your local farmer via a farmers market or CSA and ask them if they meet these standards
  • If not, here’s some well regarded brands that you can find at your local supermarket or natural market

5). Learn so much more about eggs:

If you want to learn more, please check out this Weblink to Cornucopia.com which has an amazing report and scorecard that dives into the topic way deeper than I am here.

Also check out THIS video link that they put out too which provides some great visuals explaining traditional vs organic eggs.

6). How to cook with them:

Check out these great anti inflammatory focused recipes to help spark your creativity:

Turmeric Oven Scrambled Eggs

Turkey & Goat Cheese Egg Muffins

Shakshuka (One of my all time favorites)

Next Steps:

Hopefully this information is going to make your shopping experience for eggs so much easier and with that you’ll be buying what’s best for you and your budget.

Let’s do this together:

Let me be your guide and mentor on your health journey by teaching you what are the right foods to eat and what lifestyle practices you should be incorporating into your life to get you feeling so much better and have you enjoying life to its fullest again.

So if you are ready to kickstart your health, please book your free 30-minute discovery call with me HERE.

To learn more about my practice, please check out my website HERE.

Please also check out my other blog posts HERE.

Also please be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram too.

To your improved health!

Joseph

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