Home on the Range

Home on the Range

Anyone who tells you eggs are bad for you is still under the loony influence of the cholesterol scare that swept across our nation at the end of the 20th century. Seven years into the 21st, those cholesterol crazies are still out there, even though by now just about everyone knows that the cholesterol content of eggs will, at most, have only the mildest effect on cholesterol levels in most people.

In previous e-Alerts I’ve told you about the excellent nutrition contained in eggs. But I recently came across an article about eggs that makes a strong case that all eggs are not created equal. Choosing the right kind makes a big difference in nutrition.

Four over easy

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Because he was a free-range chicken, of course!

According to the American Egg Board (AEB) web site, a free-range chicken is either raised outdoors or has daily access to the outdoors. The AEB goes on: “Some egg farms are indoor floor operations and these are sometimes erroneously referred to as free-range operations. The nutrient content of eggs is not affected by whether hens are raised free-range or in floor or cage operations.”

It’s true that a good many chicken farmers bend the rules by giving hundreds or even thousands of chickens access to a small patch of lawn and then calling the chickens “organically raised” or “free-range.” In those cases, the egg nutrition will be no better than the nutrition in eggs from chickens raised on a factory farm. No surprise there. But contrary to the AEB comment above, evidence shows that a true free-range egg is a better egg. (Keep in mind that the AEB represents factory-farm egg producers.)

In an article that appeared in Mother Earth News, authors Umut Newbury and editor-in-chief Cheryl Long (who keeps a small flock of chickens herself) note four revealing studies:

• A 1988 study found free-range eggs from Greece contained 13 times more omega-3 fatty acids compared to U.S. factory-farmed eggs
• A 1974 study found free-range eggs contained 50 percent more folic acid and 70 percent more vitamin B12 compared to factory-farmed eggs
• A 1997 study found free-range eggs contained higher omega-3 and vitamin E levels compared to factory-farmed eggs
• A 2003 study found free-range eggs contained three times more omega-3, twice as much vitamin E, and 40 percent more vitamin A compared to factory-farmed eggs

The telltale yolk

Free-range and organic eggs tend to be more expensive than your standard grocery store egg because of the additional costs involved in pasturing hens. Which is all the more reason to do some research before you buy to make sure your source of free-range eggs is reliable. In fact, your best bet is to find a local chicken farmer (assuming, of course, you don’t live next door to a one of those massive factory farms).

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., considers a farm-fresh egg to be a “perfect food” – loaded with a wide variety of nutrients, such as those mentioned above, as well as essential amino acids, riboflavin, vitamins B and D, and minerals, including calcium, potassium, and iron.

And here’s a tip for judging a good egg from the April 2003 issue of Dr. Douglass’ Real Health Breakthroughs Newsletter: “The ones claiming to be organic are generally the most expensive. They may or may not be of the same quality as the ones you buy directly from the farmer, but there’s an easy way to tell if you’re getting what you paid for. The color of the higher quality yolk will be a bright orange, and the yolk itself will be firm and round. Cheaper, lower-quality eggs will have paler yellow yolks that are flat and easily broken.”

Sources:
“The Good Egg” Cheryl Long and Umut Newbury, Mother Earth News, motherearthnews.com