The Scoop on Eggs

Going to the grocery store and trying to find healthy options can be a bit overwhelming and confusing with all the misleading labels and false advertising. For example, “heart healthy cereal” full of sugar, preservatives, and chemicals is not really heart healthy. Trying to navigate the egg section can be a bit stressful! Cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised, organic to name a few.  What do these terms mean?

Local pasture-raised eggs from a trusted farmer are always the best choice as hens get plenty of sunlight, room to roam, and a varied diet.  Buying eggs locally allows for the opportunity to talk to your farmer and learn about how the hens are cared for. Are they pasture-raised?  Do they feed their hens organic or non-GMO feed? Do the hens have opportunity to roam in the field and feed off of nature?

If you don’t have the opportunity to buy local or it doesn’t fit into your budget, or you need to supplement on occasion, understanding these few terms can be helpful.

Caged: Hens are caged in a small space. They never see light and consume corn or a soy GMO diet. 

Cage-Free: Hens have more space to move around but they are still confined to barns, don’t see natural light, and are fed a corn or soy GMO diet.

Free-Range: Hens have more space to roam than the cage-free hens. They have access to outside but may seldom get to see the light. Their diet consists of corn and soy GMO diet.

Pasture-Raised: Hens have much more space to roam and consume a varied diet of feed, grass, bugs, worms and anything else they can find in the dirt. They are also exposed to natural light on a daily basis. 

Below are a few different certifications to look for.  These certifications are regulated, as opposed to the above terms, which are not regulated. 

Certified Humane:  Hens are allowed to roam freely in the pasture during the daylight. They eat a varied diet of grass, bugs, and worms. Every farm with this certification is audited. This seal is important in the absence of federally-defined standards for pasture-raised hens.

Certified Organic: Hens do not receive antibiotics and are given organic feed. They do not necessarily have access to the outdoors, have space to roam, or a varied diet.

Non-GMO Project Verified: Hens are given Non-GMO feed. This feed is not organic. They do not necessarily have access to the outdoors, space to roam, or a varied diet.

Why is all this important? Hens that are given lots of sunlight, opportunity to roam, and eat a varied diet, lay eggs that are more nutrient dense. Hens raised in a pasture lay eggs containing 1/3 less cholesterol than commercially farmed hens. They also contain, ¼ less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids (key to help fighting inflammation), 3 times more vitamin E, and 7 times more beta carotene. 

Personally, I buy my eggs locally whenever I can and supplement with Born Free, Certified Organic, Pasture-Raised, Certified Humane eggs from Market Basket.  

Hope this helps the next time you go egg shopping!