Everything you need to know in order to make an educated egg purchase can be found in the flurry of information—and misinformation—on the front of egg cartons themselves. Why does one egg say natural, while another claims organic? What is the difference between cage-free, pastured, and free-range chickens? The manufacturers have created so many terms, but what do they actually mean, and which eggs should you choose?
Remember, “healthy eggs” refers to eggs that are not only bursting with as many of the naturally occurring essential vitamins, minerals and essential fats as possible, but also free of potentially harmful elements. In general we want to avoid foods that have been raised with unnatural feed (GMOs) and in unnatural environments as this depletes the essential micronutrients. So, in order to figure out what we should be looking for in the healthiest eggs, we need to understand what our feathered friends prefer and what is natural for chickens. First, chickens like to roam and spread their wings, not live in cages with prohibitive space to move. Additionally, it is important to recognize that chickens are omnivores. They just love greens and bugs and enjoy a good day of hunting and pecking in the dirt to forage for their food.
So where do you find chickens that lay the golden eggs?
Here we steer you out of the supermarket and to your local farm or farmers market. The gold standard for eggs is to have been raised on fresh pastures and allowed both their natural feed and environment. According to Mother Earth News magazine, eggs from pastured flocks contain two times more omega-3 fatty acids, four to six times more vitamin D, two-thirds more vitamin A, three times more vitamin E, and seven times more beta-carotene than conventional factory farmed eggs. Another study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that pastured hen eggs had 170 percent more energy-boosting B12 and 150 percent more folate than their confined commercial counterparts.
If you are sticking to supermarket shopping, in the download below we explain some common egg carton callouts that can help to determine egg-xactly which eggs to buy! Here is a list of the terms reviewed in the download.
- USDA Certified Organic
- Pasture-raised
- Cage-free
- Free-range
- 100 Percent Vegetarian-fed
- United Egg Producers Certified
- No Hormones
- Natural or Naturally Raised
DO YOU KNOW WHICH TERMS TO LOOK FOR? WHICH ARE MISLEADING YOU? MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE TO PURCHASING EGGS HERE!
Eggs and Your Micronutrient Levels
The incredible, edible egg may just be the most perfect diet food available. Two St. Louis University studies determined that eating an egg in the morning while dieting improved weight loss by 65 percent, while reducing appetite throughout the day. This may be due to all the fantastic essential micronutrients hidden just beneath the egg’s fragile shell.
Eggs supply many micronutrients including:
- Iodine for good thyroid function. Low iodine levels can cause weight gain and lethargy.
- High levels of vitamin D, which can help to fight cancer, build strong bones and maintain a healthy weight. Additionally, vitamin D-deficient women have been shown to be on average 16.3 pounds heavier than vitamin D-sufficient women.
- The beneficial nutrient choline, which acts as a natural fat emulsifier.
The Micronutrient Pitfall of Eggs – The Omega Ratio
While it is true that eggs from pastured flocks contain two times more omega-3 fatty acids this does not mean that they supply enough omega-3. In fact, a simple breakfast of 2 large scrambled eggs can put you at risk for an inflammatory response. While 2 scrambled eggs deliver approximately 205mg of omega-3, they also deliver a massive 2555mg of omega-6! That is an unsavory 12:1 ratio of inflammation causing omega-6 to healthy omega-3s.
But, don’t throw the baby away with the bathwater. Eggs still supply you with a fantastic array of beneficial micronutrients. You just have to be smart about eating them.
Here are two tips to help you enjoy the amazing taste and versatility of eggs with out putting your health at risk.
- Purchase eggs wisely, follow the tips in our Egg Purchasing Guide carefully to make sure you find the eggs that are the highest in essential micronutrients and omega-3 content. Download our checklist that you can use before putting the wrongs eggs into your shopping cart.
- Protect yourself by counter balancing the high omega-6 content of eggs by supplementing with a high quality fish oil supplement like Origin Omega – supplying high potency EPA and DHA.
What Do Fish Oil and Eggs Have To Do With One Another?
As we mentioned above, if you love eggs as much as we do, it’s important to find eggs with the most omega-3 possible, but the reality is NO egg contains enough omega-3 to offset the omega-6 it also contains. Because omega-3 is such a health-promoting powerhouse in the body, we felt a need to create a one-of-a-kind supplement that we and our clients could use to offset all the inflammation causing omega-6 that a healthy Paleo or low carb diet delivers. (Read More Here)
Results from our lab work showed that regular fish oil supplements were not working to balance our omega-3/omega-6 ratio, so we decided to find out why and create one that did. Our research revealed that the problem with regular fish oil is in the form it is delivered in and the natural competition between EPA and DHA for receptor sites (just like vitamins and minerals).
Our product, Origin Omega, is the first and only natural triglyceride form omega-3 fish oil supplement formulated using patented Anti-Competition™ Technology to improve the absorption and utilization by naturally eliminating the competition between EPA and DHA. Origin Omega’s triple strength formula delivers more than 1.5 grams (1500 mg) of EPA and DHA in each daily dose, more than any other major brand.
Origin Omega is a superior, triple strength fish oil that is:
- Pharmaceutical grade
- Delivered in aSuperior triglyceride form for better absorption
- Non-GMO (never from farmed fishraised on GMO corn and soy!)
- Made from wild caughtsmall fish (larger fish increases toxic risks!)
- Free of soy, corn, egg and gluten
- Made in an FDA certified facility for manufacturing and packaging in the US
PLUS we went ABOVE & BEYOND with Origin Omega to ensure you get full absorption of these essential micronutrients by:
- Using our patented Anti-Competition™ Technology to separate your EPA into your AM dose and your DHA into your PM dose
- Selecting only safe, wild caught, cold-water anchovies
- Using third-party testing on EVERY batch to ensure you’re safe from dangerous contaminants like mercury and lead
- No fishy tasting burps (thank goodness!)
AND REMEMBER, THERE’S THIS BIG WIN TOO: Origin Omega contains 300 to 600% MORE EPA & DHA than you’ll find in most other omega-3 supplements!
You can think of the pairing of Origin Omega and organic pastured eggs as a kind of healthy Surf and Turf your body will truly benefit from. If you haven’t tried Origin Omega yet we want you to feel confident in your first purchase. Simply use coupon code: MiracleOmega at checkout to get $5 off your first box and feel secure knowing that if you are not 100% satisfied with Origin Omega, for any reason, that we have an awesome 100-day total satisfaction guarantee on all Calton Nutrition products (read here).
