Welcome to Aimee’s Edibles and thank you for reading!
My goal with this blog is to share information and tips to make it easy for you to make healthy choices for you and and your family. There is an excessive amount of information available on health – with so many conflicting messages about what you should eat, what you shouldn’t – it’s no wonder people are confused. Not to mention overwhelmed!
I recently ran into a friend at the grocery store and she inspired the content for my first blog. Have you ever noticed how many different types of eggs are in the refrigerated section of your grocery store? She was so torn on which ones to buy and it’s no wonder why – the different choices, packaging, wording etc. and it would leave anyone very confused.
Eggs are not only nutritional powerhouses; they are also a budget-friendly, versatile and quick cooking item to have in your kitchen arsenal. While all eggs, including the ones from your grocery store, come from chickens, the eggs and their nutritional value can vary greatly depending on how the chickens were raised and what they were fed.
So, what’s the difference between all of the different types of eggs?
Conventional Eggs
These are your standard supermarket eggs. The chickens are usually raised in a packed hen house, often with their feet nailed to the floor, never seeing the light of day. They are usually fed grain-based low-quality feed and treated with antibiotics and hormones to keep them producing eggs and from getting sick.
Free Range Eggs
This means there could be a small window of time where the hens have the option of going outside.
Cage Free Eggs (My #3 Choice)
The chickens aren’t raised in a cage but they could still be raised in a smelly, dirty overstuffed hen house.
Organic Eggs (My #2 Choice)
The chickens were not treated with antibiotics or hormones and received organic feed. However, they may have had limited access to the outdoors.
Pastured Eggs (Finally, #1!)
No antibiotics or hormones. Chickens are allowed to roam free, eating plants, seeds and insects, which is their natural food.
Okay, so what’s the take-home message? The eggs from pastured hens are the most nutritious. The hens produce the most nutritious eggs because they were allowed free access to the outside and ate a natural diet which improves the taste and nutrition of the eggs. Benefits include:
- Higher in Vitamin A
- Higher in Vitamin E
- Higher in Omega-3 fatty acids
- More beta-carotene
- 3-6 times more vitamin D
- Lower in cholesterol
- Lower in saturated fat
So where do you find them, if not in your grocery store? If you have an opportunity to buy eggs at a farmers market or have a friend who has their own chickens, then these would be the best choice. If you're buying eggs at the grocery store, two brands that I really like are Backyard Eggs and Vital Farms.
It just goes to show that while what we eat matters, it also matters what our foods eat! Want to know more? If you have any egg-related questions, contact me! You can email me at aimeerein@gmail.com or reach out through my Facebook page @Pure Wellness with Aimee Rein.