Back to the Future: Pastured Eggs

More studies need to be done, but there is a growing body of evidence that pastured eggs have nutritional benefits over commercial eggs.

• In 1974, the British Journal of Nutrition found that pastured eggs had 50 percent more folic acid and 70 percent more vitamin B12 than eggs from factory farm hens.
• In 1988, Artemis Simopoulos, co-author of The Omega Diet, found pastured eggs in Greece contained 13 times more omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids than U.S. commercial eggs.
• A 1998 study in Animal Feed Science and Technology found that pastured eggs had higher omega-3s and vitamin E than eggs from caged hens.
• A 1999 study by Barb Gorski at Pennsylvania State University found that eggs from pastured birds had 10 percent less fat, 34 percent less cholesterol, 40 percent more vitamin A, and four times the omega-3s compared to the standard USDA data.
• In 2003, Heather Karsten at Pennsylvania State University found that pastured eggs had three times more omega-3s, 220 percent more vitamin E and 62 percent more vitamin A than eggs from caged hens.

Just recently in 2007, Mother Earth News analyzed the eggs of 14 flocks raised on pasture and compared the results to nutritional data available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for commercial eggs, the kind found in most supermarkets.
The pastured eggs had:   
- 1⁄3 less cholesterol
- 1⁄4 less saturated fat
- 2⁄3 more vitamin A
- 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids*
- 3 times more vitamin E
- 7 times more beta carotene

But be careful when buying "free-range" eggs at the store. According to the USDA, as long as hens are "allowed access to the outside," producers can call their eggs free-range. What this usually means is that there is a small opening where hens could go outside, regardless of whether or not they ever go. Terms such as pastured and farm-raised aren't defined at all. True free-range eggs are those from hens that range outdoors on pasture and do what they do naturally which means forage for green plants and insects.

You probably already know about this and I don't want to gross you out (OK, maybe I do) but factory chicken feed often includes protein from less savory sources: poultry parts and feathers, rendered cats and dogs, beef fat, and cattle bone meal (hello bovine spongiform encephalopathy). In crowded battery egg operations, pathogens thrive. Salmonella can make its way into factory eggs, usually through cracked shells, but occasionally before being laid. If the flock is known to be infected, eggs go to the "breakers" market rather than being sold whole. Breakers are pasteurized and made into liquid egg products for restaurants.

Aside from all this, you can visibly tell the difference. Pastured yolks are a rich orange color from the beta-carotene in the plants. The white is clear and stands up at attention; it doesn't spread and thin out like in commercial eggs. Fried sunny-side up or scrambled, the egg is silky, with a clean, rich taste.

Caveat Emptor. It's up to all of us as consumers to find out how the chickens are being raised and what they're being fed. Truly pastured eggs are found at farmers' markets and a few stores. Chat with the farmers or store clerks about the condition of farm's flocks.  Or consult the Local Forage source list for pastured eggs. One of the best things you can do for your health is avoid factory eggs, powdered eggs, liquid eggs, pasteurized eggs, egg substitutes, or any other kind of industrial egg product somebody invented in the laboratory. Eat the real thing: fresh whole eggs from happy hens eating bugs and grubs outside on fresh green grass. Just like our great grandparents did.

*Recall yesterday when we talked about purslane being one of the 10 best foods that you're not eating. Purslane is a rare plant source of omega-3 fats. Purslane is frequently found in pasture.

Comments

[Kathy]

I love your blog, and am thrilled to see someone advocating purslane as a delicious addition to the dinner table! Purslane is easy to grow. Usually people are trying to eradicate it from their yards as a weed, unaware that it is a nutritional powerhouse! It's got a mild peppery taste and is wonderful in salads. One of my favorite ways to enjoy it is by cooking it with summer tomatoes, potatoes, onions & garlic, cilantro, cheese and wrapping it all in a warm, soft tortilla. Yum!

[Australorp]

I'm amused to see that your illustration is of a rooster. Are we talking cock's eggs here? tsk.

[Carla]

I couldn't find a good pic with pasture in the background plus I just think that rooster's strut is hilarious. I don't get a chance to photograph chickens everyday so I don't have a giant portfolio of photos from which to choose. Do you have any photos I could use?

[FeralKevin]

Great post! I have a small flock of pastured chickens and their eggs are unbeatable, even the best local farmer's market eggs can't compete. I can see the beta-carotene, and taste the Omega 3 in the eggs. A lot of the goodies come from them eating fresh weeds and grasses, as well as bugs, slugs, grubs, and worms, one of the most essential parts of their diet. Don't let anyone tell you that chickens are vegetarian!
What I also love about the chickens is they help me eat things like purslane (in the form of an egg.) The chickens really will chow down on all the edible plants in my garden, ones that I can only stomach in small quantities such as salsify, chicory, alfalfa, yellow dock, comfrey, and of course grasses.

Thanks