The Truth About Protein - Eggs

It seems that eggs switch sides – from healthy to unhealthy and back – every single decade. Where’s the truth?

Don’t Throw away That Yolk!

One of the biggest myth and misinformation around eggs is the thought that cholesterol in the yolk is linked to heart disease. The fact is: dietary cholesterol (cholesterol in food) has simply nothing to do with blood cholesterol. The famous researcher Ancel Keys said it better than everyone else several years ago: “There’s no connection whatsoever between cholesterol in food and cholesterol in blood. And we’ve known that all along. Cholesterol in the diet doesn’t matter at all unless you happen to be a chicken or a rabbit.” On top of that, the yolk is where all the fat-burning omega-3 and most of the vitamins and minerals are. 

uncage The Nutrition

Pasture-raised eggs that come from hens allowed to see the sunshine – and eat the omnivorous diet they’re supposed to – pack a ton more nutrition than regular factory eggs.

• 66% more vitamin A
• 200% more omega-3 
• 300% more vitamin E

added omega-3?

 

Omega-3 enriched eggs are popping everywhere on the supermarket shelves, but do they really deliver on the hype? A couple of facts point in the other direction:

• Center for Science in the Public Interest’s independent lab tests revealed that certain enriched eggs contain less than half of the omega-3 claimed on the packaging.
   
• Using flax as 20% of a poultry ration can increase the ALA content of egg yolk fat from 0.4% in the ordinary egg to 8.9%. The caveat: This type of omega-3 is 800% to 3300% less absorbable than animal-based omega-3 (EPA and DHA) .

Confusing Claims

 

Not a single food is more confusing to buy than eggs. What claims actually mean you’re buying nutrition-packed eggs from healthy hens?

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Summary :

+ Eggs from hens that are allowed to roam in open pastures contain a lot more nutrition than eggs from confined hens.

 

+ Read the labels closely, and never hesitate to do a quick background check on the manufacturer when in doubt.

 

+ Eggs with added omega-3 show little to no benefits.

 

+ Look for the claims “organic” and “pastured”, that indicate your eggs contain all the fat-burning nutrition you’re paying for.