egg cooking methods that can't be beat

January is National Egg Month.  Apart from being delicious and versatile, eggs are also nutritious, and an essential part of a balanced diet. Containing up to six grams of protein, eggs are a wonder food that can give much-needed energy in the morning.  Eggs also provide a great source of choline which is anti-inflammatory.  For the best, healthiest option, choose eggs from pastured, free roaming chickens.

Eggs used to have a bad rep for increasing the body’s cholesterol levels, and contributing to heart disease. These misconceptions are actually far from the truth.  Cholesterol levels are raised by saturated fats, not dietary cholesterol. Eggs contain up to five grams of polyunsaturated fat, which improves blood cholesterol levels.

According to modern research, moderate consumption of eggs has no negative effect on the cholesterol levels of healthy people. Studies have also found that eating two eggs per day may improve a person’s lipid profile. Adding credence to this, a Harvard study found no direct link between reasonable egg consumption and heart disease.

The catch here is that the egg has to be cooked in a healthy manner. All those health benefits may be negated, for example, if you fry an egg to a solid crisp in heaps of shortening. Below are some healthy ways to cook eggs. Who says you can't have your healthy eggs and eat ‘em too?

Classic Poached Egg

Poaching eggs is a healthier alternative to frying. At its most basic, poaching involves sliding an egg into a pan or Dutch oven filled with hot water. The result is a soft, slightly delicate, egg dish. (Imagine a hard-boiled egg, but fluffier.)

The great thing about poached eggs – and all egg cooking methods, actually – is its versatility. You can eat poached eggs on their own, over a hot bowl of steaming oatmeal, or as topping on a salad.

Hard-boiling

Making hard-boiled eggs seems simple enough: Boil water, drop egg in, wait a bit, crack open hard-boiled egg, enjoy. The truth is, there are some subtleties to boiling eggs. For starters, you can’t actually see the egg, which means you can’t judge to doneness of the egg visually. Speaking of doneness, hard-boiled isn’t the only way to go. You can also make soft-boiled eggs. Proper timing is key.

Hard-boiling is one of the healthiest cooking methods for eggs. You don’t use oil, or any other ingredients. Just don’t season with too much salt while eating. And beware of salmonella; be sure to cook the egg fully.

Scrambling

Scrambling is another cooking method with a lot of healthy options. At its most basic, a scrambled egg is just that – a beaten egg, lightly fried. You can add cream or milk to fluff it up. To add a bit of flavor, why not experiment with some spices?

Frying: Yay or nay?

Frying is probably the first thing that comes to mind when cooking eggs. And for good reason – fried eggs are delicious! Unlike most cooking methods listed here, frying gives the egg a mix of appetizing textures – from a moist yolk, to the crisp edges.

The challenge to this is to use healthy fats when making fried eggs.  Coconut oil, olive oil, and ghee are all tasty, good for you choices.  Just as with scrambled eggs, go easy on the seasoning.

photo: Kai Hendry 

 Marc Webster is a writer who specializes in health and wellness topics. He is also works at All Time Medical, a medical supply company which sells wheelchairs, rollators and various other elderly mobility aids. He also has a huge passion for cooking and is continually exploring the versatility of egg in different dishes.

world egg day

free range eggs | photo: Fir0002

October 8 is World Egg Day.  Over the years eggs have gotten a bad rap.  We've been told that we shouldn't eat them, or we should eat them but throw out the yolks, now they're okay to eat (avoiding problems with suppliers that is).  I think a lot of people are still very confused about eggs and whether they are okay to eat.

Eggs are a great food.  Yes they have cholesterol in them, but it's a healthy cholesterol and something that our body knows how to process.  A single egg also contains six grams of protein for only about 70 calories.  That's quite a nutritional package.  They also provide brain boosting choline as well as lutein which can be helpful in protecting against cataracts and macular degeneration.

Just as important, eggs are delicious, versatile, and easy to prepare.  In honor of World Egg Day here's a recipe for a Breakfast Quiche Muffins modified from the excellent Crustless Quiche recipe by Jeffrey Smith.

Breakfast Quiche Muffins

4 slices preservative free bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mushrooms, diced and sauteed
2 spring onions, diced
4 eggs
1 cup organic cottage cheese
1 cup shredded organic cheddar cheese
1/4 cup brown rice flour (can use whole wheat if GF is not a concern)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
generous pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Grease two muffin tins and set aside
Beat together eggs, cottage cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
blend in bacon, mushrooms, and spring onions
In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients before adding to mixture
Spoon mixture into muffin cups
Top with remaining shredded cheese
Bake until tops are golden and quiches are slightly firm when touched 15-20 mins
Remove from oven and cool in the tins for 5 minutes before serving

Notes:

• These can be frozen and reheated at 400 degrees F for 5-7 minutes
• It is possible to use other vegetables
• Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs for added flavor

eggs again

egg | photo: Kacper "Kangel" Aniotek

A recent article brought to light the fact that eggs are still not being appropriately monitored and companies are free to do what they wish.  Unfortunately egg producers are apparently not required to tell the federal government when they find salmonella, nor are they required to share the names of companies under which they sell their eggs.  There's no egg recall currently underway but I believe it may not be long until there is.

I find it exceedingly strange that one agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is responsible for overseeing the health of chickens, the FDA is responsible for whole eggs, the USDA is responsible for eggs if they are transported or broken (sold as liquid), and then the FDA is responsible again for eggs sold in retail environments.  It's enough to make anyone's head spin.

I have several thoughts that come to mind about this whole situation:

1. Monitoring:  For years food manufacturers in all different areas of the industry have claimed that they are perfectly capable of monitoring themselves and that the industry does not require government legislation because the industry is so good as self-monitoring.  Obviously this (and other examples) prove that line of thinking to be fallacious.
   
2. Consistency:  While I confess to not always being a fan of how the government does business with regards to food and/or nutrition, I believe this situation highlights the need for one agency that oversees all aspects of food.  Bouncing back and forth between agencies leaves too many gaps in the system.  Gaps that manufacturers are only too willing to take advantage of, leaving the consumers as the ones at risk.
   
3. Oversight:  On the one hand there is too much transparency to certain parts of the system and too much secrecy regarding others.  Federal agents tell egg producers when they're coming to visit?  Or allow the producers to suggest dates that might be convenient for them?  How is that helpful?  I think we're all smart enough to know that you don't warn someone that you're coming if you want to check and make sure they're doing what they are supposed to.  And if, in spite of these pre-arranged visits, the inspectors find problems they don't tell the public and there are no sanctions?  Then why bother to go in the first place?  And how does this in any way protect the consumer?
   
4. Location:  With the vast majority of egg farms located in Iowa this type of situation once again highlights how far removed we are from our food.  I believe it is very important for consumers to consider shopping a little closer to home.  Get to know your local farmer, farmer's market, or join a CSA. Pay attention to where your food comes from.  Does this mean that you won't be affected by illness or other disease?  Honestly no, but I believe your chances will be reduced.  The vast majority of people I know who are farming in more of a small-holding are more conscientious about the quality of their product.  I believe they are not as overwhelmed by the demands of large scale farming which leads to many practices which in turn can make the food chain more susceptible to problems.

We all need to become informed consumers.  We need to be aware of these problems and we need to start paying attention to our food.  I spend what many consider to be far too much time looking at information about food, health and nutrition on a daily basis.  I also spend a lot of time letting people know how I feel and what I think.  I do this because I believe it's important.  

Until the manufacturers and the government know that we, as consumers, are not willing to idly sit by and let them make poor decisions about our food that affect our health, they will continue to do what they've always done -- support the manufacturer over the consumer.  Marion Nestle has written a wonderful book about this which has many eye-opening passages in it that show how consumers are, in some ways, seen as product of the industry rather than a valued customer.

It goes back to something I've said a number of times, not only do we need to become informed, we need to vote; with our voices and with our wallets.  I'm thrilled to see more products in the store that are labeled from local sources or that are made without artificial colors and preservatives.  These changes are happening because people are speaking up.  These ideas are being implemented because at the end of the day the manufacturers want your money.  And while I believe they would far rather have an uninformed, apathetic consumer on the other end of their production line, they will change if they have to in order to get your business and your dollars.

So while it seems like a long way from eggs to artificial colors, the process and the end result is the same.    Read the labels, know what's in your food, and be willing to speak out about how you feel.

breakfast - break away from the box

Israeli Breakfast | Lior Bakalu

Over the last couple of days I have been seeing articles in the news that have made me literally cringe.  I'm not going to link to them here because the information contained in them is just so wrong I cannot bring myself to share it even as an example of bad information.

What is it?  It's breakfast.  One article claimed that a bowl of cereal was shown to be the best breakfast and a good way to start your day, preventing you from snacking on sugary foods later in the day.  I was unable to find a link to the study that the article referenced but based on what I know about nutrition I'm guessing that the study group was comparing to either breakfast skippers or people who ate a donut or muffin and called that breakfast.  Sadly a bowl of cereal is not enough.  Yes the milk is going to provide a small amount of protein but you are typically getting an over-processed, sugary product in the cereal.  While it's better than not eating breakfast I'm here to tell you that it is not better by much.  Your body will still feel the effects metabolically and it will not be supportive of your blood sugar.

Another article absolutely horrified me by claiming that if you were a picky eater there were some nutritional strategies that allowed you to still get all the nutrition you needed.  Don't like salmon?  The article suggests eating a bowl of cereal instead.  While you will get some vitamin D from the milk you are certainly not going to get the levels of protein and amino acids in cereal that you do from fish.

The third article referenced healthy choices at fast food places.  I'm sorry but I have never been a fan of those.  The food is fatty, over-processed, chemically laden and very few of these places offer a truly healthy start to your day.

Oddly enough just before all of these articles came out College Crunch contacted me about their recently written article.  10 Breakfast Foods Your Body Hates.  They state the facts clearly and correctly.

So what do you eat?

1.   First and foremost it is important to start your day with breakfast.  Don't skip.
2.   Eat protein, your body needs to refuel after the "fast" of sleeping.
3.   Get fiber, supportive to your digestive system it also helps sustain you as your blood sugar balances
      out with this first meal of the day.
4.   Limit sugar. Too much sugar (think cereals, syrups, muffins, etc) will cause a spike in insulin and
      then your body begins the blood sugar roller-coaster.
5.   Avoid simple carbohydrates (pancakes, toast, boxed cereal) your body will digest them too quickly
      and they are not supportive of blood sugar stability.

You don't have to have what is considered "breakfast" food for breakfast if you don't want to.  I know a number of people who start their morning with a chicken breast and veggies.  I had one friend who served her children beans for breakfast and they loved it.  The breakfast in the picture above is from Israel.  Eggs with lots of veggies (fresh and cooked) and fresh herbs.

Break away from the box; eat something that will nourish and support your body.

superfoods trending down

According to a news article I read recently superfoods are trending down.  Not all superfoods, just the ones that have been the media darlings, acai, goji berries and the like.  I actually like this trend because as I wrote previously (back in 2008 I might add) we don't need to import superfoods.  We would do better to utilize those that are readily available.  It's more sustainable, eco-friendly, and also easier on your wallet.

So what are these superfoods that we should be more aware of (and eat more often)?

Berries- with lots of fiber and antioxidants they're great and easy to add to the diet in cereal, yogurt, salads, plain, anytime.

Eggs - high in protein (1 egg provides 6 g) with lutein and zeaxanthin (good for your eyes) they're versatile and satisfying.

Nuts - raw, unsalted are the best.  Providing monosaturated fats they are a great heart-healthy choice.  Add them to foods such as cereals or baked good or take some along for a healthy nutrition boosting snack.

Broccoli - yes, it is a super food.  With an amazing nutritional punch it provides not only fiber and a wide range of vitamins, but it also has sulforaphane which is a potent cancer fighting detoxifier.

Beans - with a hefty dose of fiber and iron beans are just an all around good for you food.  Soups, stews, and dips are a great way to add them to your meals.

Beta-carotenes - okay so this isn't a food but rather a group of foods.  Found in orange foods (think sweet potatoes, winter squashes, carrots, etc) and dark leafy greens (the chlorophyll hides the color) like kale, spinach, collards and more betacarotene is a powerful antioxidant that support immune system health, reproductive health, and it's very good for your eyes.

So while imported superfoods may be trending down I'm rooting for an overall upward trend in the concept of super foods.

the egg saga continues

If you have access to the internet it's pretty much a given at this point that you know about the enormous egg recall.  You may even have heard that the salmonella contamination actually went back as far as 2008.


Obviously this issue raised a lot of questions about sanitary practices, animal health management, and even about FDA/USDA oversight or lack thereof.  I'm sure a lot more people are either not eating eggs or considering raising their own chickens.  And I talked with a number of people who wondered how price the cost of eggs was going to go once the full recall was in effect.  Especially if you are buying free range, organic eggs you are already paying a premium.  One person even jokingly asked me if I thought there would be a bailout of the egg producer since, "We've already bailed out everyone else who made huge mistakes and [hurt] the consumer in search of profits."


I confess I wondered what was going to happen with all those recalled eggs.  Hundreds of millions of eggs were recalled.  That's a lot of money.  Well, it turns out those eggs are not going to be destroyed or flushed down the drain or disposed of.  Stephen Jannise of Distribution Software Advice has written an article that explains how all those eggs are going to remain in the food chain.  They're going to be sent to "breakage plants" where they will be pasteurized to "clean up" the pathogenic bacteria and then it will be turned into egg product such as egg beaters or the "scrambled" eggs that appear in many buffet breakfasts.  Stephen does an excellent job explaining the recall (there's also a good graphic showing the egg distribution) and I encourage you to read the article.


The FDA is now considering requiring that all eggs be pasteurized before they are sold.  I'm not a big fan of this.  First of all, when pasteurizing an egg, even though it's not cooked, the proteins begin to bind together.  Secondly, although there are no studies that I can find I know that pasteurization can have a negative effect on dairy.  Furthermore, I agree with the tone of the article linked to above.  The FDA, instead of looking at the enormous supply chain, overcrowding, unsanitary, inhumane conditions, and the lack of oversight wants to over-regulate it and require pasteurization.  I see that as a problem.


More importantly I'm not convinced that there won't be a problem with the pasteurization process, meaning some contamination might still make it through. I wonder how much of this liquid egg product will wind up in the food chain for use in baked goods and other commercial applications.  


At this point I believe the safest thing is to only get fresh eggs from sources you trust, not to eat liquid egg products, and to avoid scrambled eggs from commercial establishments.


photo:  Stephen Depolo

gluten-free in an rv

Increasing numbers of people have food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances these days.  There are a lot of theories as to why this is, but the bottom line is that it can make it very difficult for folks to eat outside their home.  Maintaining a healthy pantry is critical for these folks, as is an awareness of what to look for when eating on the road.

Now that summer is over and the kids are back in school, it's time to get back to the regular routine while daydreaming of summer vacations.  My friend Tina recently shared the story of her family and their ability to take a long-awaited cross-country family vacation.  It's wonderful that they were able to achieve this dream, and a definite testament to how much advance preparation they had to do to be able to make this trip a reality.

Traveling gluten-free and dairy-free definitely changes what you do and how you do it.  Our family has dreamed of a cross-country trip for years.  Those dreams were challenged by the fact that my husband is very sensitive to gluten and dairy... even a crumb or drop can leave him with asthma and GI problems for weeks.  We decided that the best way to travel would be to take our kitchen with us and do most of our own cooking. With the help of a friend who lent us their RV we were able to do finally make our dream come true and take this trip.  

Starting from CT, going across the northern states, down California, then returning via the southern states and up the eastern coast it was a wonderful adventure.  We were so happy our dream could become a reality and we had a great time. However we definitely had to consider how we would feed my gluten and dairy-free husband along the way.

Carefully considering our menus we pre-stocked the kitchen with gluten and dairy-free staples we knew we could have a hard time finding on our travels across the country.  Not every area of the country offers a wide range of dietary choices and not every store has things like:

rice/potato pastas
gluten-free pretzels
gluten-free bread crumbs
gluten-free bread
dairy-free buttery spread
gluten-free chicken broths
gluten-free, dairy-free cold cuts
gluten-dairy free brownie mix
gluten-dairy free cake mix (we had some birthdays to celebrate along the way)
corned beef without anything added in (in the midwest a lot of stores only sold corned beef with everything already added in and we couldn't trust it)


Our dinner meals were usually a meat (chicken, steak, pork, burger), sometimes breaded with veggies or a stir-fry with brown rice.


One family favorite is a breakfast that we usually have in the winter before spending the day snowmobiling out in the cold.  It's tasty, filling, and an easy on-the-road breakfast. 


The Berge's Hash and Eggs


Can of corned beef (plain, no potatoes added)
4 potatoes (or as many as you feel is adequate for the # of people you have), diced
3-4 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
ground pepper, to taste
onion powder (optional)
eggs (1 or 2 per person)


Put the onion in a frying pan with a 1 T. oil until softened. 
Add the potatoes, more oil if needed, and cook until potatoes start getting soft. 
Add the corned beef and brown it all (no need to add salt since the corned beef has it already) 
Season with pepper and more onion powder if needed 


When the hash is browned remove from the pan and set aside
Cook the eggs (we like sunny side up)
Place eggs on top of the hash and serve


It's so delicious and for lunch you can get by with just a piece of fruit and some nuts or other light meal... works great when you're travelling around for the day.


My husband's diet influenced us in other ways as well. We ate "out" at a restaurant only twice during the five weeks we were on the road.  Before being seated we would ask our server lots of questions about whether they could accomodate us; if they said they could, we would try it.  However there was always that feeling of playing "Russian Roulette" with his GI system since you're never really "sure" that the chef and wait person "get it." 


While we were on the road  we would seek out health food stores and would be in heaven if we found a gluten-free bakery or somewhere with treats (we were on vacation after all!). We were surprised to find  that out west people do not know what italian ices are. There's a market to be tapped there, for sure!


We talked a lot about how it would be great if there were some quick, healthy drive-thru type places where gluten and dairy free people could find food. Unfortunately it doesn't exist, even the salads are usually tainted with croutons and/or cheese. It was eye opening how much harder it is to travel when you don't fit into the majority.


Travelling with food allergies can be a great experience if you plan ahead on how to find or make foods that work. Yes, it would be nice to be able to eat out a little more often while on vacation (food is half the fun of vacation!) but we were able to manage. The good news is that the States seem to be getting more aware of food allergies and it is definitely easier to find gluten-free and dairy-free foods than it was 10 years ago.


photo courtesy of:  Bill Ward's Brickpile

pavlov's chickens

I'm always amused when I see the cartons of eggs in the grocery store proclaiming in bold print "vegetarian fed."  Chickens are not vegetarians.  As a matter of fact they do better if they get to scratch, run around in the sunshine, and eat bugs and worms.  It's part of their natural diet.  And the healthier the chicken, the healthier the egg that it produces.

You can always tell a healthy egg because it's a much better color, it's firmer and holds together better, and, most importantly, it tastes better.  If you don't believe me I encourage you to find a friend who has chickens or pay a visit to your local farmer's market and buy some.

The chickens that you see on the left there are Josephine and Daphne, they belong to my friend Peggy who has joined the growing trend of backyard chicken keepers.  More and more folks are deciding, especially in light of the very scary egg recall that they would like to raise their own chickens.  This way they know what the chickens are eating, how healthy they are, and they'll feel better about eating eggs.  As people join the trend more communities are passing legislation to allow keeping chickens as pets (usually limiting the number, sex - no roosters, and henhouse location).  There's even a website devoted to urban chicken farming.

Peggy shared the following humorous story with me about her chickens, proving that in addition to making you breakfast they can also help reduce waste.

"Embracing a more alternative lifestyle we recycle, garden, compost, and now raise chickens. After being city dwellers most of our lives, raising chickens is new to us, but so far so good. 


For health reasons, we spent many months on a strict diet that did not include grains and our oatmeal had gotten buggy. We thought, 'Chickens love bugs and grain. Why not give it to the chickens?' We tried it out by giving them just a small amount. They gobbled it down as fast as they could. This was also about the time our first hen started laying. As a matter of fact, I had started giving them some of the oatmeal when I collected that one precious egg. 


Now when they see me come out to the hen house, they come running from all points of the yard and patiently follow close by. They chatter at me, as if to say, “You can pour us some Oatmeal now. Right here would be good. We sure like Oatmeal.” One hen even tolerates me petting her, if there is a remote chance she will get some of that tasty treat. 


It's interesting that all the books we have read say that we can expect about 4 eggs per week per hen.   Since they have figured out that they get oatmeal when I collect the eggs, we now get one egg per hen every single day. So we're calling them, Pavlov’s Chickens. As with most pets, we think we are successful in training them, but who is actually being trained, since laying eggs comes naturally for a chicken?  And what are we going to do when we run out of buggy oatmeal?"

If you think you'd like to raise chickens there are a couple of good books to get you started.       















And then, of course, you'll need a couple of good cookbooks to go along with the all the eggs.    

quail eggs

For dinner tonight I sauted onion and red peppers with diced baked potato (leftover from baked potato bar the other night) and cilantro, salt and pepper. I topped it with fried eggs for Steve and fried quail eggs for me.

I went to the Asian market a few days ago; while there I saw an absolutely enormous refrigerated case full of very pretty, speckled quail eggs. Having never tasted them before but heard folks say how fabulous they were I decided to get them (Steve did not want to try them). Quite frankly I'm not sure what the hullabaloo is all about. My suspicion is that the attraction to quail eggs is for the novelty value. To be truthful I'm not sure if it's because I don't have a very sophisticated palate or because there really isn't a huge difference, but I did not taste a significant difference in the eggs. The only difference I noticed was that the yolk on the quail eggs had a creamier mouthfeel to me than chicken eggs do. So aside from the novelty value of a bite-sized egg it's certainly not something I think I'll do again.

Nutritionally the protein value is the same (comparing 1 ounce, 28 grams, of raw egg each) except that quail eggs have twice as much cholesterol. However quail eggs also have more riboflavin and a tiny bit more choline, B12, and folate as well as zinc, phosphate and iron.

As always, it comes down to the willingness to be adventurous, to try new things. While I don't think I will buy quail eggs again I'm glad that I had the opportunity to try them.

photo courtesy of K. Suzuki | commons.wikimedia.org

fabulous frittata

I recently had lunch with a friend and we enjoyed  a wonderful frittata as part of our meal.  Frittatas are such a great dish to serve; they are easy to make, delicious and take very little time to put together.  We enjoyed a spinach, red onion, red pepper, oregano and parmesan frittata.  Frittatas come together so quickly and are so versatile that you can't miss when you make one.  We enjoyed ours with a cucumber salad and some pumpkin corn muffins.

Eggs are not only delicious, they are a great food to have in your diet.  A protein powerhouse, two eggs contains 12 grams of protein and also provides iron, calcium and vitamin A.  They're so versatile, you can serve them poached, hard cooked, soft boiled, fried, over easy, scrambled, as an omlette, the list goes on.

Frittata

3 eggs

1 C. spinach washed

1/4 of a red onion diced

1/2 of a red pepper large dice

1 t. oregano

2 T. fresh grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 T. olive oil

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

lightly oil an oven proof pan

saute the red onion and red pepper and set aside

wilt the spinach and set aside

whisk together the eggs

re-oil the pan, turn to medium heat and pour in the eggs

as soon as the bottom of the frittata starts to set turn the heat down to med-low

sprinkle the cooked ingredients on the setting egg

top with oregano salt and pepper

when the bottom appears to be fully set sprinkle frittata with parmesan

remove pan from stove top and place in oven 

bake approximately 10 minutes until frittata is puffy

remove from oven, cut and serve immediately

depending on what else you serve with it this can make 2-4 servings

Eat well, be well

eggs

A friend of mine recently asked me a few questions about eggs and I thought I would share them here.

1.  Are brown eggs healthier than white eggs?

No.  The color of the eggshell depends on the breed of chicken.  There is even a breed of chicken called araucana that produces blue shells on their eggs.

2.  What is the difference between cage free and free range chickens?  And are the eggs from one better than the other?  

Egg-laying chickens are usually raised in small cages stacked high called battery caging.  The cages are not very big, leaving not enough room for the chickens to spread their wings.  Cage free means that the chickens are not in cages but are in a large building free to roam around and spread their wings.  Free-range means that the chickens have access to the outdoors.  Unfortunately many times free-range chickens are raised indoors and not granted access to the outdoors until they are several weeks old, at which point they don't go outside anyway.  Although the consumer-intent for free-range eggs is that the chickens are living happy, pastoral lives, running around in the outdoors scratching and eating bugs I don't believe this always happens.  For me this means that cage-free and free-range are probably similar treatments for the birds and either one is preferable to raising them in small confined cages.  If you are certain that the free-range eggs are indeed from chickens who are running freely outside then those would be the best eggs.

3.  Is it worth it to buy organic eggs?

Buying organic eggs means that the chickens have not been fed any animal by-products, given hormones, antibiotics or eaten any genetically modified feed.  Additionally organic eggs are always from free-range chickens.  There are studies showing the organically raised fruits and vegetables have more nutrients than their conventionally grown counterparts. I have not seen any studies showing that the same is true for organically raised eggs but I feel that it is probably true.

4.  Why do they advertise omega-3 eggs and how do they do that?

I believe producers are advertising omega-3 eggs because there is a current trend or fad for foods that are enhanced with omega-3, or alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).  Most of us don't get enough of this important essential fatty acid in our diet so producers think (and sadly they're mostly correct) that by advertising in big letters that their product contains ALA will convince many of us to buy it.  How do they get the omega-3's in there?  They feed the chickens a diet that is very high in flaxseeds which are one of the natural sources of ALA.  Walnuts and salmon are two other very good sources.  I personally feel that I would rather eat foods that are naturally high in omega-3's than pay extra for enhanced eggs.

5.  Does the color of the yolk mean anything?

Free-range chickens who are scratching and eating bugs tend to produce richer colored yolks because of all of the greens they are eating.  However it is possible to get a more golden color yolk by feeding corn or alfalfa to the chicken; chickens fed wheat will have pale colored yolks.   It is even possible to get an orange-y color to the yolks by feeding marigold petals to the chickens.  I believe advertisement of yolk color on the package simply means the producer is counting on the consumer to this that this means the egg is fresher or better when what they have done is feed the chicken a diet that changes the yolk color.

6.  Why do they advertise vegetarian-fed on the egg carton?

I don't really know, since chickens are not vegetarians.  I assume that it is to assure the consumer that the chickens are not being fed any animal by-products.  By natural inclination chickens would eat bugs, worms and other small animals but if they are not free-range they do not have access the these.

Hopefully this will help you make the best egg choice for your family.

photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net