When local makes a difference - eggs

1 comment

August 23, 10:51 PM

by Patricia DiGiacomo Eddy, Seattle Cook Local Examiner

 

 

I don't buy all of my groceries at the farmers markets. Even though I try to eat as local as possible, I won't give up my coffee and I reliably use at least one red bell pepper a week, even when they aren't in season (although this summer I'm attempting to preserve local peppers to get me through next winter). However, there are a few foods that I insist on purchasing at the market. If I can't get them there, I will go without. One of the most important: Eggs.

We generally purchase our eggs from Skagit River Ranch. One of the reasons we do this is that we've been to their farm and we can attest to the fact that their chickens roam quite free. Other great local sources are Sea Breeze Farms (for both chicken and duck eggs), Anselmo Farms (also chicken and duck eggs), and Rickman Gulch. I know there are other farms selling eggs at the local markets, but these are the vendors I use most often.

So what's the big deal about free range eggs? Well, there have actually been a number of studies done recently that indicate that free range eggs are truly a lot healthier for you. In particular, Skagit River Ranch had their eggs tested in 2007, and the results were very interesting. I encourage you to read the entire study, here, but to summarize, here is how Skagit's eggs compared to your average supermarket egg.

• 4 times the amount of Vitamin E
• Double the Vitamin A
• 10 times the amount of Beta Carotene
• 3 times the amount of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• 100 mg less Cholesterol
• 1/2 gram less Saturated Fat

Wow. Pastured eggs really are better for you. We eat a lot of eggs, so the composition of our eggs is very important to us. And although this is purely anecdotal, my cholesterol has actually gone down almost 20 points in the past year, yet I consume at least 4 eggs per week.

Unfortunately, you won't get these types of health benefits from your average supermarket "free range" egg. The USDA's definition of "free range" states that the chickens must have access to the outdoors. This can be as little as a door in their chicken coop that allows them to leave, even if they never use it. Most chickens in commercial egg facilities are not acclimated to the outside and don't even realize they can go outside. Not to mention the fact that they are fed only commercial grain. A true pastured chicken needs to forage for food in order to produce eggs with the above benefits.

So if you love eggs, and you're concerned about the variety of studies that indicate they aren't so good for you, consider switching to local, organic, truly free range eggs.

   Subscribe   Feed

Include other special offers from Examiner.com
Terms of Use