# EggCitement Around Eggs #
Eggs have been an on again off again food, mainly due to cholesterol. It is true they have cholesterol, 2 eggs meet your daily cholesterol needs. But the vast majority of cholesterol in your blood is made in the liver.
# Liver is a Cholesterol Factory #
Everybody reacts in a different way to cholesterol. Some have a big response and others, very little. For the most part, cholesterol in your diet has a small effect. As you eat less, your liver adjusts its output, as a certain amount of cholesterol is required to keep the body in tune.
# Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be #
Recent research has shown that for most people, limiting cholesterol in your diet has a small effect. In fact, in the most recent US diet guidelines, they removed the restriction on cholesterol.
# The Perfect Protein #
Eggs are a super nutritious food. An egg contains all 9 of the essential amino acids, as well as 4 of the non-essential amino acids in the perfect mix. Amino acids are the Lego blocks of all protein, and protein is the building blocks for almost everything in your body. Also, your body can use 100% of the egg’s protein. Eggs are unmatched when it comes to protein. The protein of an egg is in the white.
# An Inside Yolk #
The yolk has most of the calories as it has most of the fat. It has a variety of fats your body needs. It is also where all the cholesterol is. It also has Omega 3.
# Breakin’ the Grade #
Eggs are graded from A to C in Canada. ‘A’ grade eggs are then sized: Extra Large, Large, Medium, etc. ‘B’ and ‘C’ grade are only used commercially. US egg grades split ‘A’ into ‘A’ and ‘AA’ for the very best eggs.
# Caged or Free #
Most egg chickens are kept in a cage with a couple other chickens, each having the floor space of a piece of paper. ‘Cage-free chickens’ doesn’t mean chickens are roaming on the grass in the countryside, it means they are kept in larger cages with more chickens where they can stretch their wings a bit.
# Chickens Want to be Free #
Cage-free eggs are also called free-run. Free-range generally means chickens have access to the outdoors in some way. Eggs from chickens who roam in the sun have more vitamin D.
# Oh! Eggs #
Organic eggs are eggs from free-range chickens fed pesticide-free feed, but not every province regulates organic labelling. Omega-3 eggs are from chickens fed food high in omega 3. If you eat the right fish, you don’t need omega-3 eggs. If not, omega-3 eggs can be worthwhile.
# Pasture Eggs #
The fanciest eggs are pasture-raised, sometimes called grass-fed. These eggs are from chickens that have access to outside grass and eat a more natural diet (bugs). Pasture eggs have more nutrients. In an ideal world, we’d have a couple chickens of our own in the backyard, or at least eggs from a neighbour.
# Chicken Feed #
What chickens eat affects the taste and nutrition of eggs. Eggs from chickens that eat more fat taste better. Sometimes farmers give chickens fish oil to raise the omega-3 levels of the eggs. If this is overdone, the eggs can get a fishy taste, which is not ideal.
# Coloured Eggs #
The dark yellow yolk in eggs is due to the food the chickens ate. Chickens fed corn rather than wheat tend to produce eggs with yellower yolks. The color of the shell (brown or white) is due to the breed of the chicken and has no effect on nutrition. But, those brown eggs sure look nice.
# Egg Disease #
Eggs do carry some food diseases like salmonella. On average, in a lifetime of eating eggs, you will encounter one infected egg. If it is cooked, the risk is minimal.
# Does it Float? #
To test if an egg is still fresh, drop it into a big glass of cold water. A fresh egg will lay on its side on the bottom. Past their prime, they will touch the bottom but stand up. If it floats, it ain’t fresh but may still be safe to eat. If you crack it and it smells off, throw it out.
# Cool Eggs #
Eggs should never be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours after they have been refrigerated. If you get them at room temperature, you can store them that way, but once cooled, always cooled.
# Freeze Eggs #
You can freeze eggs if you end up with too many. You can’t freeze them in the shell, crack them in a bowl, mix, add salt to keep them from gelling and put them in a zip lock. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before you use them - don’t cook from frozen.
# Happy Chickens #
In short, eggs from happy chickens taste better and have more nutrition. If you can afford it, try brand-name cage-free or, even better, free-range eggs, or if you have the option, buy from a neighbour or farmer’s market.
