Eggs

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Brown eggs are typically advertised as healthier than white eggs, but this is a myth. The simple truth is that brown eggs come from brown chickens, and white eggs come from white chickens. In fact, many chickens will lay eggs that have interesting greenish or bluish tinges to them, but this is no indicator of the safety, quality or taste of the egg. What does impact the taste is what the chicken is fed during its lifetime. Grain-fed chickens’ eggs will often have lighter yolks and a bland, sometimes metallic flavor. Chickens allowed access to pasture or which are completely free-range will usually lay eggs with bright orange yolks and which have a more robust, flavor due to the greater variety in diet—grains, seeds, grass and bugs.

If purchasing eggs from a farmer, don’t be afraid to ask how their chickens are raised and cared for. Organic isn’t always necessary—farms aren’t required to certify organic unless they bring in a certain level of revenue—but you want to be sure the chickens aren’t being fed antibiotics or hormones or being mistreated. Some communities will even allow backyard chickens, including Madison. See our article “Rediscovering Community in the Coop” by Shannon Henry Kleiber for more info about backyard chicken coops in Madison.

Nutrition: Average white and brown eggs are nutritionally equivalent. However, there are eggs fortified with omega-3, for instance, which is a result of the chicken eating more flax in its diet. They are a good source of protein and B vitamins. Eggs are high in cholesterol, but many nutritionists say that it is no benefit to avoid eggs unless you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol.