Eggs are often debated, such as the famous question, which came first, the chicken or the egg? There is also another debate that is taking place, that of which yolk is the one comes from a healthy chicken? When you look at this picture, you might gravitate toward the one that is light yellow. Why is that true?
Most of us have never had a farm fresh egg and we tend to get our eggs from a grocery store. Even though they may be marked fresh, organic or free range, they are still a commercial product. If you get a healthy egg from a local farm, however, the yolk is going to be darker and thicker than what you typically see at a grocery store.
In the United States, any egg that you purchase at the grocery store is going to have a light yellow yolk. As we stated, it really doesn’t matter what is stamped on the outside of the carton, the results are going to be the same on the inside. You may see differences in the size or the color of the shell, but the color of the egg yolk is going to be consistent.
At this point, you may be asking yourself, what’s the big deal about the color? After all, you have probably been eating store-bought eggs for years and you don’t notice any unusual health problems as a result of them. Choosing the correct egg can have an effect on your health, however, and it is something that you should consider.
Aside from having a darker color and being thicker, there are also other benefits to a darker colored egg yolk. These often have to do with the food that the chicken eats, which includes healthy greens, rather than eating a commercial product that is force-fed to them.
Xanthophyll is what provides the egg with its darker color. There is also some beta-carotene found in the egg as well, but that is a nutritional benefit, as it doesn’t affect the color directly. Xanthophyll is a carotenoid, which is more readily absorbed into the yolk, resulting in the darker color.
Along with eating greens, such as kale, spinach or collards, it is more likely for a farm fresh egg to come from a chicken that has been eating whole-grain chicken feed. That feed would include omega-3 fatty acids, which find their way into the eggs and are good for you when you eat them.
Additionally, commercially raised chickens are only going to have access to grain, along with the hormones and other products that are force-fed to them. In nature, chickens are not vegetarians, they are omnivores. If there is a grasshopper, beetle, grub or anything else crawling by, it doesn’t stand a chance with a chicken around.
Everything that the chicken eats is going to end up in the egg. If it is only fed commercially, it is going to be devoid of a lot of the nutrients that make eggs so healthy. On the other hand, purchasing eggs at a local farm is going to be beneficial to both the farmer and your family!
If you have the option, you may also want to consider raising some chickens on your property. It may seem unusual, but it can be very healthy for the environment. That is especially true if you have a garden or a compost heap, as the chickens will readily pick the bugs off of the plants as the end of the season rolls around. They will not only care for the gardening, they will provide you with the delicious and nutritious eggs that you desire.
One other thing to consider is the fact that the eggs yolk gets its color, not by the breed of the chicken but by what is in the hen’s diet. Those factors may influence the color of the shell, but the egg yolk is a direct reflection of what the chicken is eating.
Choose farm fresh eggs for your family, and you will note the difference.
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