WHICH ONE OF THESE EGG YOLKS LOOKS MOST NORMAL TO YOU?

Chicken and egg aside, the focus of today’s article will remain on the yolk.

The health of the chicken who laid the egg mostly depends on the colour of the egg yolk. Since this is our most common breakfast, it is important that we know what kind of problems can this cause. Unfortunately, we usually use eggs which are less healthy than we expect.

Whenever we picture a hen in our head, our thoughts directly go to the idea of a free chicken that walks around happily and does as she pleases. In reality, the largest number of eggs comes from chickens which are caged 24 hours a day. They are almost never exposed to sunlight and don’t even get the chance to walk around freely. The good thing about this is that now you can easily tell if your chicken was imprisoned just by looking at the egg yolk.

When we shop in supermarkets for eggs, bright yellow egg yolks are what we usually consider healthy. This is something that commercials and media have us believe. Still, this generally means that the chicken was not quite as healthy or was fed improperly.

What is considered the best egg yolk is the dark orange coloured yolk, which we normally tend to avoid.

“Richer-coloured egg yolks are more likely to come from free-range hens,” claims Dr. Hilary Shallo Thesmar, director of food safety programs for the Egg Nutrition Centre (ENC): “Free-range hens have the opportunity to eat more pigmented foods, and the pigment is then transferred to the yolk.”

In spite of the yolk colour, macronutrients (protein and fat) stay intact, whereas darker coloured yolks demonstrate the presence of xanthophylls and omega-3 fatty acids in the nutrition of egg-laying chickens.

Xanthophylls are contained in dark leafy green plants such as spinach, kale and collards, and may be found in courgette, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Furthermore, the omega-3 fatty acids are commonly found in flax seeds and sea kelp.

If these substances are implemented in a hen’s nutrition, the nutrients will remain absorbed in the egg yolks. In the end, we are the ones eating them, right?! Mother Earth News and Pennsylvania State University which both enforced various egg analysis, assure that pastured eggs are richer in vitamins A, D and E. They also contain more beta-carotene and more omega-3s.

As a result, a pastured egg comes as a better option for humans and so is the chicken which lays that egg. It is a win-win situation for everyone.

That is why, if you start craving a three-egg omelette keep in mind to only use pastured eggs.