Tell me if this sounds familiar: Should I buy organic? What’s the difference between cage-free and pasture-raised? Does it mean anything if the eggs are brown instead of white? What’s up with omega-3 eggs? Enough was enough. I dug into the “what” and the “wtf” so you don’t have to. I hope this saves you the time and stress it’s saved me! I’m often asked how many egg yolks are OK to have per week. It’s not a sexy answer, but it really does depend on the person. What I can say is that the yolk is where you’ll find a lot of important nutrients like choline, vitamin A, and vitamin D, plus the omega-3s. If you’re paying extra for those omega-3-rich eggs, I’d recommend eating the yolk to reap those benefits rather than using those eggs to make an egg-white omelet. Sometimes my clients freak out about the cholesterol (about 185 to 200 milligrams) and the saturated fat in egg yolks. Research varies3 quite a bit, and while I tend to err on the side of “eat the yolks,” for people with personal or family history of heart conditions, I generally recommend consuming egg yolks within the context of your saturated fat intake for the day. The USDA grading system4 sometimes trips people up. Eggs are given grades5 (AA, A, or B) based on interior quality factors (thickness of the whites, freshness) and exterior factors like the appearance of the shell. The thicker whites of Grade AA and Grade A eggs doesn’t spread as easily as Grade B, making them the preferred grade if you’re frying your eggs, and Grade B eggs are considered to be better-suited for use in things where thinner egg whites are preferable, such as cake batters and omelets. Whether one is “better” than the other really depends on the intended use. Just as a side note, not all USDA-graded eggs are cage-free, and not all cage-free eggs are graded by the USDA. For example, if you buy eggs at the farmers market, chances are they’re not graded. However, graded eggs that are marketed as cage-free are required to be source-verified by the USDA through onsite farm visits. Because the pasture-raised hens were able to eat grass and bugs in addition to that commercial organic feed, it’s possible that these eggs will be richer in certain nutrients like omega-3s, while the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids in the organic eggs really depends on what is in the feed. In general, though, I would say that pasture-raised tend to be best, because of their high omega-3 ratios. The best way to find out which brands are kindest to their hens is to learn about the company. Purchasing eggs from your local farmers market and talking to the farmers about their practices is another way to learn about how the hens that laid the eggs you’re purchasing were raised. Want a fun way to use eggs? This is a trick R.D.s swear by.
