Cage eggs
These eggs account for most eggs sold in Australia. They come from hens kept in battery-style cages with little room or freedom for movement.
Vegetarian eggs
Most consumers see "vegetarian" and assume this is a healthier egg. In fact, in order for eggs to be vegetarian, the hens must be on a completely animal-free diet and this means they cannot be allowed to roam free range as they naturally forage for insects and worms outdoors. These eggs are therefore usually from cage-kept hens fed a vegetarian diet.
Barn-laid eggs
These are from hens that are housed in a large shed rather than cages. They have enough room to walk around and flap their wings, but do not have the same space as free-range birds.
Omega-3 eggs
These are from hens fed a diet high in omega-3 fats and vitamin E to boost the content of these essential nutrients in the eggs. These may be either free range or cage-kept hens — read the label to be sure. Those labelled "naturally richer in omega-3s" are usually from hens allowed to roam free range and consume a more natural diet, including grass.
Free-range eggs
These are from hens with access to an outdoor run during daylight hours. The hens have more space than cage-kept hens. Free-range eggs enriched with omega-3s are the next best choice after organic eggs.
Organic eggs
These are eggs from hens fed certified organic feed — without the use of pesticides, insecticides and artificial fertilisers. The hens cannot be fed antibiotics and conditions must comply with strict humane practice codes. These eggs tend to be naturally richer in many nutrients, including omega-3 fats and vitamin E, due to the high quality of feed used. They are usually more expensive as a result.
With so many varieties available, you'd be excused for cracking under pressure when trying to decide which eggs to buy.
Nutritionist Joanna McMillan Price explains the differences between caged, free-range, vegetarian, omega-3 and organic eggs.
Eggs were once in. Then they were out … and now no-one really knows where they stand. Are eggs healthy or not? The confusion has arisen because of the many sides of the humble egg.
On one hand, the egg comes pretty close to being the perfect food, providing many of our required nutrients. Egg white is almost entirely protein and contains all the essential amino acids we need, while egg yolk contains numerous vitamins and minerals (so don't throw it away). On the other hand, eggs are high in cholesterol and the yolk is a considerable source of fat, providing 65 percent of the total energy of the whole egg.
When it was first realised that blood cholesterol levels were related to heart disease, it seemed a logical jump to assume that cholesterol in food would have a major impact on blood cholesterol levels. This led to the advice to eat less cholesterol and eggs hit the bad foods list. Add to this the obsession with eating low-fat foods and eggs certainly lost favour.
However, scientific research later showed that the major dietary influence on blood cholesterol is saturated fat, with dietary cholesterol having far less impact.
The reason for this is that cholesterol in the blood comes from both diet and cholesterol produced in the liver — if you eat less cholesterol, your liver will produce more and vice versa. Saturated fat, on the other hand, affects how much cholesterol the liver produces.
Current dietary advice to maintain healthy cholesterol levels therefore focuses on reducing saturated fat and replacing it with healthier unsaturated fats.
Eggs contain around five grams of fat per egg, but less than half of this comes from saturated fat. The type of egg you buy further influences the type of fats present. Free-range eggs may have a healthier fat profile than cage eggs. One study compared the nutrient profile of eggs from a US supermarket (from battery hens fed a commercial feed) with those from a Greek village (free-range hens fed a traditional grain diet) and they found a phenomenal difference in the type of fats present.
The Greek eggs contained less saturated fat and far more of the healthy fats, especially omega-3 fats. These are known to reduce risk of heart attack, are important in maintaining healthy blood and essential for brain development and function.
The feed given to the hens is clearly a crucial factor and you can now purchase cage eggs high in omega-3s. However, since we also know that animal exercise affects the fat levels in meat, this may also make a difference to the fats found in eggs.
Free-range hens are clearly more active than caged. This subject is hotly debated by egg producers, with some arguing that an egg is an egg. We say free-range hens must be happier and this is reason enough to buy their eggs. If we also get better nutrition from them, so much the better.
So not only are eggs not bad, they can make a significant healthy contribution to your diet. If you already have high blood cholesterol, it's probably best to limit yourself to around four per week, but otherwise if you like to have eggs for breakfast, go ahead and enjoy.
Be careful with the added extras though — butter in scrambled eggs or cheese in an omelette can add a lot of the wrong kind of fat. Otherwise go for poached or boiled eggs and add your choice of wilted spinach, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and wholegrain or sourdough bread. Delicious!
1 medium sized egg (48g) provides:
- 303kJ (73 calories)
- 5.3g fat, of which 1.4g saturated fat
- 206mg cholesterol
- 0.1g carbohydrate
- 6.2g protein
Taken from ninemsn.
