The health benefits of farm fresh eggs

Epicurious.com

About a month ago I wrote about the wonders of backyard chickens. If that beautiful picture of the backyard coop in my previous post or the idea of making your neighbors wonder wasn't enough to convince you to have your own chickens, maybe this information might sway you. I thought I would share with you some of the benefits of eggs from chickens that are allowed access to fresh grass. Of course, you don't need to have chickens in your backyard to take advantage of healthy eggs. You can always frequent a local farm and purchase your farm fresh eggs too.

Read below about five of the benefits of eating eggs from chickens that are allowed access to pasture or grass, and let me know what some of your favorite egg recipes are.

Thanks to a 2007 study by Mother Earth News that took egg samples from 14 different flocks, we have some pretty good data to back up the claim that free range or pastured eggs are better for you. Here are some of the benefits:

1) Less Cholesterol: According to the study there was 1/3 less cholesterol in the free-range eggs. This is good news for an egg lover like me who also has a family history of high cholesterol.

2) Less Saturated Fat: Mother Earth News found 25% less saturated fat in the pastured chicken eggs. Saturated fat is a buzz word in the food world now, with reason, so anything with less is always a plus.

3) More Vitamin A and E: Vitamin A helps in all sorts of areas including vision, skin health, immune function, and so much more. There isn't as much information out there on Vitamin E, but I think we can assume it does have a purpose.

4) Extra Omega-3s: We are constantly learning more about the Omega-3s, but there has already been a lot of research pointing to benefits for people with heart concerns. Double the Omega-3s is a good thing!

5) They Just Taste Great: I suppose this is more of an anecdotal thing, but I believe pastured eggs just plain taste better.

Ethan Book grew up in a small Iowa town and attended the University of Northern Iowa . Along with his wife and two young children, Ethan oversees a growing herd of registered Dexter cattle and a flock of laying hens, and is expanding his operation on a small family farm in Southern Iowa. Ethan's blog, The Beginning Farmer, helps promote small-scale farming and sustainable agriculture. Ethan is also a youth pastor and a member of the American Dexter Cattle Association and Practical Farmers of Iowa.


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