A Guide to Egg Labels

Confused?

Confused on what eggs to buy at the store? This simple guide will help decipher the commonly used egg labels. This really has nothing to do with weight loss, but since I recommend whole eggs as part of a healthy diet, I thought my patients would find this interesting.

Clever Marketing

The most important fact I took from this is that the word “Natural” means nothing when used as an egg label since all eggs are natural. A healthy, well cared for chicken as well as an unhealthy, poorly cared for chicken both produce “Natural” eggs.   Also , the “United Egg Producers Certified” stamp means nothing more than the egg was produced for a supermarket.  It’s amazing how clever marketing can mislead consumers.

Yes, Chickens Eat Bugs

Another key feature is that a natural diet for chickens includes vegetation (like grass, weeds, wild fruits), bugs, and dirt. Chicken “feed” is truly not a natural diet for a chicken, since most feeds are grain based.  So, when possible, choose eggs from pasture raised chickens.

Backyard Chickens

Backyard chicken farming has become very popular in both suburban and urban settings. As little as 3 hens can produce two dozen fresh eggs per week.  If you have the space and the time, you can enjoy the benefit of knowing exactly where your egg came from. You can control the environment the chicken was raised and what it eats. Caring for backyard chickens is easier than most people think and has been compared to caring for a cat as far as time commitment.  Plus, their manure provides excellent fertilizer for your grass or garden.  They are relatively quiet animals (remember, you will not have a rooster, just hens) and since they love bugs, will help control the bug population in your yard without using chemicals.