Note from Lara: I wrote this blog post for Agriculture.com earlier this week and want to also share it here as I think the information is really helpful. Reprinted with permission from Meredith Corporation and Agriculture.com.
I’m switching gears just a little with this blog post to talk a bit about eggs. With so many egg choices in the supermarket, it can feel challenging to pick the right eggs for your family.
I’m here to tell you that whatever eggs you pick, you’re getting an excellent source of protein and other nutrients. You really can’t go wrong and a simple comparison of two egg brands will show you that an egg really is an egg. Check this out:
Regular supermarket brand – Conventionally raised with animal husbandry practices certified by the United Egg Producers (UEP)
- Calories – 70
- Total fat – 5
- Cholesterol – 185 mg
- Sodium – 70 mg
- Potassium – 70 mg
- Total carbohydrates – 0
- Protein – 6 g
- Vitamin A – 6%
- Calcium – 2%
- Iron – 4%
- Vitamin D – 10%
- Riboflavin – 15%
- Vitamin B6 – 4%
- Folate – 6%
- Vitamin B12 – 8%
- Phosphorus – 10%
- Zinc – 4%
Branded eggs – Raised “Free Range” and also Certified Humane and Non-GMO Project Verified
- Calories – 70
- Total fat – 5
- Cholesterol – 185 mg
- Sodium – 70 mg
- Potassium – 70 mg
- Total carbohydrates – 0
- Protein – 6 g
- Vitamin A – 6%
- Calcium – 2%
- Iron – 4%
- Vitamin D – 10%
- Riboflavin – 15%
- Vitamin B6 – 4%
- Folate – 6%
- Vitamin B12 – 8%
- Phosphorus – 10%
- Zinc – 4%
Check out the numbers and percentages and you will see that everything is identical! The only thing that’s different between the egg brands I compared is the price. The supermarket version was the cheapest dozen eggs I could find in my local grocery store. The other egg brand was significantly higher.
I promise I’m not here to pit brand vs. brand. I personally buy the cheapest supermarket brand of eggs because I know many egg farmers who raise eggs conventionally for consumers and I am confident that I am getting a high quality product from farmers who care for their hens. I’m also not worried about GMO vs non-GMO because the science shows that GMOs are completely safe.
If you prefer, however, free range or organic or even brown eggs instead of white eggs, that’s totally fine with me. There are eggs available for a variety of markets at a variety of different price points. That is, in my opinion, one of the great things about agriculture in the U.S. – our many food choices available to us!
Just know that whatever eggs you buy, you are getting eggs with the same essential nutrients, vitamins and protein. Some eggs may have some additional nutrients because of what’s added to their feed (for instance, flax will provided added omega-3’s), but all eggs have the same basic nutrition profile!
For more information on egg nutrition, click here. And if you are interested in how quickly eggs make it from the farm to the grocery store, check out this blog post I wrote for AskTheFarmers.com.
Aren’t eggs truly incredible?
3 Comments on The Basics of Egg Nutrition
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Interesting! We raise pastured chickens for our own use, and for a few loyal, local customers. I love having my own eggs…super fresh…and yes, they do taste great…but it’s good to know that the ones from the supermarket are just as good nutritionally if I need to buy them! I’d never seen the numbers before.
Thanks Alica! I’m so glad my information was helpful – I’ve been meaning to do this comparison for a while and I found it very interesting as well. I love eggs of all kind – so it’s nice to know the basic nutrition is the same. Good luck with your chickens!!
Lara
Love the information! Although I don’t prefer eggs, I struggle to find proteins I can eat, so have been trying to eat more eggs. Thanks for sharing at country fair blog party!