EGGS: A Comparison Between Homegrown and Grocery Source

One time when I had lunch at my friend's house (with other Filipinas) I brought an egg with me (My eggs all come from my in-laws who raise chickens). Then I asked for an egg from my friend who was hosting the lunch, an egg which she buys from the grocery store. Both had brown shells. I wanted to compare and see for myself the truth in the photo in a magazine article my sister-in-law showed to me recently.

I was quite a bit careless when I cracked my friend's egg open; hence, the broken yolk. Regardless, it was still quite obvious how different the two are when placed side by side in this bowl.

I remember when I first came here, I was quite surprised at the almost-orange yolk, it made me wonder that maybe the brown shell had to do with it. Now I know better. And yes, that article reminded me about that first time I had an egg here. But during that time, I was comparing it to eggs that I was used to eating in the Philippines. This made me realize that those commercial eggs in PI are no better than the commercial factory farm-produced eggs here.

The physical appearance is only one clue as to the superior quality of eggs from chickens raised with tender loving care. A comprehensive comparison illustrated by a bar graph can be found in Mother Earth News's Chicken and Egg page. Nutrition-wise, they say:

In 1988, Artemis Simopoulos, co-author of The Omega Diet, found that eggs from
pastured hens in Greece contained 13 times more omega-3s than eggs from U.S.
supermarkets. In 1974, a British study found that eggs from pastured hens had 50
percent more folic acid and 70 percent more vitamin B12 than eggs from
factory-farmed hens. In 1997, a study in Animal Feed Science and Technology
found eggs from free-range chickens had higher levels of both omega-3s and
vitamin E than those from hens maintained in cages and fed commercial diets.
Most recently, in 2003, Pennsylvania State University researchers reported that
birds kept on pasture produced three times more omega-3s in their eggs than
birds raised in cages on a commercial diet. They also found twice as much
vitamin E and 40 percent more vitamin A in the yolks of the pastured birds.

Many vegetarians are forced to be so, even refusing to eat eggs because of cruelty to animals. While some cannot get themselves to slaughter (sacrifice) animals for their own consumption, others just plainly do not want to consume products raised under the most horrible conditions one can imagine (so they do not want to support such factory farms), as depicted in the video below, nor would they like to ingest such hormone-laden, probably previously sick products and have some dire health consequences.




Other related videos are the Meatrix I and II.

Have you noticed how the grocery stores are now teeming with "organic" produce? I am afraid it may be another "meatrix" where the produce is labeled as organic, but turns out to be another fantasy created by the profit hungry companies who want to take advantage of the "fad." If you feel at a loss now as to where to get foods you can trust (which can be quite a problem for the city dwellers), read here.

I feel privileged to have a taste of REAL GOOD FOOD, though not as completely as I would like it to be. Some people consider foods prepared in fancy restaurants as good food. To me, homegrown, safe, hormone-free, and healthy (as opposed to sick) nutritious foods are the real good foods.

I am contemplating on saving some money to have a contract with my SIL or MIL so they can raise chickens and pigs (in addition to beef) for my family's consumption (I do not have their expertise). There is also a local farm where the milk is organic and pasteurized (not homogenized). It may be quite costly, but the health benefits will be all worth it. Most of all, I will have the peace of mind on what I am feeding my family.