Are organic eggs better for you?

When it comes to cooking eggs, we know that not all yolks are equal.

The healthiest way to get your morning dose is to poach or boil your eggs, avoiding any added oils, salts or saturated sauces that may come with frying.

But what about the actual eggs?

Theres a plethora of different eggy options out there, from organic to cage-free and its not entirely obvious exactly what the different types mean for the birds welfare and for the nutritional content of the egg.

So, does the way a chicken has been reared affect the health-value of the egg?

Well, not necessarily.

Eggs are essentially eggs, but eggs produced by free-range chickens tend to have a slightly better nutritional profile – especially if were talking about chickens who genuinely spend most of their time outdoors with plenty of space to roam.

Birds who get to eat insects and plants can transfer a wider array of nutrients into the eggs, while caged birds are fed a restrictive diet of chicken feed. We know that chickens who live beak-to-beak with other birds in cramped cages experience high cortisol levels and it doesnt seem beyond the realms of possibility that animals kept in those kinds of hellish conditions may well find their eggs affected by the stress.

Its worth saying that cage-free doesnt necessarily mean free-range; cage-free hens are simply chickens that arent housed in enclosures; they still might be raised in over-crowded hen houses with little-to-no time outdoors.

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The colour of the yolk can be a bit of an indicator when it comes to nutritional profile.

Yolks are sources of lutein and zeaxanthin – two important antioxidants that look after the health of your eyes. The deeper the yellow of the yolk, the higher the levels of these antioxidants. Hens reared on the waste products of the grain industry (i.e. those unable to get out and eat lots of tasty grasses and bugs) tend to produce lighter yolks.

As for the question of splashing out on organic eggs, it depends how keen you are on ingesting tiny amounts of chemicals.

Toxic pollutants have shown to be present in eggs thanks to the fact that hens feed has been produced in fields covered in pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and fertilisers.

Organic eggs also come from hens which not only are reared on chemical-free grasses, but theyve also not been treated with hormones (which fatten them up).

If youre looking for a vitamin D injection, you may be better off opting for pasture-raised eggs, which come from hens who are kept properly out in the open. Research has shown that eggs from hens who spend more time in the sun can contain up to six times more vitamin D than regular eggs.

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Oh, and you can get Omega-3 enriched eggs which come from hens who have been fed omega-3-rich feed (great for promoting healthy eyes and heart).

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Bearing in mind that Omega-3 tends to come from oily fish, thats a great option for vegetarians looking to up their load. But you can get the mineral from soybeans, nuts and seeds like walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseeds, as well as canola oil.

So its probably better to think about your eggs from a humane angle; happier hens = healthier eggs.

The nutritional difference is actually pretty minimal and you could get the tiny differences in vitamin and mineral content from other sources. But if you can afford to spend a little extra on eggs that come from happier hens, you could also see the nutritional content of your eggs improve a little.

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