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A comment on The Healthiest Foods for Under $1.

Re:The Healthiest Foods for Under $1 by dc2k08 on Sunday January 18, 2009 @10:09PM (#439987)
please make those eggs free range !
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Healthiest Foods for Under $1 by ars on Monday January 19, 2009 @12:06AM (#440078)
Why? There is no difference, not in the egg, and not for the chicken.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Healthiest Foods for Under $1 by evgen on Monday January 19, 2009 @12:04PM (#440631)
It depends on whether you are talking about "free range" as defined by the ag department or "free range" eggs from chickens that are raised on open pasture. For the ag department definition it counts if there is a door in the coop to some outside area, even if the chickens never go outside and that outside area is just a fenced in bit of bare earth. Real pasture raised eggs both taste better and have more vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids and beta-carotene. They also have less cholesterol.

Depending on where you are at a good farmer's market is probably your best source. If you want to understand the difference just crack one pasture raised egg and one egg labeled as "free range" at the supermarket to compare the color of the yolk...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Healthiest Foods for Under $1 by gravitycop on Monday January 19, 2009 @12:22PM (#440659)
Real pasture raised eggs both taste better and have more vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids and beta-carotene. They also have less cholesterol.

According to the American Egg Board, that is not true: http://www.aeb.org/LearnMore/EggFacts.htm#freerange

True free-range eggs are those produced by hens raised outdoors or that have daily access to the outdoors. Due to seasonal conditions, however, few hens are actually raised outdoors. Some egg farms are indoor floor operations and these are sometimes erroneously referred to as free-range operations. [...] The nutrient content of eggs is not affected by whether hens are raised free-range or in floor or cage operations, but rather by the breed of chickens laying the eggs, and what those chickens are fed in their diet.

If one wanted more of certain lipids, and lipid-soluble nutrients, in his eggs, why would he not simply adjust the chicken-feed accordingly?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Healthiest Foods for Under $1 by evgen on Wednesday January 21, 2009 @02:06PM (#443625)
> According to the American Egg Board, that is not true

Did you actually read the whole bit there? They are talking about large commercial egg operations (which is the sort of "free range" eggs I said were merely overpriced gimmicks.) A pasture-raised chicken appears to produce better eggs according to tests referenced here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/Tests-Re... or you could examine the facts at nutritiondata (compare http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c200_S0000o180j0... to http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/11...)

There is a difference, it is quantifiable, and the claims made by the commercial egg producers is both incorrect and deceptive (big surprise there...)

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Healthiest Foods for Under $1 by ars on Monday January 19, 2009 @05:16PM (#440985)
If one wanted more of certain lipids, and lipid-soluble nutrients, in his eggs, why would he not simply adjust the chicken-feed accordingly?

And that's exactly what I do (err, buy). I buy egglands best eggs, and that's what they do, they adjust the feed to have less fat and cholesterol. It's costs a bit more, but you notice it in the egg, and it's commercially available.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Healthiest Foods for Under $1 by ars on Monday January 19, 2009 @05:13PM (#440982)
That was sort of my point: eggs from chickens raised on open pasture are not commercially available. If you get a box labeled "free range" it's meaningless. So why bother getting it.

The color of the yolk has nothing to do with free range, but rather if they eat beta carotene. You could simply add that to the feed and it would also change the color.

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Re:The Healthiest Foods for Under $1 by gravitycop on Wednesday January 21, 2009 @02:36PM (#443669)
The color of the yolk has [..] to do with [...] if they eat beta carotene.

Lutein. http://www.google.com/search?q=egg+yolk+color+lutein

[ Parent | on HN ]