Heather Prescott
Asking an athlete where he/she would be without protein is like asking a scientist where humans would be without gravity. They’re both a hands-down, necessary component of our everyday lives. Eggs are a part of every gym-junkie’s precious macronutrients and like many sources, can be misleading and low-quality. You’re probably thinking, well eggs can’t possibly be low-quality so I’m good there! Think again! With today’s technology and increased population comes supply and demand which most certainly compromises even the “incredible, edible egg.” Still not convinced? No worries, everyone’s thinking-cap can come loose a little bit so let me adjust that for you.
Look at it this way, long ago, many farmers thrived and had at least a small flock of hens to contribute to their local people but most of them are no longer around. This is because our nation is saturated with more people with the typical Varuka Salt’s “I want it now” mind-set, making it difficult for local farmers to keep up with. Let’s face it, we want our gains now too! Soon after along came “corporate” rich hot-shots practically giving every farmer the boot from business as they roll out their blue-prints to rack ‘em and stack ‘em, in efforts to generate massive revenue. Once you have something perfect, like an authentic, organic agriculture egg and then alter the “process” of maintaining that status, you are diminishing the quality. This now means that not all eggs are created equal and is where you need to know the value and difference, especially when it comes to one of our most beneficial types of essential amino acids.
Conventional Eggs VS Brown Eggs
Although all eggs share similar health benefits, this is where it gets tricky—and misleading which is where the “process” plays a very huge role. Most of our eggs today are conventional and white in color. These type of eggs come from a particular breed found in large “factory-farms” designed to pack in about 35,000 hens (or more).
Due to the lack of health and quality of the chickens results in the yolks to be a very faded yellow—(hint, hint). They’re stuffed in multiple buildings literally wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling in cages as big as a small filing cabinet, each building and cage beyond maximum capacity. Talk about crowded! I mean the term “packed like sardines” is definitely accurate, but given that’s what factory-farms do to chickens, they should change the context of that very saying because at least canned sardines are no longer alive, these hens are! Even the sardines seen swimming in schools have more room to move than these poorly treated animals.
No, I’m not writing on the behalf of PETA, I’m just a chick who is looking for that “extra-little-bit” of help in my health and gains who goes well out of her way to get as much information. Although these details seem rather similar to those awful stories we can’t bear to hear, all I’m doing is painting an elaborate picture to get my point across. After all, most of us are “visual learners.”
This type of confinement gives the birds absolutely no room to move or barely lift their wings. Since they are so crammed together their diet consists of other hens’ feces and dirt from hardly even getting the chance to make its way to eat from its designated container/bin. Great, poop and dirt?! Well, in that bin is filled with inexpensive, low-calorie grain-base feed supplemented with vitamins and minerals, even antibiotics and hormones. Really? MORE crap!? In addition, because they are unable to move around and exercise is why they cannot naturally grow any muscle mass—basically worthless meat which is also why steroids are injected on top of that. Wow, what a nice touch. This decreases the overall nutritious value (hence cheap costs) of the egg including the meat. This certainly isn’t appealing especially if we’re all on the bandwagon of “good, clean protein and calories.”
If you’re like me and go out of your way to eat organic as much as you can, this is where you have to be careful when purchasing “organic” as “corporate” has been slowly taking over. I couldn’t express more frustration for the fact that all I wanted (before I learned any better) was exactly what it states—ORGANIC, especially for what I’m paying and wasn’t (entirely) getting it. These eggs are typically brown in color which also come from a different breed as well—a common misconception that because they’re brown automatically makes them “organic,” (a silly assumption I was guilty of too). The yolks are however, a slightly darker yellow with a moderate increase to the nutritional value. Finally, we’re getting somewhere…
Free Range
Here’s the catch: Huh? There’s a “catch?” There sure is. When we think of “free range/cage-free,” we think of how the chickens are happily prancing around a large open grass area pecking and eating, like on a “natural” farm. That SHOULD be the case and it’s not because they too, have similar living conditions as the conventional chickens. No way! But these eggs are expensive, that can’t be! Sadly although they have no “cages,” yet they can still pack in as many birds not giving them adequate amount of “free-range” exercise and movement. “Corporate agri-buisness” for organic standards say that the hens must have “access” to the outdoors, but many investigated factory-farm producers have roughly less than a half-dozen 2X2 doors or one very small “screened-in porch” (to “meet the standards”). This obviously cannot accommodate that many birds so the vast majority of them still don’t see the light of day.
Some head-hancho’s dispute people who are concerned regarding their outside activity, responding to claims that the birds DON’T WANT to go outside. This is because they were born and raised INSIDE. They don’t know what OUTSIDE looks like. Even if the opportunity was there, odds are they’re not going to take it up by instinct. Let’s be generous now and say that they were born outside but have since been put inside long-term. Well, they’re not “humanly” like ‘Fog-Horn-Leghorn.’ They don’t have that kind of memory span, much less “feel like” doing anything they’re not used to or even having any “say-so” as they are a routine-type of animal. They are by law, free of any antibiotics and hormones. Hold your horses, that doesn’t make them “authentic organic agriculture” for what was just covered, including that their diet is STILL not truly organic. Seriously already!
Chickens are Not Vegetarian
The package states “veggie-fed” as an appealing factor and is not entirely true because hellooo! Chickens are not vegetarians! Granted that’s a whole lot better than the other type of feed while also consuming a lot of feces and dirt, but being that crammed, they still are. Having this “type” of access is not ideal or really considered legit outdoors as the few hens that do escape outside, are not likely in hospitable areas where they can peck and eat TRUE organic nutrients such as grass, insects, seeds, worms, etc. This is because a lot of the outside is mostly dried dirt and neglected property that would actually benefit the chicken if it was cared for the way it’s meant to be. Unfortunately, since they are in a building and not a “farm” is the reason for that. Pfffff—when it rains, it pours, huh!
Pastured Eggs
On the other hand, “pastured” eggs are 100% prime-time the best for you, worth every penny and considered authentic-organic. They’re not available in most grocery stores, not even in some of the best health-food stores with the exception of a select few, (although it’s been said you can call some and make arrangements). You are sure to find these type of eggs and meat at your local farmers market (and most of the time with a very fair price-tag, sometimes even cheaper). Either way, not only are you contributing to the economy by helping the local farmer thrive, but you’re no longer paying into “corporate” industries and inhumane farming.
These eggs come from legitimately happy hens which vary in shell color from the various breeds, but their yolks are a very dark yellow, sometimes mistaken as orange as a result in the highest quality. Pastured eggs have have 10 percent less fat, 40 percent more vitamin A, and 34 percent less cholesterol than eggs obtained from factory farms. They are constantly on a healthy piece of land, “freely” exercising for the better part of the day, pecking, and eating organic, earth-type feed as mentioned. This is also what makes the meat practically priceless. The nutrition sky-rockets the typical conventional egg and is still much better than the “corporate-organic” egg with far better taste to back it up, validating the slogan “the incredible, edible egg.” Oh-snap!
Corporate-organic eggs or even conventional eggs may not concern you and be just fine for your preference. But for those who are like me, always looking for something better, your “mom and pop’s” authentic organic agriculture eggs are your route to improved nutrition and protein, hands-down. However, this is merely just an FYI to help you understand the horrid process that goes about getting you what you want which overall can potentially affect your health, including your gains.
In the health and fitness industry, messing with someone’s gains is like robbery and unfortunately a lot of the corporations get away with it—every time. Although the difference in nutrition may not be in vastly amounts, but still, I know nickel-and-diming can also regard your well-being. Of course this doesn’t only apply to eggs as there are other stomach-turning procedures done with other protein sources and foods. Sadly, we can only tackle one issue at a time. Hopefully this was the trick to tightening your thinking-cap in which your breakfast, lunch, AND/or dinner could be a “thumbs-down” in quality, not being “eggs-actly” what you ordered.
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