When it comes to eggs, there are so many options to choose from, and that can make navigating the dairy aisle a bit challenging.
Between the different colors, sizes, and labels, you might be left scratching your head at the grocery store.
Don’t let this misunderstanding stop you from whipping up some eggs, as they’re loaded with benefits. “All eggs are a good source of protein and vitamin D, have brain-healthy choline, some lutein for healthy eyes, and are naturally gluten-free,” says Maggie Moon, R.D.N., and author of The MIND Diet.
However, conventional eggs don't give you a ton of extra perks beyond the basic nutritional benefits of eggs. “These eggs come from hens living in cages where they are fed food and water,” says Moon. (Oh, the ambiguity.)
If you’re worried about what’s going in your body, you might want to take a step or two up and purchase eggs with labels offering more distinctions and reassurance. “Nutritionally speaking, what the hen eats impacts the nutrition you get out of the egg,” Moon says. “There are also environmental and animal welfare issues. Depending on what’s important to you, there’s probably an egg out there for you,” she adds.
Out of all the many egg varieties, Moon recommends organic eggs. They offer a bit more protection when it comes to health, as they’ve needed to be regulated by USDA organic standards, says Moon.
“Namely, they come from hens raised on certified organic feed, are cage-free, and free-roaming,” says Moon. Getting that access to organic food can guarantee a safer egg, and the access to move around, without being contained in a cage, makes for a more humane and happier lifestyle for the chicken. What’s more, “antibiotics and growth hormones are never used,” says Moon, so you can be certain there won’t be any whacky additives.
Other great options in Moon's book: free-range and nutritionally-fortified eggs. Hens who produce eggs that are free-range labeled have had access to the outdoors, as well as a more natural diet. “Their diet is grain-based, but they may also forage for wild plants and insects. Sometimes they’re called pasture-fed,” says Moon. Meanwhile, eggs that are fortified with omega-3, lutein, or vitamin E are great options for people who are lacking in healthy fats (say, they don't eat seafood). "I look for eggs with more omega-3s because it’s a brain-healthy nutrient that’s harder to get enough of," Moon says.
Meanwhile, don't get suckered in by eggs labeled antibiotic-free or grain-fed, as neither of them have that much meaning. “The FDA requires that eggs contain no residues of antibiotics," says Moon. So if an egg carton has an antibiotic-free claim on it, it likely means that there were no antibiotics in the food and water during growth or laying time, says Moon. But manufacturers tend to be fast and loose with that label, so if going antibiotic-free is important to you, just go organic so you know exactly what you're getting. And "grain-fed" might sound great in theory but since chickens are omnivores, not vegetarians, this doesn't do much. By eating grain-fed chicken eggs, you might actually lose a bit of nutritional value. “An all grain-fed chicken will fall short on methionine, an essential amino acid without which, they will get sick,” says Moon. Go with a label that specifies organic or free-range instead.
And remember: egg color doesn’t matter, as it doesn’t influence taste or nutrition. So don't fall into the trap of paying more for brown eggs. They are exactly the same as their white egg counterparts—they just come from a different breed of hen.
Now, you can dig into your breakfast frittata, confident that you made the right decision at checkout.