Have you ever seen Forrest Gump? If you haven’t, then jump in your car and take a trip to your local Blockbuster and grab a copy, or just stream it on Netflix or Amazon Prime or HBO Max or Hulu or Tubi (what the hell is Tubi). My, how times have changed. We at least had to get off our backends and go to a movie rental place and walk the aisles and search for a movie to watch. We’d burn off our popcorn before the movie was injected into the VCR player. Anyway, I love the scene when you listened to all the different ways shrimp could be prepared and made. So I made my own script for my topic today… see if you can guess what it is. “You can boil them, scramble them, poach them, bake them, fry them, pickle them, coddle them (it’s a thing), steam them and devil them (muhahaha). There’s uh, quiche, frittata, egg-clairs (just kidding), strata, souffle and meringues.”

If you haven’t figured it out, my blog will be dedicated to the egg, the incredible edible egg. Eggs have gotten a bad rap and have been blamed for some really serious crimes against humanity but I’m here to set the record straight. First I need to be clear on something… egg quality matters and one egg sitting in a carton on your grocery store shelf can have vastly different nutritional value than another egg sitting in a carton next to it.

Allow me to take you through the label designations. The least desirable are the conventional eggs. This type of egg comes from chickens raised in large commercial farms. Their wings and beaks are often clipped and they’re kept in small cages on top of one another (and the bottom ones get pooped on the most). Next are cage-free eggs. These are similar to conventional eggs as the chickens that lay these eggs still get their beaks and wings clipped and live in close quarters with minimal sunlight and no guaranteed access to the outdoors. Then we come to free-range eggs. This name is sneaky because it does guarantee that chickens have some access to the outdoors for at least a portion of their lives but the amount of time and quantity of space outdoors can vary (and I’ll let you guess how much time they get on the tiny concrete patio they have access to). Now we move to certified organic. This means the chickens who laid these eggs were given certified organic feed, free from chemicals and antibiotics which limits your exposure to harmful pesticides. These chickens are also uncaged and free to roam outdoors, so technically, they’re also known as organic free-range eggs (better for you and the chickens). Finally, the healthiest eggs to buy are pasture-raised. This is the gold standard. These come straight from chickens raised on a pasture, which typically indicates that they could freely roam with full access to sunlight. These chickens eat an organic diet, complete with bugs and worms for nourishment. Lastly, pasture-raised eggs are free of hormones and antibiotics.

Your next vibrant habit is really a one time grocery store research project! The next time you go shopping, spend several minutes looking through the different egg cartons and note the labels and designations. The prices differ quite a bit so see if what type of egg your budget allows for. Start with the pasture raised and move down the line until you feel comfortable with the cost and make it a habit of upgrading your eggs. Also keep this in mind… pasture raised eggs have more than double the total amount of omega-3 fatty acids and less than half the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids! This makes them an amazing source of healthy fats. Pasture-raised eggs are a high quality protein source. Amazingly, one egg has about 6.3g of protein! These eggs also contain all 9 essential amino acids. Pasture-raised eggs are a rich source of dietary cholesterol. Did you know that every single cell in your body is made of cholesterol and your brain is 20-30% cholesterol? That’s how important it is for optimal health! Pasture-raised eggs are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. They’re practically nature’s multivitamin! They are a rich source of selenium, phosphorus, Vitamin B12, Cobalamin, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and more! Vibrant (humanely treated) chickens… vibrant eggs… vibrant you! So, what are you waiting for? There’s, uh veggie omelets, egg muffins, egg salad, hard boiled eggs, egg bread, eggs in a window, egg drop soup, fried egg sandwich, egg noodles…