Guess which: One Of these Egg Yolks Is Actually From A HEALTHY Chicken!?

Among the most intriguing aspects of living in Brazil, is the different approach to food. We are connected to local farms from family and friends, spoiling us with organic homegrown everything. Relating to chicken eggs, the dimensions vary, the colors of the coverings vary yet if the egg originate from the family ranch, the yolks usually have a darker color. It is also thicker than the typical yellow yolk you find at the store.

In the United States all the eggs that can be bought at our regional supermarket are yellow. Organic, vegetarian or inexpensive; they are all yellow as well as the yolk is not as thick. Exactly what is the factor for this? Could it be that I and practically every person I know has been consuming eggs from undesirable chickens? Have you ever even seen an orange egg? It took me 30 years to find an egg from a healthy poultry. That’s crazy.

Having gone back to the states, Craigslist is the best path to accommodate my urban life with homestead flare searching for the darkest foods.

From Garden Betty… Last year, I compared my pasture-foraging, insect-pecking, soil-scratching, entire grain-feeding poultries’ yolks to the yolks of both their “free-ranging” as well as factory-farmed equivalents. They are accurately noticeable: Yolks from my homegrown eggs were not only darker orange, but also fuller and thicker. Even the eggshells were denser and harder to fracture. However what’s the huge deal about orange yolks? Besides being a coveted color, orange yolks are a sign of a well balanced and also extremely nourishing diet. A few things factor into the making of an orange yolk: xanthophylls, omega-3 fatty acids, and meats. Xanthophylls are a class of carotenoids. Carotenoids are natural plant pigments found in many fruits and vegetables. It’s often thought that beta-carotene, one of the more well-known carotenoids, accountables for providing yolks the orange pigment that people associate with carrots. But in reality, beta-carotene benefits yolks nutritionally, instead of colorfully. The carotenoids that cause much deeper yolk coloring are xanthophylls, which are much more conveniently absorbed in the yolks. (Lutein is one such xanthophyll, and a bunch of lutein suggests a whole lot more orange). Xanthophylls are found in dark leafy greens like spinach, kale and collards, as well as in zucchini, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly contained in flax seeds and sea kelp, which are both important components of my homemade whole grain chicken feed.

Also, did you know that chickens are not suggested to be vegetarian, no matter what your premium carton of organic/grain-fed/cage-free eggs tells you? Chickens are omnivores by nature and their healthiest diets include meats, such as mealworms, beetles, insects, grubs, and whatever creepy-crawly they can pull out of the ground. I’ve even come across chickens (those ballsy ones out in the boonies) attacking tiny rodents and snakes!