Generally the first thing in the morning immediately pre-workout is the intake of healthy breakfast. Of course people must do healthy breakfast that includes consumption of protein, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. It is the fuel that gives us energy to perform our functions whole day long.
Eating eggs in the breakfast is one of the wisest options, because one egg packs essential material for maintaining good health. A single egg contains optimal amount of nine amino acids, 6 grams of High Quality Protein (the most affordable source of High Quality Protein). One egg contains 5 grams of good fats.
Egg is one of the only sources that contain vitamin D naturally. It also holds minute amount of vitamin A, B2, B6, B12, folic acid and minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus. The list elaborates further the nutritional values of a large egg weighing 53 grams.
Egg enrichment for health and marketing
Eggs are easily available, affordable, and healthy source of food. Therefore, it is preferred over other food in breakfast. Eggs are available in market with different labels like brown eggs, Omega-3 enriched eggs, cage-free eggs etc. When it comes to the selection of eggs, customer usually goes for a brown egg carton.
Have you ever pondered upon people’s this behavior? This is because; health conscious people believe that brown eggs are organic and healthier than conventional white eggs. Let’s address some ambiguities about eggs.
Why conventional eggs are white while locally produced are brown eggs
Hens with white ear lobes and white feathers lay white eggs, while hens with brown ear lobes and brown feathers lay brown eggs. There exist some species that lay blue or speckled eggs depending upon their type of breed. However, the shell colour has nothing to do with nutritional profile of an egg.
Are white eggs fragile as compare to brown eggs?
Not at all! Both white and brown eggs have the same thickness of shell. Hens, that lay eggs with harder shell, after a time lay eggs with delicate shell, no matter whether the hen is cage-free, home raised or Layer. Their capacity of producing hard shelled eggs decrease with the passage of time.
Why there is a difference in yolk colour and taste?
It is very common observation that home raised chickens lay eggs with darker yolk and definitely these eggs taste better. Shell colour is not responsible for that, but the diet of a hen matter. Home raised chickens are cage-free and wander here and there, hence peck variety of food.
They feed on corn and fat rich diet, therefore, these hens lay eggs with vibrant and savory yolk. The pleasant taste is not due to shell colour instead diet matters. If the layers are provided with same diet, there is probability of obtaining eggs with flavorful yolk. Secondly the freshness and cooking method also affect the taste. Sooner the egg is cooked, tastier it will be.
Impact of housing and environment
Yes! Environment and housing do matter, when we talk about eggs laying hens. Poultry flocks that are raised in controlled environment with scheduled poultry feed may contain traces of vitamin D. However, its counterpart roams in sunshine whole day long and closes ample amount of vitamin D in their eggs.
Use of prophylactics in poultry
Some people avoid white eggs, instead but brown eggs. The major factor that drives health conscious man to buy brown eggs is mere hen’s diet that lay these eggs. People believe that brown chickens are healthier because brown chickens are raised in natural environment and receive excess of sun rays, and these hens are not exposing to unnecessary use of prophylactics.
While poultry chickens are raised in controlled environment. The poultry ration includes drugs mingled with other feed ingredients and the poultry producers indiscriminately use antibiotic in poultry feed. There is possibility that their eggs will residues of these items and have potential to many health problems. This is the reason, why people tend to buy brown eggs rather than white eggs.
Definitely brown eggs are expensive
People love to eat healthy food. When it’s the matter of health, people don’t care about how expensive brown eggs are, customers buy them. This is because, customer believes that brown chickens are raised in open environment, peck different food and roaming in the Sun makes them healthy.
Additionally the housing, taming looking after them are hard processes as compare to conventional farm rising. Unlike farms the owner keep smattering of hens and supply fewer eggs to the market. Their high demand makes the price difference between brown and white eggs.
Nutritional facts
There are some myths and misconceptions that prevail among people, they think that cage-free and fertile eggs contain less amount of cholesterol and have more nutritional values than that of white eggs. On the contrary facts are, there exist no substantive nutritional difference in any kind of egg. The nutritional content is determined by chicken’s diet only.
Muhammad Shafi Hasni, Syeda Roshan-e-Tahir
Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad-Pakistan
*Corresponding author email: shafi.hasni@gmail.com