The Early Bird Gets the Worm

The early bird gets the WORM. ⁣Did you know that chickens are not vegetarians? ⁣
Birds love to eat bugs and grasses!⁣
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The words on the egg carton and the color of the yolk can tell you a lot about the quality of the eggs you buy. We compared three different eggs for you.
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Egglands Best

They brag about a vegetarian diet for their hens on the packaging because they think that you think that’s better, but it is not. That means they are eating grain (aka processed feed). We were surprised that the yolk was a medium yellow despite a grain fed diet. That's because they add vitamins and omega 3's to their feed. There is no mention of the lifestyle of the chickens so we assume they are held indoors without access to nature and pumped with hormones. No thanks.⁣

Trader Joes

Although "free range" these eggs had the lightest yolk of the three. Free range hens have access to the outdoors but we don't know for how long or when. Unfortunately there are not regulated standards on some of the variances of these words. Organic in this case basically means that they eat organic feed.

Alfresco by Vital Farms

These are pastured and hormone free hens. Pastured means they get to go outside often and eat their natural diet. We can tell because the yolks have a dark yellow-orange color. The white is more clear and bouncy, notice the tight circle in the photo. These hens are eating grass, bugs, and worms, meaning their diet naturally consists of more omega 3's. We're also suckers for that little leaflet about "the girls." We rank these the highest among all store bought eggs. Of course, buying eggs from your local farmer or a kind neighbor is a great option too.

Does it really matter?

Think about it like this. You buy some pay-less shoes. They get you around the block or get you to a night out on the town. However, if you have to wear those shoes ten miles a day, you’re going to want to upgrade. It’s kind of the same with food.

You are what you eat, so eat the best available to you.