What are the indicators of healthy eggs?

The True Indicators of a Healthy Egg

If egg color doesn't matter, what does? When picking the healthiest eggs, you need to look beyond the shell and focus on how the hens were raised and what they were fed.

Pasture-Raised vs. Pasteurized Eggs

Pasture-raised eggs come from hens that can roam freely outdoors, soaking up the sunshine and foraging for their natural diet of seeds, green plants, insects, and worms.

Consequently, this process enriches the eggs with enhanced quantities of vital nutrients such as vitamins D and E and an elevated concentration of omega-3 fatty acids.

Pasteurized eggs, conversely, come from hens that are typically confined to crowded indoor spaces and fed a grain-based diet. While still safe to eat, these eggs lack the extra nutritional punch of their pasture-raised counterparts.

Organic and Vegetarian-Fed Labels Explained

Organic eggs come from hens fed without pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or fertilizers. These hens also have access to the outdoors. Choosing organic ensures you get eggs from hens that weren't exposed to questionable chemicals.

Vegetarian-fed eggs sound healthy, but chickens are omnivores who benefit from a varied diet, including insects. Unless the carton also says "organic," there's a good chance those vegetarian-fed hens were given GMO corn or soy.