You really are what you eat: A tale of two eggs

Have you heard the expression, "You are what you eat"? This might call to mind images of heads sprouting into fast food cheeseburgers. Seriously though, have you ever wondered what the food you ate might have eaten, or was fed? If we are what we eat, and the food we eat is what it ate, than aren't we what they ate also. Huh? Perhaps an illustration might help better explain the thought I'm trying to communicate. 

Food chain -

Image from the Victoria Dept. of Education

You've probably heard of the food chain, or web. Princeton's Wordnetweb defines the food chain as basically "a community of organisms where each member is eaten in turn by another member" (1). This is depicted by the image at left which shows a very simple marine community food chain. So, this brings me to my tale.

The tale of two eggs -

It all began when I was making a recipe which required two eggs. One egg, the last in a carton I bought from the grocery store, came from a "cage free/grain fed" hen. The other was in a dozen I purchased from my local food co-op. This egg came from a foraging pastured hen raised on a north Texas family farm. As I attempted to crack the food co-op egg into the bowl, I noticed that the shell seemed thicker than the grocery store egg (a result of a diet providing the hen with more available calcium for egg shell formation) (10). However, what surprised me most was the difference in appearance between these two eggs. As you can see from the photo, the egg on the top is larger, has a much deeper yolk color and a cloudier egg white compared to the egg on the bottom.

Having been raised in the suburbs of Chicago and a suburbanite ever since, what I know about farming or livestock could fill a thimble.  What I did know was that both of these eggs came from chickens, and I expected them to be rather similar. So, this got me to wondering: 

1. why are these two eggs different from each other? 
2. what might these differences mean from a nutritional standpoint? 
3. which egg represents the healthier option? 

Prior to buying eggs from the local food co-op, I assumed I was making a wise purchase by choosing eggs from the grocery store that were marked as coming from "cage-free, grain fed" hens, and I felt the increased cost was justified because of this label. But all was not as it seemed in the land of eggs. As they say in the literary world, "the plot thickens". This tale of two eggs has reminded me, yet again, of the importance of being an informed consumer and it also underscores the need for "buyer beware".

Cage free vs. free range vs. pastured -

The carton my store bought eggs came in clearly states the eggs inside are from "cage-free/grain fed" hens. Okay, I'm sheepishly disclosing that the egg carton's labeling brought images to my mind of chickens happily roaming freely out in the sun and fresh air in a pleasant, green pasture, pecking away to their heart's content. The reality is that "cage free" simply means that the chickens don't live in cages. Admittedly, this is an improvement over the living conditions of caged chickens. However, according to the Humane Society of the United States, "hens laying eggs labeled as 'cage-free' [live] uncaged inside barns or warehouses, but they generally do not have access to the outdoors." Unlike caged birds, "they can engage in many of their natural behaviors such as walking, nesting and spreading their wings", although the cutting of their beaks is permitted (2).  Ouch. This type of existence is a far cry from my naive and idyllic view of how I thought cage free chickens lived.

Free range -

Free range chickens sound even better than cage free, right? Not necessarily. The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources states that free range eggs actually come from chickens that are generally allowed to "graze or roam outdoors" (3). This sounds great in theory, but is this what is actually happening? Evidently, not very often (4). My understanding is that there are no certifications in the US that pertain to "free range" eggs, only to free-range chickens sold for their meat. As a result, the words "free range" can be loosely interpreted and even more loosely applied. For example, in many cases "free ranging" chickens may have access to a tiny doorway in the building where they are confined. The door may be opened for only five minutes, and perhaps only 2 chickens exit through it, but this still qualifies a farm to state its chickens are free-ranging. "No other criteria such as environmental quality, number of birds, or space per bird, are included in the term free-range" (4).

Now, some of you might be saying that this kind of cruelty to animals is a logical reason why we should not eat animal products. However, the purpose of this post isn't to discuss the issues pertaining to a vegan vs. non-vegan lifestyle.  So, I am not going to delve into the very real problems inherent in the large scale production of eggs that result from our consumption and desire for an inexpensive product. A primary concern for us as food consumers is that we should be able to make informed decisions and choices about what we eat. This tale of two eggs highlights that the product labeling on egg cartons can be misleading and the eggs inside the carton, forgive the pun, might not be what they're cracked up to be. So, back to the tale and the pastured eggs I purchased from the food co-op.

Pastured -

The food co-op egg carton's label said their eggs came from pastured hens.  Wondering what the term "pastured" really meant, I took my question straight to the source. According to Mrs. Connie Hale, who runs Windy Meadows Family Farm with her husband Mike and their children, the term "pastured" on their farm means that their "hens spend almost their entire life spans on grassy turf, most often protected [from predators] in large, movable bottomless pens, or electric netting enclosures." In this way, the chickens "have direct access to the forage and insects that make up their natural diet. The chickens are usually 'locked up' at night for added protection from predators, but at the first light of day are released to begin another day in the fresh outdoors."

Big differences between cage free, free range and pastured hens -

If you'd like a better appreciation of the differences between the way factory farm eggs are produced vs. the sustainable, family scale agricultural way of producing eggs check out the video below:

You can find the Cornucopia Institute's Organic Egg Scorecard here.

Chickens are what they eat too -

Eating eggs that come from hens raised on pasture have benefits beyond the more humane and sustainable aspects of this type of farming. Connie Hale from Windy Meadows Family Farm, also mentioned that because chickens are omnivores there are definite positive effects to the health of the hens and their eggs when they spend most of their lives outdoors foraging on the pasture in the fresh air and sunlight. This is because the natural diet of chickens consists of insects, worms, green plants, and seeds, among other things.  This type of diet includes more diversity than the feed grain mix that most caged, cage-free, or free range chickens are fed (7). So, this answers my first question: Why are the two eggs in my tale different? They are different because of the hen's diet.

Nutrition benefits from pastured eggs -

As Connie so aptly put it, "Everyone is healthier when he eats his greens, even our animals." Science is finding that animals allowed free access to pasture are generally healthier. Researchers have found that pastured foraging hens receive more beta carotene, magnesium and other vitamins and minerals than do animals who are not able to forage. When animals eat this type of diet this also translates into a healthier diet for those of us who eat the products that come from these animals (5).

One study by Penn State's College of Agricultural Science showed that "compared to eggs of commercial hens, eggs from pastured hens had twice as much vitamin E and long-chain omega-3 fats, more than double the total omega-3 fatty acids and less than half the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids" (5).  Western diets tend to be higher in omega-6's than omega-3's, but scientific evidence suggests that "higher dietary omega-3 intakes are associated with reductions in heart disease" (6). You can read more about the health benefits of these fats here. Researchers also found that the Vitamin A concentration was "38 percent higher in the pastured hens' eggs than in the commerical hens' eggs. Their research shows that nutrient levels present in the eggs are responsive to dietary changes in the hens.

Another study found that as compared to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data for commercial "factory-farm" eggs, the eggs from hens raised on pasture contain:

• one third less cholesterol 
• one quarter less saturated fat 
• two thirds more vitamin A
• two times more omega-3 fatty acides
• three times more vitamin E
• seven times more beta carotene (this explains the bright orange color of the yolk)!
• three to six times as much vitamin D (it's good to get a little sun)! An example of what this translates to in our diet is "two scrambled eggs from pastured hens may give you 63 to 126 percent of the recommended daily intake of 200 International Units of vitamin D" (6). You can read more about Vitamin D here.

Well, that answers my other two questions. Eggs from pastured hens are more nutritious than conventionally produced "factory farm" eggs. So, considering the nutritional benefits, along with the more humane and sustainable farming practiced in raising pastured hens, for my dollar, the food co-op egg is the better choice. I would much rather support a small, local, family farm that raises their eggs in a humane, responsible and sustainable way. Best selling author Michael Pollan says it best - We can become responsible consumers. Consumers and farmers have shown with the organic movement "how they can work together as co-creators of an alternative food system.  We need to join together now, to recruit a larger and larger army of co-creators, to rewrite the rules of the game and create a different kind of food system" (9). 

I wish I could say this this tale ends happily ever after, but I can't. The underlying issues still remain. As Michael Pollan points out, we consumers have the ability to force a change in food labeling and production processes. However, until this occurs the tale continues.  Change is difficult and often requires concessions. As is evidenced by the price of the pastured eggs I purchased, one concession for consumers will come in the form of paying higher food prices. For many, this economy has brought a time of uncertainty where just getting any food on the table is difficult enough. Never the less, I encourage you to consider that cheap food is really more expensive in the long run.  This is because it's generally lacking in nutrients. As a result, it leads to more disease and higher medical costs (8). There really is no escaping the fact that we are what we eat.

PS - In case you were wondering...which egg in the photo was from the foraging pastured hen? The top egg.
What does a cloudy egg white mean? "Cloudy egg whites usually indicate very fresh eggs" (3).


Sources
(1) Princeton Wordnetweb -  http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=food%20chain
(2) Humane Society http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/guide_egg_labels.html 
(3) University of California Dept. Natural Resources - http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8154.pdf
(4) United Poultry Concerns - http://www.upc-online.org/freerange.html 
(5) Penn State University - http://live.psu.edu/story/47514
(6) Linus Pauling Institute - http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa/
(7) Mother Earth News - http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/health-benefits-free-range-eggs.aspx
(8) Dr. Mark Hyman  - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-quick-cheap-food-is-a_b_681539.html
(9) Ecoliteracy Michael Pollan - http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/we-are-what-we-eat 
(10) Skyline College - http://www.skylinecollege.edu/case/biol215/docs/eggshell.pdf 

Should I take vitamin and mineral supplements?

Health weight loss and balanced nutrition - 

Ideally, the calories a person consumes in a day would equal the calories they used for the day.  This calorie balance would help ensure that a person’s weight would remain in a balanced state.  Unfortunately, many of us struggle with using all the calories we get from our daily food consumption and as a result, we gain weight. One of the challenges in weight loss diet planning is reducing the daily caloric intake to a level below what is needed for daily energy requirements, and still consuming all the necessary nutrients needed for good health. If the nutrient amounts from foods in the weight loss diet fall short “subclinical deficiencies” (Whitney, Rolfes, 2008) in vitamins and minerals may result.  Subclinical deficiencies are those where the symptoms of a deficiency are not at a level that is as easily measured or observable by symptoms as are clinical deficiencies (Whitney, Rolfes, 2008). In either case, vitamin and/or mineral supplements may be appropriate and helpful.

Vitamins and minerals are vital - 

It is important to understand how vital vitamins and minerals are to our health. Vitamins are “organic, essential nutrients required in tiny amounts to perform specific functions that promote growth, reproduction, or the maintenance of health and life,” as defined by Whitney and Rolfes (2008). There are a total of 13 vitamins which are classified by whether they are either water soluble or fat soluble.  Regardless of how they are classified, they all play an essential role in our wellness.  To illustrate just how significant vitamins are one only has to look at the “nearly 1.5 million children worldwide” who are blind because of Vitamin A deficiency (University of California at Davis, 2006). We are fortunate because this type of deficiency on a scale like this is rarely seen in the United States.

Unlike vitamins, minerals are inorganic elements.  They are classified as major (greater than 5 grams) or trace, depending on the quantity of the mineral needed and present in the body (Whitney, Rolfes, 2008).  Minerals are just as vital to our health as vitamins.  This is demonstrated by the condition of osteoporosis, which is a result of a calcium deficiency. Clearly, a healthy diet consisting of a variety of nutrient rich foods that provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals is imperative to our health and wellness. 

Nutritional deficiencies - 

Unfortunately, in America and many first world nations, it is more common to see deficiencies of vitamins and minerals occurring not from a lack of food available to eat, but because the foods many Americans choose to consume do not contain essential nutrients.  Prepared, packaged, convenience and fast foods have replaced fresh foods that contain a variety of vitamins and minerals. Over consumption of these types of fast foods, along with a more sedentary lifestyle, has lead to a the calorie imbalance. Many of the calories found in packaged and fast foods can be described as empty, that is not very nutrient dense. Over time, this type of poor nutrition can lead to the subclinical deficiencies of nutrients, as well as obesity and other diseases. 

Most of us trying to lose weight will turn to a diet plan.  Unfortunately, this plan may come in the form of the latest and greatest fad diet being advertised. Who can resist the quick and absolute results that many of these diets claim? There are a multitude of diet books that contain unbalanced diet plans suggesting dieters eat only certain foods and completely limit or omit others.  When dieters base their weight loss plan on these types of diets they can become dangerously deficient in some of the necessary vitamins and minerals, as well as other nutrients that the body needs for optimum wellness. In addition, restrictive diets are often difficult or impossible to maintain as a long term, healthy lifestyle.  Doctors at the University of Southern California agree and experts at the Mayo Clinic also suggest that when it comes to weight loss or maintenance, “focus should be on developing eating habits you can follow for a lifetime.”

An essential key to success in avoiding vitamin and mineral deficiencies when dieting is to consult an expert.  A nutritionist or registered dietitian can plan a weight reduction diet that meets the recommended daily allowance or adequate intake levels of nutrient rich whole foods that will provide a dieter with those important vitamins and minerals needed for good health.  If a low calorie diet is found lacking in some of these nutrients, then the dietetics professional can also suggest which vitamin and/or mineral supplements are needed and at what amounts they should be taken. Getting a professional recommended dose of a particular supplement will help discourage the over consumption of supplements which can sometimes lead to toxic overdose. If consulting a nutritionist or registered dietitian isn't an option, you can also talk with your doctor, or there are plenty of other good sources of information available. Just make sure they are reputable.  Here are a few online references that may be helpful: http://ods.od.nih.gov/,  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/vitamin/index-eng.php, http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=5554, http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/default.htm, www.usp.org. The table below also outlines the dietary reference intakes (DRI's) and daily values (DV's) of nutrients. 

table from Jane Higdon PhD, Linus Pauling Institute

Benefits of whole foods -

The case for getting most of the nutrients we need from eating whole foods continues to get stronger. Experts now understand that the nutrients, vitamins and minerals contained in whole foods often work synergistically.  For example, foods containing Vitamin C also contain something called bioflavonoids. When we eat a food containing Vitamin C we are also eating the bioflavonoids which interact and cooperate with the Vitamin C. This effect found in nature is difficult to replicate with a supplement pill. As a result of our increased understanding of the interactions between the phytochemicals found in our plant foods, experts are suggesting that certain supplements be taken together. This example of synergy highlights why whole foods are preferred over supplements as the best source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.  Research is continually illuminating the complex interaction of the phytochemicals found in plant foods and their benefits to us when we eat them.  

Yet another point in favor of getting our nutrients from a healthy diet rich in whole foods is the fact that it can be difficult for our bodies to absorb the vitamins and minerals in supplements.  Consider that some vitamins need to be taken with food, while others should be taken on an empty stomach.  There are also vitamins and minerals that should not be taken while eating certain foods or taking specific prescription medications because negative interactions can occur.

Last, but certainly not least, it is important to remember that vitamin and mineral supplements are an unregulated industry.  Supplement manufacturers are not required to prove the safety and effectiveness of what they are selling.  As consumers of these products it’s up to us to become informed and educated about supplements. Of course, there are reputable manufacturers, but buyer beware. The US Food and Drug Administration has a helpful resource to help consumers make informed decisions about supplements found here.

 The bottom line - “all the nutrients we need can come from food, so why not just eat food?” (Whitney, Rolfes, 2008) This isn't to say that supplements aren't without merit. This statement just underscores the importance of choosing healthy, whole foods to decrease the risk of health issues, like overweight/obesity along with nutrient deficiencies, that often result from poor nutrition.  By eating healthy foods that pack a big nutritional punch we can maintain or reduce our weight without the latest and greatest diet craze and expensive supplement pills or drinks.  Nutritional supplements are important, especially in cases where our diet doesn't provide all the vitamins and minerals we need for good health. However, it's important to remember that vitamin and mineral supplements aren't a replacement for eating nutrient rich, healthy foods. Their purpose is simply to supplement where our diet falls short.

We need to eat like our lives depend on it, 

because they do! 

Just a little food for thought.

Sources
D’Adamo, P. (2007). Eat right 4 your type. Retrieved November 15, 2007 from    http://www.dadamo.com/knowbase/newbie/1.htm
Whitney, E., Rolfes, S. (2008). Understanding nutrition. (11th ed.). California: Thomson Wadsworth.
University of California at Davis. (2006). Disease in third world countries: how biotechnology can help. Retrieved November 15, 2007 from  http://cosmos.ucdavis.edu/2006/cluster1_final_projects/IThvedtdisease_in_third_world_countries-4.ppt#256,1,Disease in Third World Countries
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/78/3/517S?maxtosh%20ow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=apples&searchid=1%20&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIThttp://images.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q.a/01/15/vitamins.absorption.jampolis/index.html
http://www.phytochemicals.info/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavonoid