Love eggs and don’t want to give them up? I hear ya! They are such a versatile food. We all have our favourite way to eat eggs. Whether that’s scrambled on sourdough, perfectly poached, fried sunny side up or boiled with soldiers…eggs are the perfect comfort food. Plus, that’s just the beginning….there’s quiche, frittata and pretty much every cake you’ll ever bake.
For me, giving up eggs was a gradual process probably because I saw them as the least offensive and most healthy of all the animal products. I didn’t understand why eating eggs was cruel and so I did some research before committing to giving up one of my favourite foods.
Unfortunately, what I found out was not pretty. Whilst I won’t get into all the nitty-gritty details, I will share some facts simply because I think it’s important that we all know where our food comes from and how it is produced. Like always, I encourage you to do your own research and make your own decisions when it comes to your diet. You need to do what’s right for you.
- Chickens in the wild only produce 12-20 eggs a year (as opposed to farmed chickens which produce 250-300 eggs). Their egg is their menstrual cycle and once they lay an egg, they often eat it because it helps replenish the calories they lost when they were making the egg.
- An egg takes 20 hours for a chicken to make and takes a considerable amount of effort and energy. They draw calcium from their own bodies to make the hard shell, which is why eating their own egg is so important to them!
- When you take an egg away from a chicken it goes into panic mode and feels like it needs to make more eggs. This is how farms get their chickens to produce eggs nearly every day. Because an egg takes 20 hours to make, the chicken is always in ‘egg-producing mode’ which puts extreme stress on their bodies and drastically reduces their life span.
- Chickens in the wild live for 15-20 years compared to farmed chickens, which only live around 18 months. After this time either their bodies give up or their egg production slows down so much that they are killed as they are no longer as viable.
- When chicks are born the males and females are separated. Since the males are not useful for egg-laying they are crushed in a machine.
- It is common practice for hens to have part of their beaks burned off to stop them pecking at the other hens in such a cramped environment.
You can read more information on the moral implications of eggs from the PETA Website. Alternatively, if you currently buy free-range, you may want to read more about those farming practices.
The reason I share this information isn’t to scare you into giving up the food that you love. I share it because I am a firm believer that we should be armed with the truth when making any decision in our lives. Had I known all of this sooner I probably wouldn’t have eaten so many eggs. Who knows? When you delve into the world of farming it’s like opening a can of worms. Once that lid has popped it’s very hard to put it back on!
Luckily I have provided you with LOADS of alternatives to eggs, which just so happen to be delicious and very nutritious!
What about the nutritional benefits of Eggs?
Are eggs a healthy source of Omega 3 and protein? Or are they full of cholesterol and completely unnecessary in our diet? If you ask dear old uncle google you will get mixed answers. However, there tends to be one consistent theme. Whether the study states that it is safe to eat eggs as part of a balanced diet or not, the common thread is that they should be consumed with care. While they do contain healthy nutrients, they also contain cholesterol; that fact is undisputed. Since our body produces all the cholesterol we need, it is not necessary for us to consume any more.
From the research I have done, my opinion is that we do not need to eat eggs to be healthy. Because some medical studies have pointed to eggs being detrimental to our health, I would rather get my Omega 3’s and protein from other sources. And why not? There are so many plant products that provide all the nutrients that we need, including dietary fibre and NO cholesterol. But I understand that it may not be so clear cut for everyone and that a lifetime habit can be very hard to crack! 🥚(Get it?!) 😂
Want to read more on the subject? This article concludes that eggs can be part of a balanced diet:
In contrast, this study disagrees:
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/
I told you it was confusing!! 🤯
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