Cheap grocery store eggs vs. Pastured eggs page 6

[Drumroll]

Oh. my. god.

For weeks I have been wondering what the HECK the big deal is with eggs because when I googled it I must've typed in "pasteurized" and then I was just super confused.

Why can't we all just say free-range -.-

I have also been getting confused because people on here seem to talk about it like it's supermarket bought eggs vs. pastured eggs.... but over here they sell free-range eggs in supermarkets anyway.

Glad I have finally figured this out.

Because in the US and many EU nations, free-range ONLY specifies that the chickens are allowed to move around a little. It can be as tiny as a six foot little "field" that has no grass, is just a plot of dirt that the chickens don't even use. Their diet, and other forms of treatment can still be identical to that of typical corporate-farm animals.

In essence, "free-range" therefore makes NO difference nutritionally (as pasture-raised chickens that have eaten grass and bugs would), and in fact, is just a marketing ploy to make us THINK that the chickens are being treated better. Yeah, not so much.

[shep68]

Not as good for you but at least it is better than a bowl of corn flakes.

...or Pop Tarts!

Agreed. We do what we can time, money, availability permitting. If you have to go for the store bought, non-pastured eggs maybe just limit them to 10-12 a week or less. I go in spurts eating lots of eggs in a week to none at all for a few weeks. I will try to pay more attention to free range eggs if I can in the future though. Seem to run between $2.50-$3/per dozen around here. Not real cheap but if you set that carton aside for yourself and have 2 a day it doesn't seem like so much per.

[bostonwolf]

My big issue is cost, to be honest. I get the jumbo eggs at Trader Joe's for $2.49/dozen. Pastured or free range eggs from the local farmer's markets cost at least twice that, usually more. I use four eggs per day for breakfast (two whole, two whites) so I'd rather save my money there and spend it on the grass fed beef.

Unlike Jakey, I believe there is a clear difference in taste, especially in the quality of the fat.

[jpatti]

Eggs are not something I would personally compromise on.

Agreed that the cheapest eggs are the ones you grow yourself; before I became disabled we raised eggs and about half our own chicken for around $10/year. Want to start up again next spring.

But in the meantime, I buy them for $4/dozen from a local farm that pastures them. I've been known to buy 4-6 dozen/week. When money is tight, I buy MORE pastured eggs, not less, as eggs are frankly cheaper than even the cheapest pastured meat.

Raw milk is another one for me, it comes from the same farm); I'd stop buying at all rather than buying crappy store-bought milk.

And butter.. but I always get it and freeze it. I buy 1 pound per week until it gets really dark in late spring, then I buy 20-40 pounds and stick it in the freezer. That stuff is expensive, but a lot cheaper than buying "butter oil".

[sandokan2112]

Pastured a thousand times over. There is no comparison. Taste, nutrition, quality. There are no benefits to grocery store eggs, and you continue supporting the factory farm industry. Vote with your dollars.

No benefits? The grocery store eggs that i buy are pretty nutritious.
1 egg:
10% vit A
15% vit D
15% vit E
15% riboflavin
8% niacin
15% folate
50% vit B 12
50% biotin
20% pantothenate
6% zinc
35% selenium
-not to mention the nutitional value of lecithin(choline) from the yolk.

There is no doubt that "pastured" eggs are more nutritious then grocery store bought, but to say that "There are no benefits to grocery store eggs" is just plain ridiculous...

[JoanieL]

Everyone makes his/her own choice as to what to buy organic/pastured/wild, and what to buy conventionally grown/raised.

From what I've read, top of the food chain foods (i.e., animal) are what I make sure are the least adulterated I can find. If I eat the occasional conventionally grown plant, no big. But eating animals who eat pesticide grown feed isn't good, imo.

Cutting out processed food is good. Cutting added sugar is good. Cutting grains and legumes and plants that require some sort of processing (soaking, grinding, cooking, etc.) to be edible is the next good thing. And finally, eating wholesomely grown food is best. We all get there as our pockets and psyches evolve to this way of life.

[JWBooth]

I have one store near me that sells pastured eggs at a reasonable price. I usually get them. But me and my girlfriend go through a lot of eggs, and sometimes I need to pick up eggs when I am at Publix because I need eggs and don't have the time to stop off at Fresh Market too. So here is my question:

What is the best egg to buy at Conventional Supermarkets that don't carry pastured eggs?

I usually buy the 4 Grain Omega 3 Brand because it seems like the least bad alternative. But is there any difference? Is 4 Grain Omega 3 better than Eggland's Best? Better than the generic store (in this case Publix) brand? There is also some kind of organic egg brands, but they cost more than the pastured eggs I get at the other store and aren't even pastured so I'm not buying them on general principle. There is also a pasteurized brand of egg. I honestly don't know what to think of that one. Are they trying to capitalize on the paleo movement by boiling their eggs just so they can label them with a word that sounds close to pastured hoping people will get confused? Or are they being sincere, and aiming their eggs towards people stupid enough to think an egg with its shell boiled is worth some kind of premium?

[BestBetter]

Basically, you get what you pay for.

If paying more for better quality eggs is seriously going to break the bank, then maybe you could compromise and buy some store eggs and some pastured eggs. One dozen of the good stuff is better than none, right?

[jpatti]

There is also a pasteurized brand of egg. I honestly don't know what to think of that one. Are they trying to capitalize on the paleo movement by boiling their eggs just so they can label them with a word that sounds close to pastured hoping people will get confused? Or are they being sincere, and aiming their eggs towards people stupid enough to think an egg with its shell boiled is worth some kind of premium?

Pasteurizing would kill salmonella, so if you wanted raw eggs, like for making mayo or eggnog, or if you like your eggs over easy or softboiled, these would be safe even though they're battery eggs.

I would personally not use grocery store eggs raw, that being one of the reasons I don't buy them (except to get white eggs to color at Easter). I like runny yolks, so need pastured eggs from a healthy flock.

It's really the same reason I don't buy grocery burger or steak, cause if I have to cook it to death to be safe, then I don't want it anyways.

[impala454]

Re-using this thread to ask a question. So I bought some pastured eggs yesterday. Ate them for breakfast, and I definitely could tell a difference in taste, in the color of the white (being much clearer than my other eggs), and in the "tightness" and color of the yolks. Definitely seemed better. Whether it's double the cost better? Eh, probably not. My question is: Where are the carbs coming from?? My "normal" eggs I buy (which are still the cage free omega 3 versions) stats are: 70 calories, 5 fat, 6 protein, and 0 carbs. The pastured eggs I bought are: 60 calories, 4 fat, 6 protein, and 1 carb?? Seems strange. Not that I care about a few carbs, but just thought that was odd. Anyone have an answer on why a pastured egg would list 1 carb vs a "normal" egg listing 0 carb?