Eggs.

I have been an animal lover my whole life. When people ask if there is any significance to my paw print tattoo, my answer is always, “No, I just really love puppies. I always have and I always will.”

However, not until recently did I make the connection between my grocery store choices and animal cruelty. I didn’t stop to think that my morning omelet could be a direct cause of harm to an animal. When I decided to look into the issue, I pulled up the Google machine and read about the horrendous conditions that laying hens face in industrial farms. Thus, I started searching for a way that I could become involved and support local sources while simultaneously avoiding industrial farms.

Luckily, it didn’t take me too long to stumble upon a friend who has laying hens at her home in Greenville. Each week, I get a dozen real-deal eggs straight from the source. Being able to enjoy food that comes from humanely raised sources is another one of those things that gets me so, so excited.

The eggs I get from my friend look like this:

They are sometimes misshapen, all different shades of beautiful brown, speckled, and gorgeous. I mean, look at ‘em. This is what eggs are supposed to look like.

While everyone may not get as excited as I do about farm fresh eggs and the connotations with animal cruelty that industrial farms have, there are also differences in the eggs from the two sources.

Everyone knows what eggs from Walmart and other grocery chains look like. They are uniform in size, shape, and color, without blemishes or variations. (And I don’t care how many times the word “natural” is written on the outside of the box- it’s not from a pasture farm.)

There is also a difference in the yolks of the different eggs. Here, you can see that the pastured egg yolk has a darker, richer color yellow. 

After poking around on the internet a bit to check out the health benefits of pastured eggs, I learned that they are proven to be much more nutrient dense, particularly Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Omega-3. Exciting, yeah?!

So ask around, do a little research, and see if there is a way that you can form a relationship with a local farmer to buy eggs. Chances are that they will be happy you are supporting the local economy. In doing so, you will be benefiting the farmer, promoting safe animal welfare, and taking better care of your body. Win, win, and  win.

Plus, they totally taste better. Win.