Eggs, pasture-raised

What’s new and beneficial about eggs

• All egg yolks contain omega-3 fats, but the amount depends on the hen’s diet. Commercial omega-3 enrichment (adding menhaden oil, krill oil, flaxseed oil or algae oil to feed) can increase yolk omega-3 content three- to five-fold, producing eggs with up to 250 mg of omega-3s per yolk. More relevant to pasture-raised eggs: hens given access to omega-3-rich legumes like clover and alfalfa develop significantly increased omega-3 levels in their eggs through natural foraging alone, without supplemental oils.
• While organizations like the American Heart Association (AHA) allow for regular consumption of eggs in a meal plan, they typically warn that eggs are difficult to include because of their high cholesterol content and potential for increasing risk of heart disease. For persons with health blood cholesterol levels not needing cholesterol-lowering drugs, the AHA recommends a maximum of 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day from food. Since one conventionally produced egg contains about 180-220 milligrams of cholesterol, about two-thirds of the daily limit gets used up by consumption of one egg. Interestingly, several recent large-scale diet studies suggest that the cholesterol content of an egg may be less of a concern in relationship to heart disease than previously thought. In these studies, no increased risk of either heart attack or stroke was shown with intake of one to six eggs per week. (One exception involved participants with type 2 diabetes, whose risk of heart problems was associated with egg intake, even in the range of one to six eggs per week.) Equally interesting was the link between egg intake and increased levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol) in participants. Not only did egg intake increase the number of HDL molecules, it also improved their composition and allowed them to function more effectively.
• Pasture feeding of hens has been shown to significantly increase the vitamin E content of their eggs. In a recent study comparing caged hens to hens foraging on grasses and legumes, vitamin E in the yolk of eggs from hens who foraged on pasture was about 200% greater than vitamin E in the yolk of eggs from caged hens. Interestingly, hens that foraged more on grasses than legumes developed about 25% more vitamin E in their eggs. Hens, of course, are omnivores and eat a wide variety of foods, including grasses, legumes, seeds, worms, grubs (insect larvae), and adult insects.

Eggs, pasture-raised, large, hard boiled
1.00 each
(50.00 grams)

Calories: 78
GI: low

NutrientDRI/DV

 choline35%

 selenium28%

 biotin27%

 vitamin B1223%

 vitamin B220%

 molybdenum19%

 iodine18%

 pantothenic acid14%

 protein13%

 phosphorus12%

 vitamin D11%

 vitamin A8%

Food Rating System Chart

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• Tips for Preparing and Cooking
• How to Enjoy
• Individual Concerns
• Nutritional Profile
• References

Health benefits

Broad nutrient support

The World Health Organization uses egg protein as the reference standard for evaluating protein quality in all other foods. Egg protein scores 100% on the High Biological Value (HBV) scale because it provides all essential amino acids in proportions closely matching human requirements: branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), sulfur-containing amino acids (methionine, cysteine), lysine, tryptophan and the remaining essentials.

Eggs contain all B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, choline, biotin and folic acid. Choline is the standout. The average U.S. diet provides about 300 mg of choline per day, below the adequate intake for adult women (425 mg) and men (550 mg). One egg provides over 100 mg of choline at only 75-80 calories, an exceptional choline-to-calorie ratio compared to other dietary sources.

Eggs are a very good source of selenium and iodine, two minerals that can be difficult to obtain from other foods. Selenium is concentrated in fish, shellfish and mushrooms; iodine in iodized salt, yogurt and cow’s milk. For individuals who avoid those foods, eggs fill a meaningful gap.

Nutrients distribute fairly evenly between the yolk and white. The white concentrates protein while the yolk concentrates fat-soluble vitamins, choline and most minerals (except selenium, which splits roughly equally). The chart below shows the approximate distribution.

Nutrient

Egg White

Egg Yolk

Protein

60%

40%

Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium

10-25%

Vitamin B3

90%

10%

Vitamin B2

62%

38%

Total Fat

10%

90%

Omega-3 Fats

0%

100%

Vitamins A, D, E, K

0%

100%

Carotenoids

0%

100%

Vitamins B5, B6, B12, Folate, Choline

10% or less

90% or more

Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper, Iron

10% or less

90% or more

Manganese

30%

70%

Vitamin B1

25%

75%

Biotin

20%

80%

Selenium

41%

59%

Omega-3 support

In recent years, there has been a food marketplace trend of greater availability of eggs that are unusually rich in omega-3 fats. These eggs get their high levels of omega-3s through the addition of omega-3 oils to the hen’s feed. Oils added to the hen’s diet as a way of increasing omega-3s include menhaden oil, krill oil, flaxseed oil, and algae oil. The supplementation of the hen’s diet with these oils usually produces as much as 250 milligrams of omega-3s per egg yolk.

What many consumers do not know is that virtually all egg yolks contain omega-3 fats and that by providing hens with a natural, pasture-based diet their omega-3 levels can be naturally increased. Pasture feeding can provide the hen with clover and alfalfa, two examples of legumes that are rich in omega-3s; in fact, pasture feeding can double the amount of omega-3s in an egg yolk. Omega-3s are far too low in the average U.S. diet, and eggs from pasture-raised chickens can provide significant amounts of these anti-inflammatory fats.

Other health benefits

As a group, research studies on the health benefits of eggs have shown mixed results. Part of the difficulty that researchers encounter when trying to determine the pros and cons of egg intake is the tendency of participants to consume other foods high in fat and/or saturated fat along with eggs. For example, at breakfast meals in the U.S., eggs are often consumed together with bacon, sausage, or ham. This simultaneous consumption of eggs with other foods can make it difficult for researchers to separate out the specific influence of the eggs. In addition, from a calorie standpoint, two eggs typically provide only 150-175 calories—only 7-8% of a 2,000-calorie diet. This small amount can make it more difficult for researchers to pinpoint the role played by the eggs.

Another complicating factor in egg research is the fiber-free nature of eggs. Since fiber typically has a risk-lowering affect for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, egg intake might show up as problematic in a diet that was otherwise very low in fiber, yet helpful in a diet that was otherwise rich in fiber.

These factors described above do not change our view of eggs as an unusually nutrient-rich food that can provide a unique combination of nutrients for a very small number of calories. But they do underscore the importance of integrating eggs into an otherwise healthy meal plan.

In the area of cardiovascular disease, recent studies have shown no increased risk of either heart attack or stroke in conjunction with egg intake of one to six eggs per week. Interestingly, these studies have also shown the ability of egg intake to increase levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). Not only did egg intake increase the number of HDL molecules, it also improved their composition and allowed them to function more effectively. This improved function may have been the result of more phosphatidylethanolamine being added to the HDL molecules. (The addition of phosphatidylethanolamine, in turn, might have been related to the rich initial choline content of the eggs.)

Not all egg studies show potential cardiovascular benefits, however, and in some studies, egg intake has been related to some increased mortality risk. However, as mentioned previously, it’s been difficult for researchers to separate out the possible role of other foods in many studies. Particularly in mortality studies, which often examine diet in very general terms, they are unable to look closely at specific egg amounts in the diet.

One further note about the relationship between egg intake and cardiovascular risk: some persons with type 2 diabetes may be more susceptible to unwanted cardiovascular problems in relationship to egg intake if their type 2 diabetes has also created problems with cholesterol transport through the bloodstream. (These transport problems often correspond to low levels of apolipoprotein E and high levels of apolipoprotein C-III in the blood, which can be determined by lab testing.) Given this connection, persons with type 2 diabetes are encouraged to consult with their healthcare provider when making decisions about eggs in their meal plan.

Like studies on eggs and cardiovascular risk, studies on eggs and cancer risk have been mixed. We have seen large-scale studies in which egg intake was associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer and included along with vegetables, fruits, and legumes as a desirable factor in a risk-lowering meal plan. Yet we have also seen studies in which risk of colon and rectal cancer was increased by egg intake. For us, the mixed nature of these cancer studies underscores the need to consider health benefits of eggs as being conditional upon the overall quality of the diet; we should not be assuming that eggs will automatically lower or raise cancer risk regardless of an overall meal plan.

A practical take-away

We include eggs as one of our WHF because of the broad nourishment they provide, their unique combination of nutrients (including omega-3s, antioxidant minerals like selenium, and high biological value protein), and their low calorie cost. Eggs are a nutrient rich, natural, whole food. At the same time, research on eggs has not always shown them to provide health benefits, and in some situations (for example, individuals with type 2 diabetes who are trying to lower their risk of cardiovascular problems) eggs may not be appropriate as part of a routine meal plan. So even though eggs are a natural, nutrient rich whole food, we do not consider them mandatory in any meal plan.

If you do decide to consider the addition of eggs to your meal plan, we encourage you to take a close look at your overall diet. Could it use more protein? If so, eggs might make sense. Does it already have plenty of fiber? If not, it might make more sense to add a fiber-containing food rather than eggs. We’re confident that in many diets, pasture-raised eggs can provide key nutrient benefits and lower your disease risk, despite some of the confusion that we’ve come across in the food science research.

Recent research

A 2023 review in Nutrients examined evidence from high-quality controlled trials and prospective cohort studies on hen’s eggs and concluded that the cardiovascular concerns raised by earlier observational data are not well-supported by trial evidence. In controlled feeding studies, egg consumption showed either neutral or modestly protective effects on cardiovascular disease endpoints, with several trials documenting increases in HDL cholesterol concentration and improvements in HDL particle composition. The same review found that eggs promote muscle protein synthesis, an effect attributed to their high leucine content and favorable amino acid profile, and consistently improve meal satiety relative to lower-protein alternatives. Findings on type 2 diabetes risk remain inconsistent across study designs, with observational data suggesting a positive association in some populations that controlled trials have not replicated.

Egg yolks are among the most concentrated dietary sources of the xanthophyll carotenoid lutein. A 2021 review in Food and Chemical Toxicology documented lutein’s mechanistic role across several physiological systems. In the eye, lutein accumulates in the macula and lens, where it filters high-energy blue light and quenches reactive oxygen species; epidemiological data associate higher lutein intake with lower incidence of age-related macular degeneration and cataract formation. Lutein crosses the blood-brain barrier and concentrates in neural tissue, where it appears to modulate synaptic signaling and attenuate neuroinflammatory cascades implicated in cognitive decline. The review also identified cardioprotective activity, with lutein inhibiting LDL oxidation and reducing adhesion molecule expression in vascular endothelium. Bioavailability studies indicate lutein from egg yolk is absorbed more efficiently than lutein from plant sources, likely because the lipid matrix of the yolk facilitates micellar incorporation during digestion.

The 2023 Nutrients review addressed egg allergy, noting that earlier introduction of eggs during infant feeding, rather than delayed introduction as was previously recommended, appears to reduce the subsequent incidence of egg allergy. The mechanism is thought to involve oral tolerance induction during a sensitive developmental window. This finding represents a meaningful shift from prior guidance, though individual risk factors warrant consideration and consultation with a pediatric clinician.

On environmental grounds, the review noted that eggs have a substantially lower environmental footprint than most other animal-derived proteins, with comparatively modest land use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein delivered. This consideration does not alter the nutritional profile of the food but is relevant for those weighing dietary choices against sustainability criteria.

Description

It is common to hear eggs being lumped together with dairy foods and referred to as “eggs and dairy.” In fact, we group eggs and dairy foods together this way on our website. It is important, however, to understand how eggs are unique as a food. Chickens—and the eggs laid by female chickens (hens)—belong to the bird class of animals (Aves). Hen’s eggs are one among many types of bird eggs enjoyed in diets worldwide. Eggs from ducks, geese, quail, turkeys, and ostriches are also part of many cuisines. Birds (including chickens) are omnivores, which means that they eat both meat and plants. Hens, for example, often enjoy eating insects, insect larvae (grubs), and worms. Some of this intake helps explain the unique combination of nutrients found in eggs.

The dairy foods we profile on our website come from cows, which belong to an entirely different class of animals (mammals) than chickens. Unlike hens, cows are herbivores (exclusively plant eating) with a complex digestive system (called a ruminant digestive system) that is designed for lots of chewing and fermentation of grasses, legumes, and other forage plants. Because of their grass-based digestive system, cows provide us with foods (including milk, cheese, yogurt, and beef) that are healthiest when the cows have been grass-fed. However, since hens are birds rather than ruminants and not primarily designed to eat grass (even though hens often do eat grass and enjoy it), we describe eggs on our website as “pastured-raised” instead of “grass-fed.”

Chicken eggs are by far the most common type of egg consumed in the U.S., and the breeding of chickens for egg production has resulted in breeds that can lay 200-300 eggs per hen per year. Some of the more popular egg-laying breeds include White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, Golden Coments, Red Sex Links, Isa Browns, Australorps, Black Star, Red Star, Light Sussex, and Plymouth Rock. All of these breeds belong to the same genus, species, and subspecies of animal, namely, Gallus gallus domesticus. You may also hear chickens being referred to as “junglefowl,” which is a common name for all animals belonging to the Gallus genus.

The composition of an egg is usually described as having two basic parts: the white and the yolk. The white is approximately 87% water and 13% protein, and contains both vitamins and minerals. The yolk is about 50% water, 33% fat, and 17% protein; like the white, it also contains both vitamins and minerals. Please see our Health Benefits section for a more detailed description of the nutrients found in each part of the egg.

Egg grading standards are based on the clearness, firmness, and thickness of the white, the presence or absence of defects in the yolk (like blood spots or meat spots), the size of the air cell inside of the shell (the smaller this air space, the higher quality the egg), and the cleanness of the shell, including the absence of any slight breakage. Eggs that score highest on these qualities are graded “AA.” Fairly close in quality are “A” eggs. The shelf life of an egg is related to its grade, and a fresh AA egg will have a longer shelf life than a fresh A egg. However, an egg’s grade is not the same as its freshness. For more information on egg grading and freshness - including our practical recommendations - please see our How to Select and Store section.

The size of an egg is related to its weight. The chart below provides a summary of the standards used to label eggs as small, medium, large, extra large, or jumbo.

Average weight per egg (in grams)

Average weight per egg (in ounces)

Small

43

1.5

Medium

50

1.75

Large

57

2.0

Extra large

64

2.25

Jumbo

71

2.5

History

As mentioned in our Description section, bird eggs (including chicken eggs) have long held a place in cuisines worldwide. The variety of bird eggs enjoyed in many cultures includes duck, goose, quail, turkey, and ostrich eggs. With respect to their history, it’s also worth noting that birds were not the first animals to reproduce by means of shell eggs. Reptiles were the first animals to do that, nearly 150 million years before the first shell eggs produced by birds.

Eggs have always had a primary place in mythologies, religions, and cultural practices worldwide, and have typically been regarded as symbols of rebirth, renewal, beginnings, and fertility. One of the most widely held food and holiday associations is that of the Easter egg. How the egg became associated with this holiday seems to have roots that are both biological and cultural. Before the more modern techniques of poultry raising, hens laid few eggs during the winter. This meant that Easter, occurring with the advent of spring, coincided with the hen’s renewed cycle of laying numerous eggs. Additionally, since eggs were traditionally considered a food of luxury, they were forbidden during Lent, so Christians had to wait until Easter to eat them—another reason eggs became associated with this holiday. Interestingly enough, the custom of painting eggshells has an extensive history and was a popular custom among many ancient civilizations, including the Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks, and Persians.

Today, egg production in the U.S. has reached a level of 762 billion eggs per year. About 70% of these eggs are sold and purchased in whole form, and about 30% are removed from shells at “breaker plants” across the country and converted into egg products, including both liquid and dried yolks and whites. Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and California are the country’s top five egg-producing states. On a global basis, the U.S. is the largest egg-producing country in the world, followed by Mexico and Brazil. However, small numbers of eggs are produced in most countries worldwide, and out of the world’s total (63.7 million tons of hen’s eggs), only 20% (12.8 million tons) are produced in all North American, Central American, and South American countries combined.

How to select and store

Labeling terms that appear on egg packaging are among the most confusing and misleading for any food type. You might find all of the following terms on the label of an egg carton:

• cage-free
• free-range
• free roaming
• pastured
• pasture-raised
• organic
• omega-3
• omega-3 enriched

Unfortunately, while legal, some of these labeling terms are also misleading. The term “free-range,” for example, means that the hens who lay the eggs must have access to the outdoors—but the emphasis here is on “access.” No standards are set for how often the hens actually go outside, how much time they must stay outside if they do go out, or what the outdoor environment must include in terms of total space or vegetation. “Pastured” and “pasture-raised” are similarly misleading terms that are not backed up by standards for actual time spent by hens in a pasture setting or standards for qualifying an outdoor space as “pasture.” Use of the term “cage-free” on the label of an egg carton means what it says—but legal use of this term does not require hens to have any access to outdoor space and therefore may be used when hens have been confined indoors full-time.

When an egg carton displays the USDA organic logo, you still cannot be certain that chickens have spent much time outdoors. Organic standards for eggs do require outdoor access for hens, but the exact standards for outdoor access are not well defined. For example, no minimal amount of days spent outdoors or time per day spent outdoors is specified. Organic standards require strict feeding with certified organic feed, but legal use of the organic label does not require any fixed amount of feed to be obtained from a pasture setting. These limitations of the organic logo are one more reason that we encourage you to talk with your grocer or egg producer and find out how the chickens were actually raised.

Another confusing aspects of egg selection is deciding about an egg’s freshness before you purchase it. Unfortunately, the labeling on an egg carton cannot help you make a clear decision about freshness. An expiration date for the eggs is usually stamped on the side of the carton, often with the abbreviation “EXP” (e.g., EXP Jan23) However, this expiration date is calculated from the time of packaging not from the time when the egg was laid by the hen. (Thirty days is the maximum amount of time allowed between the packing date and the expiration date.) Since you would want to know time from egg laying in order to determine freshness, the expiration date cannot help you here as much as you would like.

As presented in more detail in our Description section, eggs that score highest on certain qualities are graded “AA.” Fairly close in quality are “A” eggs. The shelf life of an egg is related to its grade, and a fresh AA egg will have a longer shelf life than a fresh A egg. In and of itself, however, a grade of AA does not tell you that an egg is fresh, since the egg grading system does not take the time of laying into account. If an AA egg is fresh, it will stay fresh longer than an A egg. But this benefit of an AA egg still does not tell us whether an AA egg is fresh in the first place.

Because of these limitations in the grading system and expiration date assignment for eggs, we recommend that you talk either with your grocer (depending on his or her knowledge of the situation) or the farm itself to determine the freshness of your eggs. In some situations, there may only be several days between the laying of an egg and its appearance in the dairy section of your grocery. In other situations, there might be three weeks or more. As we have discussed previously in this profile, another alternative is to purchase eggs directly from a small local farm that sells to consumers.

Although it is possible to detect some aspects of egg safety from visual inspection of an egg and evaluation of its odor, in the key area for egg safety—contamination of an egg with Salmonella enteritidis (SE) bacteria—our sense of sight and smell are of no help whatsoever in determining the likelihood of SE contamination. While SE bacteria are larger than viruses, they are still invisible to the naked eye and cannot be seen without a microscope. The steps used by public health agencies for detecting the presence of SE in eggs or hen houses are complicated and involve complicated lab techniques. Gene typing, antibiotic susceptibility testing, culture methods, and biochemical marker testing are basic methods used to determine the presence of SE. Here are some factors to look for when inspecting an egg, and their relationship to egg safety:

• Cloudiness of egg whites: The white of a fresh egg is naturally cloudy. This cloudiness is mostly due to presence of dissolved carbon dioxide and the suspension of albumen proteins in the watery liquid that forms the white. As an egg ages, carbon dioxide will escape through pores in the shell and the white will may also become less acidic. These changes are typically associated with a clearing of the white and less cloudy appearance. The bottom line: you can generally use the cloudiness of the egg white to help confirm freshness, with cloudy whites indicating fresh eggs. But degree of cloudiness has no relationship to SE contamination. Since we recommend consumption of eggs that are as fresh as possible, we encourage you to look for egg whites that are cloudy in appearance.
• Yolk firmness and color: Yolk color is mostly related to the hen’s diet. If the hen eats more pigmented plants (for example, the petals of flowers with orange or yellow pigments or yellow corn), the yolk will typically be darker and richer in color. By contrast, if the hen eats large amounts of white corn in her feed, the yolk will be less colorful. Like the white of an egg, its yolk will undergo changes as it ages. Over time, the yolk membrane will weaken, and the yolk will become flatter. Once again, these features can help you confirm an egg’s degree of freshness but they are not related to the presence or absence of SE. We recommend eating eggs from pasture-raised hens, and the yolks of those eggs are more likely to be richer in color from the natural diversity of pasture plants.
• Red blood spots on the yolk: These spots are caused by the breaking of a blood vessel along the surface of the yolk. This type of breakage can occur naturally and is not a sign of contamination. We are not aware of any research showing safety risks from cooked eggs with blood spots.
• Pinkish egg whites: If the egg white has a pinkish color, it is usually a sign of bacterial spoilage, and the bacterium most often involved is Pseudomonas. While other spoilage bacteria like coliform or Flavobacterium can play a role in egg white discoloration, pinkish egg whites are not a sign of SE. You should discard eggs if you find pinkish whites inside.
• Off odors: Many different types of spoilage bacteria will produce off-odors in eggs. These off odors may be sulfur-like, or they might simply just smell “bad.” Off odors from an egg cannot be used, however, to help determine the presence or absence of SE. But despite the lack of a relationship between a bad smelling egg and SE, we recommend that you discard all eggs with off odors due to a variety of unwanted qualities.

In summary, most visible characteristics of an egg are related to freshness, the breed of the hen and her genetics, and her diet. None of these characteristics can help you determine the presence or absence of SE. That’s why it is so important to find very high-quality small local farms or very high quality larger scale egg producers when trying to minimize your risk of exposure to SE contaminated eggs.

Inspect any eggs that you purchase for breaks or cracks. And of course, take care when packing them in your shopping bag for the trip home as they are very fragile.

Always store eggs in the refrigerator. Although eggs will often be safe to consume after the expiration date on the egg carton, we nevertheless recommend consumption of eggs by the designated expiration date for optimal safety and better freshness. When refrigerating eggs, do not wash them as this can remove their protective coating. Keep them in their original carton or in a covered container so that they do not absorb odors or lose any moisture. Do not store them in the refrigerator door since this exposes them to too much heat each time the refrigerator is opened and closed. Make sure to store them with their pointed end facing downward as this will help to prevent the air chamber, and the yolk, from being displaced.

Tips for preparing and cooking

Preparation

In order to prevent any possible contamination to a recipe by a spoiled egg, break each egg separately into a small bowl before combining with the other ingredients.

How to enjoy

Serving ideas

• Hard-boiled eggs are fun to eat and easy to pack for on-the-go lunches.
• Mix chopped up hard-boiled eggs with fresh lemon juice and olive oil, leeks and dill (and salt and pepper to taste) to make a healthy egg salad.
• Instead of Eggs Benedict, make Eggs “Buenodict.” Place a poached egg on top of a whole grain English muffin lined with steamed spinach. Top with salsa or any of your favorite seasonings and enjoy.
• Say olé to the day with a huevos ranchero breakfast. Add chili peppers to scrambled eggs and serve with black beans and corn tortillas.

Individual concerns

Eggs and food allergies

Eggs are among the eight food types considered to be major food allergens in the U.S., requiring identification on food labels. For helpful information about this topic, please see our article, An Overview of Adverse Food Reactions.

Handling of eggs

Health safety concerns about eggs center on salmonellosis (salmonella-caused food poisoning). Salmonella bacteria from the chicken’s intestines may be found even in clean, uncracked eggs. You’ll find these issues discussed in detail in our Q & A about raw versus cooked eggs. As a general rule, there is more risk associated with soft cooked and “sunny side up” eggs than eggs that have been hard boiled, scrambled, or poached.

Dishes and utensils used when preparing eggs should be washed in warm water separately from other kitchenware, and hand washing with warm, soapy water is essential after handling eggs. Any surfaces that might have potentially come into contact with raw egg should be washed and can be sanitized with a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine to 1 quart water.

Risk of biotin deficiency

Raw egg whites contain a glycoprotein called avidin. Avidin has a unique preference for binding together with one particular B vitamin—biotin—and when it does, an avidin-biotin complex is formed that is unable to be absorbed from our digestive tract. As a result, we do not get the biotin nourishment that we would otherwise get from the food. Hen’s eggs average about 10 micrograms of biotin. Two micrograms are found in the white (where the avidin glycoprotein is also located), and 8 micrograms are found in the yolk. Since cooking is able to denature the avidin glycoprotein in an egg white, cooking also makes this glycoprotein unable to bind together with biotin in either the white or the yolk and prevent its absorption. The Daily Value (DV) for biotin is 300 micrograms, and since the total amount of biotin in one egg is only 10 micrograms, it would not be logical for a person to depend on his or her egg intake to meet the biotin DV. However, loss of biotin nourishment from an egg could still be prevented through cooking, based on food science research in this area.

Other controversies

Some animal foods and some plants foods have been the subject of ongoing controversy that extends well beyond the scope of food, nutrient-richness, and personal health. This controversy often involves environmental issues, or issues related to the natural lifestyle of animals or to the native habitat for plants. Eggs has been a topic of ongoing controversy in this regard. Our Controversial Foods Q & A will provide you with more detailed information about these issues.

Nutritional profile

One each (50g) at 78 calories provides choline (35% DV), selenium (28% DV), biotin (27% DV), tryptophan (25% DV), vitamin B12 (23% DV), vitamin B2 (20% DV), molybdenum (19% DV), iodine (18% DV), pantothenic acid (14% DV), protein (13% DV), phosphorus (12% DV), vitamin D (11% DV). Smaller but measurable amounts of vitamin A (8% DV), vitamin B5 (7% DV) round out the profile.

An important message about eggs

We have placed eggs on our “10 Most Controversial WHF List.” This list was created to let you know that even though some foods (like eggs) can make an outstanding contribution to your meal plan, they are definitely not for everyone. Eggs can be difficult to find in high-quality form; can be more commonly associated with adverse reactions than other foods; and can present more challenges to our food supply in terms of sustainability. More details about our 10 Most Controversial WHF can be found here.

We also want you to know that we are in the process of updating, revising, and expanding our eggs profile. Similar to the approach that we have taken in our new beef and cow’s milk profiles, we want you to have the latest information about this food, as well as practical guidelines if you are considering it as part of your meal plan.

Nutrients in
Eggs
1.00 each (50.00 grams)

Nutrient%Daily Value

choline26.5%

tryptophan25%

selenium22%

iodine18%

vitamin B215.2%

protein12.5%

molybdenum11.3%

vitamin B129.1%

phosphorus8.6%

vitamin B57%

vitamin D6.6%

Calories (77)4%

Food Rating System Chart

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• Tips for Preparing and Cooking
• How to Enjoy
• Individual Concerns
• Nutritional Profile
• References