Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Truth About Eggs and More-Reverse Diabetes Newsletter

The Fascinating Truth About Eggs
Do you ever get to the egg section of your supermarket, pause a moment and scratch your head, wondering what in the world all those claims on the cartons are? Or more importantly, why you should invest your money in them?  “Free range”, “cage free”, “omega-3”, “vegetarian”—all of these labels may be stamped on the side of your egg carton, but they don’t always mean what they imply.  We’ve decoded exactly what these claims mean—and if they’re worth paying the extra money for. 

“Free range” might evoke images of a happy, healthy chicken roaming freely on a grassy hillside. But the label doesn’t guarantee that the hen was actually able to roam around outdoors. The USDA enforces free-range conditions only for birds that are sold for their meat, not for egg-laying chickens. Even then, they only need to have access to the outdoors, meaning a door in the side of the barn qualifies, whether the chicken ever passes through it or not. And the designation doesn’t factor in if the door leads to a concrete slab or actual grass or dirt.

“Cage free” simply means that the hens are not confined to a cage. It doesn’t always mean that they have real freedom to roam a farm and eat a varied diet, which is vital to the nutrients in the egg.  The size of their space varies greatly from farm to farm.  Some chickens have no more room than a small pet carrier! Almost all cage-free hens are still kept indoors and often, it’s in a cramped barn.

One of the benefits of cage-free and free-range is that, theoretically, the chickens will be healthier.  When chickens are confined to the indoors, without access to natural light and the ability to stretch their legs, they can become sick more easily, requiring more drugs.  Animals that are allowed to live more naturally in the outdoors require fewer antibiotics—which means YOU ingest fewer antibiotics by proxy.  Because the federal regulations on free-range and cage-free are still a little murky, we consider this an optional investment.  

Organic indicates that the bird was fed pesticide-free food and wasn’t given hormones or antibiotics to help spur their growth and production. The debate is still open as to what effects (if any) these hormones and pesticides have on us.  Some experts believe they contribute to certain types of cancers—so until that debate is put to rest, we think it’s a good investment pay the extra few cents for organic eggs.

Omega-3 eggs come from hens raised on feed high in this heart-healthy fat.  These eggs have two to three times the amount of omega 3s as a regular egg—but the total is still only half that of a 3-ounce serving of a fish like salmon.  But if you don’t like fish, getting some omega 3s from eggs might be smart.

Vegetarian indicates that the chickens were fed only plants—no animal feed. If you’re a lacto-ovo vegetarian (that is, you eat eggs and dairy but no meat), these are a good choice.

Brown eggs are sometimes marketed as being healthier than white, but it’s not true; the two are pretty much the same in terms  of healthiness and taste. Brown eggs just come from different breeds of chicken (mostly, those with darker feathers). Several of those breeds eat more feed than chickens that lay white eggs, which is one reason brown eggs might be more expensive. Ultimately, an egg’s taste and nutrition levels are most affected by the food the chicken eats, not its breed.

If you want the optimal choice for the best tasting, healthiest eggs, get them from your local farm, greenmarket or CSA. Most small farms practice sustainable farming and treat their chickens ethically.  If you don’t have access to a farm or greenmarket, try an egg brand that combines a few of these labels, so you can ensure the maximum benefits.  Many brands now offer cage-free, organic eggs, for example, or omega-3, organic eggs.  That way, you get to reap two benefits in one!
Featured Recipe

Halibut and Vegetables Baked in Parchment 
Parchment cooking is just so simple, and yet it makes for a wonderful treat for diners. After, all what fun it is to cut open the packet to discover what’s inside! Feel free to vary the vegetables you include. And if you don’t have pachment paper, use foil instead.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 halibut steak cut into 4 pieces
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
4 tsp. lemon juice
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 Tbsp butter, cut into bits
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 green) cored, seeded, and cut into ¼ -inch wide strips
Preparation:
1.    Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place each piece of fish parallel to the narrow side of a 12x18 inch piece of parchment paper or foil, about 3 inches from the edge. Top with equal amounts of remaining ingredients.
2.    Bring parchment over the fish, seal edges tightly, and place on a baking sheet. Bake until parchment puffs out, about 15 minutes.
3.    Place each packet on a serving plate, cut an X slit on top, and open carefully.

Per serving: 259 calories, 14 g fat, 67 mg chol, 479 mg sodium, 8 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 25 g protein.

Great Ideas

Sleep Your Way To Exercise
Think of sleep the same way you do exercise: a beneficial action you need to prepare yourself for.  You can just walk out the door and start sprinting down the street, but better if you stretch and prepare first. Ditto for sleep.  Here’s how to get your mind ready for a great night’s sleep.

1. Turn off the TV and computer an hour before bed. The light from the screens can reset your whole wake/sleep cycle, postponing the onset of sleepy feelings by three hours! (And you wonder why you lay in bed unable to fall asleep at night!)
2. Write down your to-do list before you hit the sack.  This will eliminate the need to bolt up in the middle of the night reminding yourself to pay a bill tomorrow, or finish a report at work before your 3 pm meeting. 
3. Soothe yourself with quiet music or sounds.  Set-up a CD player in your bedroom and drift off to your favorite relaxing music or audio sounds.  Some people enjoy “ocean” noises or soothing nature sounds—whatever your audio pleasure, this strategy helps lull you to sleep best when it’s a quiet, steady beat. 

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