What is the difference between eggs that cost a few yuan and eggs that cost dozens of yuan? Are red-skinned eggs more nutritious?

Expert in this article: Wang Silu, National Senior Food Inspector, Internal Auditor of HACCP Food System of the People’s Republic of China

This article was reviewed by Liu Shaowei, Deputy Director and Professor of Food and Drug Regulatory Research Center, East China University of Science and Technology

Eggs, known as "complete nutrition food", are an important source of high-quality protein in life.

There are many varieties, including free-range eggs, firewood eggs, mountain eggs, green eggs, eggs with special nutritional ingredients...

At present, the prices of eggs sold on the market vary greatly, ranging from a few yuan per pound to dozens of yuan per pound.

What is the difference between eggs that cost a few dollars and eggs that cost dozens of dollars? How to choose eggs to be healthier? How many eggs should you eat every day?

Let’s talk about this article…

Why eat eggs?

Eggs and other egg products are important and high-quality sources of various nutrients, including high-quality protein, phospholipids, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin K, B vitamins, and various mineral elements (zinc, iron, selenium), etc.

The reason why egg food is excellent is that, on the one hand, it is rich in various nutrients and complete in variety; on the other hand, eggs are easy to digest and absorb, and the effect of eating them on the body is more perfect.

Therefore, it is recommended that everyone eat eggs.

The prices of eggs on the market vary greatly. Some eggs sell for 3 or 4 yuan per catty, while some even sell for 70 or 80 yuan per catty. So what is the difference?

What’s the difference between eggs that cost a few dollars and eggs that cost dozens of dollars?

Free-range eggs are expensive, but do they really have higher nutritional value?

In fact, in terms of nutrient content, there is no significant difference in the content of major nutrients such as protein (amino acids), calcium, iron, phosphorus, etc. between free-range eggs and ordinary eggs. The only difference is that the fat content in free-range eggs (wooden eggs) is slightly higher than that of ordinary eggs, about 1%, and the cholesterol content is also slightly higher.

It should be noted that the content of vitamins and mineral elements in eggs produced by intensive breeding on chicken farms is higher than that in free-range eggs. The reason is that the feed fed to chickens on chicken farms contains more nutrients.

In addition, there are differences in the "food" of the two types of chickens.

Unlike the breeding environment of ordinary eggs, free-range chickens mostly eat grass, insects and other substances during the breeding process. These substances themselves contain some fat-soluble flavor components, which will then be transferred to the eggs. This is also a factor that makes free-range eggs taste more fragrant.

To sum up, there is not much difference in the nutritional composition between free-range eggs and ordinary eggs, so just choose the one that suits you.

Although expensive, there are security issues:

Most local chickens are in a "free-range" state, and the environmental hygiene of egg production cannot be strictly controlled during this process, and the eggs are easily contaminated by harmful substances such as feces.

In addition, due to the complex diet of free-range chickens, free-range eggs are at a higher risk of being invaded by harmful substances such as Salmonella, Listeria, pesticides, and dioxins, which deserves attention.

Are brown-shelled eggs more nutritious than white-shelled eggs?

In fact, this is not the case.

The color of the eggshell is mainly determined by a substance called eggshell porphyrin, which has no nutritional value. The color is related to the breed of chicken and has nothing to do with nutritional value.

In addition to free-range eggs and firewood eggs, there is not much nutritional difference between mountain eggs, green eggs, eggs with special nutritional ingredients and other products on the market and ordinary eggs.

How to choose eggs correctly?

Choose a formal venue

To reduce safety risks, it is recommended to purchase eggs at qualified farmers' markets or large supermarkets.

Don’t blindly buy expensive eggs

When buying eggs, safety and hygiene are the primary criteria, and there is no need to spend a high price.

Look carefully

First, choose eggs with clean and hygienic skin;

Secondly, pay attention to the eggshell. There will be a layer of frost-like substance on the eggshell of fresh eggs. The surface looks dull and feels relatively rough to the touch.

Finally, weigh the eggs by hand. For eggs of the same size, the heavier they are, the fresher they are.

How to eat eggs more healthily?

1. It is more nutritious to eat the whole egg and do not discard the egg yolk.

2. Raw eggs and soft-boiled eggs may pose a risk of bacterial contamination, so it is recommended that you eat fully cooked eggs.

3. Don’t believe in food incompatibility. Eggs can be safely consumed with other foods such as soy milk and milk.

4. On the basis of ensuring adequate intake of high-quality protein such as meat and milk, it is recommended to eat an average of one egg (about 50 grams) per day, or other eggs of roughly equivalent weight.

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