Frugal Foodie: Pasture-Raised Eggs = Priceless

My family eats a lot of eggs. We purchase them from local farms, which costs more than conventional eggs. It’s well worth the extra few dollars each week to value farmer’s hard work and food grown in its natural environment. Also, being frugal means getting more for your money and research shows that pasture-raised eggs can be more nutritionally beneficial than conventional eggs.

Eggs are one of the few foods naturally high in vitamin D, a nutrient deficient in an estimated 40 to 50 percent of the world’s population. Chickens raised on pasture spend more time in the sunshine (our primary source of vitamin D) and eat their natural foods – grass and bugs. Research shows eggs from pastured chickens are more nutrient-dense than 99 percent of eggs sold in grocery stores sourced from chickens raised indoors, including organic! One 2007 study showed that pasture-raised eggs contain 3 to 6 times more vitamin D. They also contain more vitamin A, B12, E and folic acid, and are higher omega-3 fatty acids than eggs from caged hens. Actual increases in these nutrients vary from 40 to 220percent, depending on different variables.

In my house, eggs are like gold, and we savor them. Baking vegan means that I save our precious, pasture eggs for quiche, omelets, and sunny-side-ups. Spending $5-6 per dozen for locally raised, pasture eggs is worth every penny.

http://www.localfoodalliance.org/blog/