Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

5

I have been buying pastured eggs at the natural grocery store where I do most of my shopping. The problem is that they are nearly $6/dozen and I go through a couple dozen a week. I'm looking for a cheaper alternative, but only if I can find one that isn't going to cause problems. These are my options:

-Pastured eggs - $5.69/dozen

-Soy-free, Omega3-enriched "free range" eggs - $4.19/dozen

-"Cage free" Omega3 enriched eggs from chickens fed a vegetarian diet - $3.85/dozen

Does "free range" mean anything more than "cage free?" I've come to understand "cage free" means there's probably an open window near the chickens. Also, would avoiding soy be something to consider? I don't mind spending the money on healthy options, but if I could save a few dollars here and there, it would be fantastic.

Thank you in advance for any insight you can provide!

flag	asked Dec 18 2011 at 15:47 Kate 604●2●7

1

Where are you finding soy-free eggs for $4.19? – wjones3044 Dec 18 2011 at 16:00

1

I live in Oklahoma, and the organic grocery in my town carries them. – Kate Dec 18 2011 at 16:12

1

$6/dozen is a great deal for real eggs. The egg substitutes you describe are garbage. Something tells me you could trim some crap out of your budget so that you can afford .50 eggs. – Travis Culp♦ Dec 18 2011 at 22:19

Thank you for such constructive help. – Kate Dec 18 2011 at 22:26

1

I used to sell pastured eggs, we would always let them go for 50 cents an egg, it's pretty standard. The soy-free, free range sound like a good deal, but I am partial to pastured eggs, the flavour is just so amazing. – JeJ Dec 18 2011 at 23:25

Beth-WeightMaven · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-18 16:05:50Z UTC

7

Here's CNN's take on the various terms regarding eggs. My take? Even at $6 (or more) a dozen, I think that getting pastured eggs is well worth it for the "much higher nutritional quality" ... I think $1 or $1.50 for a meal's worth of eggs is a huge nutritional bang-for-the-buck! So if it were me, I'd look elsewhere to save a few dollars.

answered Dec 18 2011 at 16:05

Beth-WeightMaven
15.3k●1●11●55

	Thank you so much for the articles and advice! I've been Paleo for about 6 months and I'm constantly trying to learn more. – Kate Dec 18 2011 at 16:15
	I suggest you also subscribe on RSS or google reader the following sites to help you learn more about the paleo diet and get recipes. marksdailyapple.com robbwolf.com nomnompaleo.com thewholekitchen.com – Hannah Willette Dec 18 2011 at 20:49

Huray · Answer 2 · 2011-12-18 17:26:32Z UTC

3

From Beth's link.

"Free-range: The USDA does not specify the quality or size of the outside range nor the duration of time an animal must have access to the outside or the amount of space available to them, and there is no mandate that the chickens are fed organically or are hormone and antibiotic-free."

AKA wortheless label.

Research what does "free range" meant for you producer or maybe go to a farmers marker and talk to some people who sell eggs there.

Also from Beth's link

"go t LocalHarvest.org and do a search for "eggs pastured" or "eggs grass fed" with your zip code. You can also visit EatWild.com and click on your state for a list of farms that pasture their animals. "

answered Dec 18 2011 at 17:26

Huray
391●1●8

	+1 for finding a local source for pastured. i buy pastured eggs from local farmer for $5/dozen here in ny. still not cheap but that's $2/dozen cheaper than pastured eggs at whole foods round here. they seem like better quality too. – rafi Dec 18 2011 at 20:24
	I had suspected that the "free range" label wasn't worth a lot. I'll have to stick to the pastured eggs for now and check out some of the other sources you suggested. Thank you so much for the help! – Kate Dec 18 2011 at 21:04
	A free-range label on a national brand isn't worth a whole lot, but many grocery stores in the Midwest carry local produce and if they say their eggs are free-range or "allowed to wander around the farm" then they probably are outside eating bugs and grass and living a healthy chicken life. In fact, many of my local producers sell "mostly" pastured eggs, which they call them free-range because even the producers are confused! I get "mostly pastured" eggs for $3.59/dozen (fed some non-organic supplemental grain). I guess I'll stop complaining now!!! To me that's really expensive! – Heidi Dec 19 2011 at 3:18

PaleoDel · Answer 3 · 2011-12-18 21:53:21Z UTC

3

I would also go for the pastured eggs. Eggs are the most important part of my diet right now, really (I'm pregnant, and eat at least two a day), and a few extra bucks are totally worth it. I avoid eggs that claim "vegetarian feed" because that usually means a lot of corn and soy.

answered Dec 18 2011 at 21:53

PaleoDel
1,252●2●10

good to know, I didn't really think about what the "vegetarian feed" meant :) – HippiPaleo Feb 5 2012 at 15:36

Michael Prejean · Answer 4 · 2011-12-19 12:44:57Z UTC

Does it really matter?

"Free-Range, Cage-Free Hen

• Debeaked with a hot bloody blade at one day old with no anesthetic.

• Force molted (intentionally starved to shock the body into another laying cycle).

• Violently packed into a semi and trucked hundreds of miles to an agonizing slaughter when considered “spent” (unable to keep laying eggs at a fast enough pace).

• Denied the opportunity to live a natural life in truly humane care.

• All of her brothers (roosters) are brutally killed as baby chicks simply because they can’t lay eggs.

Battery Cage Hen

• Debeaked with a hot bloody blade at one day old with no anesthetic.

• Force molted (intentionally starved to shock the body into another laying cycle).

• Violently packed into a semi and trucked hundreds of miles to an agonizing slaughter when considered “spent” (unable to keep laying eggs at a fast enough pace).

• Denied the opportunity to live a natural life in truly humane care.

• All of her brothers (roosters) are brutally killed as baby chicks simply because they can’t lay eggs.

Pastured eggs vs. soy-free, Omega3 enriched “free range” eggs vs. “cage free” Omega3 enriched eggs fed “vegetarian diet” What’s the best value?

4 Answers