What's the Difference Between Brown and White Eggs?

Egg production in the U.S. is about 50 billion eggs per year, making the U.S. the largest egg-producing country in the world. Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and California are the biggest egg producing states.

Most of those eggs are produced in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Unfortunately, many of those hens never see a pasture or even the outside of the building where they spend their entire lives.

About 70% of the eggs that are produced are sold as is, while the rest have their shells removed for conversion into either liquid or dried egg products. Sometimes, just the whites are kept, since the yolks were falsely thought to promote heart disease for decades.

The general rules about egg color are:

1. Chickens that lay white eggs are generally white or light-colored and have white lobes.

2. Brown eggs are most often laid by red-, brown or otherwise dark-feathered hens, who have red lobes.

Some people claim that brown eggs are better for you because they contain more nutrients than white eggs do. Others are convinced that brown eggs are better for cooking fluffy things, such as quiches, while white eggs are better for baking cakes. Then there are those who believe just the opposite.

What's the real difference between brown eggs and white eggs?

Most experts agree that there's very little difference nutrition-wise, whether the egg is brown or white. The way that the chickens are raised and what they eat are the most important factors that determine the nutritious value of an eggs, the taste of the eggs and the color of the egg yolks.

White eggs that are produced by white lobed chickens. These chickens don't cost as much to raise, since they eat less to produce the same number of eggs. That makes these eggs less expensive and therefore more profitable.

CAFOs are breeding grounds for disease. These chickens are usually fed genetically engineered (GE) corn and soybeans, instead of their natural diet of green plants, seeds, insects and worms. They are often even fed processed byproducts, such as feathers and other animal parts. To prevent the spread of disease, they're routinely fed antibiotics, although hormones are no longer permitted to be administered to American-raised chickens.

You can tell if your eggs are pastured eggs by the color of the egg yolk. Hens allowed to forage in the pasture, will produce eggs with bright orange yolks. Pale yellow yolks are an indication that the eggs are from caged hens that are not allowed to forage for their natural diet.

Eggs Have Been Vindicated:

It's finally becoming accepted that eggs are actually good for you. The 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines have even and added whole eggs to the list of recommended protein sources.

Choline:

It is estimated that 90% of the U.S. population may be deficient in choline, a B vitamin known for its role in brain development and memory. Choline deficiencies can cause cognitive problems, low energy and brain fog. A single egg yolk contains about 215 milligrams (mg) of choline. Two eggs would therefore supply more than the 425 mg of choline that an adult should consume each day.

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