Frequently Asked Questions about Eggland's Eggs and a Healthy Diet

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions and answers about Eggland's Best eggs as part of a healthy diet.

Q. Why are Eggland’s Best eggs better?

A. The unique patented diet of our hens is nutritionally superior to that fed to other hens, so Eggland's Best hens lay naturally superior eggs. Eggland's Best hens are fed an all-natural, all-vegetarian, high-quality diet with no animal fat, no animal by-products, and no recycled or processed food. The feed contains healthy grains, canola oil, and an all natural supplement of rice bran, alfalfa meal, kelp, and Vitamin E. Eggland's Best eggs are produced without added hormones, antibiotics, or steroids.

Q. What are the nutritional benefits of Eggland’s Best eggs?

A. Eggland’s Best eggs contain 19% less cholesterol and 25% less saturated fat than ordinary eggs, and 115 mg of Omega 3, as compared to 37 mg in ordinary eggs. An Eggland’s Best egg also contains 10 times more Vitamin E, which accounts for 25% of a person’s daily requirement, and 40% of a person’s daily requirement for Iodine compared to only 15% in an ordinary egg.

Q. Do Eggland’s Best eggs have less cholesterol than ordinary eggs and can they be part of a cholesterol-conscious diet?

A. Yes. One Eggland’s Best egg has 175mg of cholesterol compared to 213mg in an ordinary egg. The Eggland’s Best Quality Assurance Laboratory tests our eggs every week from every Eggland Best farm across the country to verify the lower level of cholesterol and other nutritional benefits. While you may want to consult your physician or dietitian, eggs can be part of a well-balanced, cholesterol-conscious diet. Clinical tests demonstrated that people who ate Eggland’s Best eggs in place of more fatty foods did not increase their serum cholesterol.

Q. Do Eggland’s Best eggs contain less saturated fat?

A. Yes. One Eggland’s Best egg contains 25% less saturated fat than an ordinary egg. One Eggland’s Best egg contains 4 grams of total fat, compared to 4.5 grams in an ordinary egg.

Q. What are the potential health benefits of vitamin D?

A. The primary function of Vitamin D is to aid in the body's absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. It is important for maintaining muscle strength, healthy body fat levels and body tissue health. Vegetarians, and people who spend most of their time indoors, are especially at risk of a vitamin D deficiency.

Q. What are the potential health benefits of vitamin B12?

A. Vitamin B12 is important for healthy protein metabolism, as well as cognitive, cardiovascular and nervous system health. The most important function of vitamin B12 is to form healthy red blood cells, which may help prevent heart disease. Vitamin B12 is needed for the process of converting carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food into energy. Vitamin B12 is also important for keeping the immune system healthy and functioning at its maximum level.

Q. What are the potential health benefits of vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)?

A. Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, plays a significant role in the production of energy. It helps in the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar, which fuels the body function. Riboflavin has an active part in the electron transport chain that produces cellular energy. It also helps in the processing of amino acids and fats. It can also serve as an antioxidant, which can slow down the aging process. Riboflavin also assists the adrenal gland. It may be used for red blood cell formation, antibody production, cell respiration, and growth. It eases watery eye fatigue and may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of cataracts. Vitamin B2 is required for the health of the mucous membranes in the digestive tract and helps with the absorption of iron and vitamin B6. It is most beneficial to the skin, hair and nails.

Q. What are the potential health benefits of vitamin A?

A. Vitamin A, also called retinol, helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. Vitamin A comes mostly from animal foods, but some plant-based foods supply beta-carotene, which your body then converts into Vitamin A. It also has antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage.

Q. Is it possible to get too much vitamin D, B12, B2 or A from Eggland's Best eggs?

A. No. These vitamins are present at moderate levels and no one could eat enough eggs for this to be a concern.

Q. Are there benefits to getting vitamin D, B12, B2 and A from Eggland's Best eggs, rather than from a dietary supplement?

A. Yes! Vitamins obtained from complete foods like eggs are more readily absorbed by our bodies than vitamins from daily supplements.

Q. How do you get more vitamin D, B12, B2 and A in Eggland's Best eggs?

A. The extra nutrients come from the special feed given to our hens. The hens are efficient at passing the higher levels of important nutrients into the eggs.

Q. How do you confirm that the vitamin D, B12, B2 and A is actually getting into the eggs at the levels you claim?

A. Each Eggland's Best egg producer sends egg samples to the Eggland's Best laboratory on a weekly basis. These eggs are analyzed in our own laboratory as well as by independent commercial labs.

Q. Is the vitamin D, B12, B2 and A in Eggland's Best eggs in the natural form?

A. Yes. Hens are only capable of putting nutrients in their natural form into eggs.

Q. Can the presence of Riboflavin cause a raw egg white to appear slightly greenish?

A. Egg albumen, the white part of raw eggs, is opalescent and does not appear white until it is beaten or cooked. A yellow or greenish cast in the uncooked egg white may indicate the presence of riboflavin, but does not change the flavor of the egg, and is perfectly good to use. (Cloudiness of the raw white is due to the presence of carbon dioxide which has not had time to escape through the shell and thus indicates a very fresh egg.).

Q. What is the source of Omega 3 fatty acids in Eggland’s Best eggs?

A. The Omega 3's in Eggland's Best eggs come from the canola oil and flax seeds that are part of the Eggland's Best patented feed. The Eggland’s Best nutritional program specifies inclusion of canola oil and flax seed in diets in proportions which will contribute to the desired level of Omega 3 fatty acids in the eggs. Each week producers submit eggs for inspection to determine that the levels of Omega 3 fatty acid are as required. Eggland’s Best eggs contain 3 times the level of Omega 3 fatty acids compared to ordinary eggs.

Q. Do Eggland’s Best eggs contain lutein and what is the benefit?

A. Lutein is a plant-derived pigment critical for normal eye function. It is especially important to maintain adequate intake with advancing age. Eggland’s Best eggs supply 200 mcg (micrograms) of lutein per Large grade egg.

Q. Are antibiotics ever added to feeds or administered to hens producing Eggland’s Best product?

A. No. Eggland’s Best has strict regulations forbidding supplementation of diets with any antibiotic or administration of antibiotics to hens. It is a strict requirement that hens must be healthy and demonstrate normal production, flock livability and food intake. Production parameters are monitored constantly by qualified specialists to ensure the wholesomeness of Eggland’s Best products. Representative egg samples are screened on a random basis for the presence of antibiotics to ensure compliance with Eggland’s Best regulations.

Q. Are hormones ever added to diets or administered to hens producing Eggland’s Best product?

A. No artificial product affecting growth or production including any hormone may be administered to any food producing animal or to poultry in the United States. This FDA regulation has been in effect since the late 1940’s. Eggland’s Best maintains an audit program to ensure that producers comply with Federal, state and our own regulations concerning all-natural diets.

Q. How many Eggland’s Best eggs do you recommend eating per week?

A. We do not advocate eating any specific number of Eggland’s Best eggs. That decision is between each individual and his or her physician or dietitian. However, research has shown that people who ate up to 12 Eggland’s Best eggs per week experienced no increase in their total serum cholesterol or LDL (“bad”) cholesterol when compared to a group who ate no eggs. In fact, both groups reduced their serum cholesterol by approximately the same amount.

Eggland's Best Eggs