While the USDA allows the continued use of battery cages in egg production, some states such as California, Washington, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Rhode Island have passed legislation to phase out the use of cages over the next several years. This isn’t like cutting your fingernails-it hurts as much as you think it would. To decrease injury to one another, hens have their beaks “trimmed” by a laser when they are chicks. Multiple hens are packed into these wire units, and while they do have room to turn around, they cannot spread their wings or walk off the nervous energy that comes with being packed into a poorly ventilated warehouse with hundreds of other anxiety-stricken birds. Once they reach egg-laying maturity (around 18 to 20 weeks old), hens spend the rest of their (shortened) lives in these cages. These wire cages (yes, even on the bottom) are used to confine hens in large-scale animal agriculture operations.Īs of December 2020, 72 percent of all egg-laying hens were held in caged operations. These affordable, everyday eggs are produced by chickens kept in battery cages. Let’s start with the generic eggs that don’t claim to be “cage-free,” “free-range,” “local,” or promote any other marketing ploy. Animal welfare in the egg industryīeyond the not-so-stellar nutritional profile, eggs are also associated with poor animal welfare. So yes, while chicken eggs do contain a high amount of protein and relatively few calories (six grams of protein per 80 calories), the extra baggage of cholesterol isn’t worth it when a vast array of other foods provide these essential nutrients. “The increased mortality associated with egg consumption was largely influenced by cholesterol intake.”

“Intakes of eggs and cholesterol were associated with higher all cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer mortality,” the study’s co-author, Zhejiang University’s Professor Yu Zhang, said. However, those who eat large amounts of eggs might want to reconsider or at the very least get their cholesterol levels checked on the regular.Īccording to one 2021 study, published in PLOS Medicine, eating three eggs a week (which adds around 300 milligrams of cholesterol) raises the risk of premature death by around a fifth. No, one or two eggs won’t kill you-a healthy person can regulate a little added cholesterol from time to time.

When excess cholesterol is present, it can build up in arteries causing partial or complete blockages that lead to heart disease. While necessary for several bodily functions, it’s not necessary to obtain cholesterol from food, as the human body can produce cholesterol on its own. A large egg contains 200mg of this waxy substance. What egg-promoting folks don’t realize-or choose to ignore-is that chicken eggs contain cholesterol. Like dairy, chicken eggs are often touted as superfoods, or at the very least benign sources of protein. In essence, chicken eggs are a byproduct of a hen’s reproductive system-more specifically, a byproduct of bird menstruation-suddenly an albumen omelet doesn’t sound so appealing. These embryo-less eggs still contain many of the same parts of fertilized eggs-the protective shell, the bacteria-blocking membrane, the nutrient-dense albumen (egg white), and the vitamin-rich yolk. Ova-or underdeveloped yolks within a hen’s ovaries-that are not fertilized will grow and make their way down the oviduct until they are laid. If inseminated by a rooster, some of the hen’s eggs will be fertilized and develop embryos-the very beginning stages of a chick. Yes, the eggs people eat are part of the fowl equivalent to human menstruation. Unlike female cows who only produce milk after giving birth, hens naturally produce eggs as part of their reproductive cycle.

Only female chickens (hens) can produce eggs. Most people accept chicken eggs as a staple food without truly knowing what they are. Whether you’re making a simple scramble or attempting a vegan meringue for the first time, consult with us first to ensure a vegan win instead of an epic fail. This guide is here to help you get it right every time. However, not all vegan egg replacers apply across every style of cooking, and when used in the wrong application, the results can be disastrous.Īlas, the trusty flax egg doesn’t work for everything, and all who’ve baked disappointingly flat cakes know it. From the yolky, over-medium plant-based egg that tops Los Angeles eatery Crossroads’ carbonara to the impeccably light, crispy, and ever-so-chewy macarons made by a number of pastry chefs, innovators in the plant-based space have successfully replicated every form of chicken egg preparation out there.

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