Eggs come in many colors, depending on the breed of chicken. However, there's no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs. In the end, the only real difference is shell color and maybe price.
Brown and white eggs have similar nutrients, and their health benefits are not dependent on their shell color. Other factors such as the hen's diet can influence egg nutrition. Some producers enrich their hens' diet with vitamins, omega-3, and other nutrients, which can lead to more nutrient-rich eggs.
Pasture-Raised Eggs / Pastured Eggs): Pasture-raised eggs (sometimes referred to as pastured eggs) are the healthiest eggs to buy, no question. Pasture-raised means that the hens are free to roam and graze freely in a large open pasture.
The eggshell colour depends on the breed of the hen. Generally speaking, white shell eggs come from hens with white feathers, while brown shell eggs are produced by hens with brown feathers. Nutritionally, both brown and white eggs are identical unless the feed has been enhanced for speciality eggs such as Omega-3.
The color of the egg doesn't matter. What is important is the quality of the egg. You might notice that most chefs and bakers use brown eggs instead of white. This is most likely because brown eggs tend to be fresher than white as they come from local farms.
The main egg colour available in Australia is brown, although a small number of farms also sell white eggs. While many people assume brown eggs are more natural and therefore healthier, that's not the case. Brown hens lay brown eggs, white hens lay white eggs, and they both have the same nutritional profile.
However, in the past, brown eggs cost more because brown-laying hens tended to be larger and lay fewer eggs than white-laying hens. Therefore, brown eggs needed to be sold at a higher price to make up for the extra costs ( 2 ). Today, brown-laying hens have nearly the same production costs as white-laying hens.
What color an egg has depends on the chicken that lays it. White chickens lay white eggs, and reddish-brown chickens lay brown eggs. The reddish-brown chickens are bigger and eat more food, so they're more expensive to keep, which drives the price of their eggs up.
Brown eggs are more expensive than white eggs because of the difference in the hens that lay them. White eggs are laid by chickens with white feathers and white ear lobes, while brown eggs are laid by red-feathered chickens with red ear lobes.
In general, pasture-raised and organic eggs are thought to be nutritionally superior to caged and conventionally produced eggs.
The American Heart Association recommends up to one egg a day for most people, fewer for people with high blood cholesterol, especially those with diabetes or who are at risk for heart failure, and up to two eggs a day for older people with normal cholesterol levels and who eat a healthy diet.
The bottom line
Yet for most people, there are not many benefits to choosing egg whites over whole eggs, as whole eggs provide you with many more beneficial nutrients. That said, for some people — particularly those who need to limit their cholesterol intake — egg whites can be a good food choice.
For most healthy adults, it's safe to eat 1–2 eggs a day depending on how much other cholesterol is in your diet. If you already have high cholesterol or other risk factors for heart disease, it may be best to eat no more than 4–5 eggs per week.
Are Brown Eggs Better than White Eggs? The color of an egg is not an indicator of quality. When it comes to taste and nutrition, there is no difference between white and brown eggs. Despite the fact that they're often more expensive, brown eggs aren't any better for you than white eggs, and vice versa.
Comparison to Other Eggs
Because blue, white and brown eggs are virtually identical nutritionally, however, they all supply approximately 185 milligrams of cholesterol per egg.
Although egg yolks contain many important nutrients like iron and vitamins A, D, E, and K, the whites pack the most punch of protein. The whites from one egg contain about four grams of protein, while the yolk includes 2.7 grams of protein.
Storing your eggs in the fridge is the best way to keep bacteria under control. As an added bonus, it also keeps eggs fresher for much longer than storing them at room temperature.
Why do we not get white eggs anymore? We are now seeing white eggs appear in our supermarkets more often. The reason we see fewer white eggs is due to the ratio of chicken in the UK. It is estimated that of the 40m egg-laying birds in the UK, only about 250,000-300,000 are breeds that lay white eggs.
Hens with white feathers and white ear lobes lay white eggs; hens with red feathers and red ear lobes lay brown eggs.
The color of the egg doesn't matter. What is important is the quality of the egg. You might notice that most chefs and bakers use brown eggs instead of white. This is most likely because brown eggs tend to be fresher than white as they come from local farms.
While there is no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs, there can be differences in nutrition depending on what the hen is fed. Brown eggs and white eggs do not taste different, the most important thing is getting fresh eggs.
Chicken eggs are an affordable source of protein and other nutrients. They're also naturally high in cholesterol. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't seem to raise cholesterol levels the way some other foods, such as those high in trans fats and saturated fats, do.
Most healthy people can eat up to seven eggs a week without affecting their heart health. Some choose to eat only the egg white and not the yolk, which provides some protein without the cholesterol.
Many people believe that white eggs are bleached, but this is not the case. White eggs are laid by chickens that don't produce any pigment as the egg passes through their oviduct - they just come out like that.