Brown or White? Many people think brown eggs are superior to white eggs, and are willing to pay the higher price per dozen. Nutritionally, however, brown and white eggs are equal. According to the Egg Nutrition Board, white shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. Some people believe brown eggs taste better, but the experts insist they taste the same. You'll have to decide for yourself. The most noticeable difference between the two are the prices.

Araucana chickens, also nicknamed Easter Egg Chickens, lay eggs that are beauiful shades of blue, green, and pink. These birds are hard to find, and you won't find their eggs in your local supermarket. If you have the room to raise your own hens, you can purchase Araucana chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery.
Free Range We imagine free range chickens as running around in the grass, soaking up sunshine as Mother Nature intended. Unfortunately, the term "free range" means very little, and is not a legal industry term. To many chicken farmers, free range just means a slightly bigger cage, and the chickens still never see daylight. The term is frequently a marketing gimmick that results in higher prices for his eggs. If you are serious about buying eggs from free range chickens, investigate the company that sells them to you.

Hormone Free Does this catch phrase catch your eye? Don't be fooled into paying higher prices, or selecting these cartons over other brands. All commercial eggs in America are hormone free. Hormones have not been approved for use in U.S. egg or poultry production.

Omega Eggs You don't have to rely on fish as your best source of heart healthy Omega-3 oils now. Chickens that are fed special food will lay eggs that contain around 150mg of Omega-3 fatty acids per egg. They taste exactly the same as regular eggs.

Cholesterol Your body needs some cholesterol to function properly. It's used for everything from maintaining cell walls to digestion. Too much cholesterol in your blood can cause fatty accumulations in arteries that can block blood flow and lead to a heart attack. It's natural to want to avoid too much cholesterol consumption, especially since the liver usually produces all the cholesterol our bodies need. Despite the fears, it appears that consuming cholesterol from eggs may not contribute to heart risks after all. A study published by the Harvard School of Public Health found no relationship between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease in a group of over 117,000 nurses and health professionals that were followed for eight to fourteen years. There was no difference in heart disease relative risk between those who consumed less than one egg a week and those who ate more than one egg a day. Saturated fats, on the other hand, are much more likely to increase blood cholesterol levels than consuming cholesterol itself. You can still make a healthier omelet by discarding the yolks from half the eggs. You'll never know the difference!

Salmonella It's not as bad as it sounds. Only about 1 in 30,000 eggs are contaminated with salmonella. Even if you are the unlucky one to get that egg, you probably won't get sick. Cook your eggs thoroughly, don't eat raw eggs, and wash your hands and equipment well after handling eggs.