Egg Myths Busted
How much do you really know about eggs? Test your knowledge as we dispel some of the top myths and give you the real facts on nutrition and production of this fantastic food—eggs!
MYTH: You shouldn’t eat eggs every day.
FACT: For healthy individuals, eating an egg (or two) a day is a safe, affordable and convenient way to get a complete protein source. Dietary cholesterol, the kind found in eggs, does not have significant impact on blood cholesterol and the American Heart Association recommends an egg per day is a heart-healthy part of your diet.
MYTH BUSTED
MYTH: The egg yolk is high in fat, so you should just eat the egg whites.
FACT: Not only is the yolk the part of the egg that makes it rich and creamy, but it also provides about half the protein found in the egg and much of its vitamins and minerals, like vitamins A, D, E, and K plus calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamine, vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12. Don’t skip out on that yolk!
MYTH BUSTED
MYTH: The eggs we buy from the grocery store come from far away. To get local eggs you should buy them from the farmer’s market.
FACT: There are 170 local family farms producing eggs for us each year—over 60 million! Chances are, when you buy a carton of eggs from the grocery store, they’re coming right from a family here in Alberta. Meet some of those families here.
MYTH BUSTED
MYTH: Brown eggs are healthier for you than white eggs.
FACT: There are no nutritional differences between brown and white eggs. The colour of the shell is dependent on the breed of the hen. Hens with brown feathers lay brown eggs, and hens with white feathers lay white eggs—it’s that simple.
MYTH BUSTED
MYTH: Darker or lighter-coloured yolks mean the hen was unhappy.
FACT: The colour of the yolk depends on the diet the hen eats. In Western Canada, yolks are typically a lighter yellow shade because hens are fed a diet higher in wheat. Whereas in Eastern Canada, you’ll generally see a darker yolk, as the hens’ diet relies more on corn.
MYTH BUSTED
MYTH: The eggs you buy in the grocery store are old.
FACT: It takes about one week from the time the egg is laid until the time you pick up that carton in the grocery store, so you always have access to fresh, local eggs ready for you to scramble!
MYTH BUSTED
MYTH: Hens are fed hormones and steroids.
FACT: Canadian eggs do not contain added hormones or steroids since they are illegal in Canada and are not used by the egg industry. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency provides further details about food labelling requirements related to “use of added hormones”.
MYTH BUSTED
MYTH: Hens are only well-taken care of if they are in free-range or free-run housing.
FACT: Each hen housing system has its own unique set of benefits and challenges. For example, free-range and free-run housed hens have a higher risk of being injured due to pecking compared to those housed in conventional or enriched housing. The farmer, not the housing system, is responsible for achieving Canada’s world-class standards for animal care, food quality and safety.
MYTH BUSTED
MYTH: Babies under the age of one shouldn’t consume eggs.
FACT: The newest infant feeding guidelines from Health Canada, the Canadian Pediatric Society, Dieticians of Canada and the Breastfeeding Committee of Canada now recommend introducing whole eggs starting at six months of age, or as soon as your child starts eating solid foods.
MYTH BUSTED
