Whole Foods Whole30 Eggs

[mgm612]

Hello everyone! I'm on Day 8 of my whole30 and I apologize if this has been asked before, but I'm wondering if anyone knows of a good brand of eggs to buy at Whole Foods? I read each brand's descriptions of the diets their chickens are fed, but it seems some of them use soybeans and grains, even if it's labeled "vegetarian fed." I know this is actually not natural for chickens because they're omnivores, but does anyone know of an approved brand for eggs at Whole Foods? For the past week or so, I went with what I thought was the best choice, but I want to be sure if I can.

 

Thank you in advance! 

[Physibeth]

Any eggs are approved on Whole30 but yes there are different qualities. We recommend you buy the best you can afford/source. I'm not familiar with Whole Foods but would steer clear of ones that proudly say they are vegetarian fed. So silly. Personally I searched until I found local pastured eggs at a food co-op. They are super pricey but the yolks are so beautifully yellow. I realize this isn't an option for everyone so just do the best you can.

[Vian]

Chickens are designed to eat grains, so even pastured chickens will have their feed supplemented with grains. I buy pastured eggs from a local farmer that is organic and does not feed his chickens corn or soy. Chickens are NOT designed to eat soy, and I react to eggs from chickens that are fed corn and soy (even pastured ones) but not to the corn/soy free ones. 

 

However, like stated above, all eggs are whole30 compliant, regardless of what the chicken is fed, so just buy the best quality you can.

 

Also, the reason some eggs say that the hens are "Vegetarian fed" is because the feed does not have any animal by-products in it, which I think is preferable to it not saying "vegetarian fed" and having the hens fed a bunch of ground up animal leftover bits. 

 

For example, the farmer I get my eggs from feeds his chickens an all vegetarian diet, because he doesn't trust the feeds that aren't vegetarian because of the animal by-products. He can't control the quality. However, his chickens are pastured, so they eat bugs and worms and such to balance their diet.

[mgm612]

Thank you both! That's really helpful. 

[GFChris]

Here's a Whole9 article on eggs for additional tips on what to look for (and avoid): http://whole9life.com/2010/11/the-conscientious-omnivore-eggs/

[Vian]

On a related note, I saw this today and thought it was pretty cool, and also on topic!

 

[Lainey]

http://www.cornucopia.org/organic-egg-scorecard/

[mgm612]

Thanks, everyone! Lainey, that scorecard is fantastic!