Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

djd_fr — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:24:20 GMT

The best eggs are from one's own chickens, raised healthily.

I feed mine the same flaxseeds I eat.

And I keep the eggs in the refrigerator so they don't hatch.

We eat as many as our chickens are willing to lay, fixed however we're in the mood to eat them.

We don't appreciate store-bought eggs very much any more, even the organic free-range.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

martixx — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:45:12 GMT

generally i find dr. mercola quite good, but not in this case. re. avidin in eggs, how could one do research proving anything? if you withdraw some avidin and test it, how is this in any way related to the whole egg digested in a human body? a test with just avidin would prove nothing. similarly tests with neurological deficiencies with someone eating only egg whites, would prove nothing about the effect of whole raw eggs in the human body.

many years ago the devil was the cholesterol in egg yolks, so we were told to throw that away. natural advisors reminded us that egg whites were full of lecithin which counteracts the cholesterol in the yolks, but few people heard that message. as a result many mainstream nutritionists still advise to eat the whites and throw away the yolks .

i believe nature knows best. All of the known and unknown components, plus the ways they interact together (most of those ways unknown to us) are to be fully trusted, compared to any manmade procedure, including separating, cooking, researching. The hunter-gatherers carried everything they owned on their backs as they walked many miles on rough terrain in all weather, and didn't carry cooking utensils nor have time to cook when they were hungry.

I eat fertilized eggs, twice the flavour, and twice the nutrition. they are not available because they don't want to pay for rooster feed, but go to a hatchery for them.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

stephen shepley — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:55:09 GMT

I did not find the article confusing, just some of the comments. If 4.4 TO 6.5% of

hens have salmonella, that would not mean that all of their eggs have it.

Drcee must be amazed that humans have survived this long, I know that (if he is right) I would

have been dead long ago...

I wish I still had access to farm eggs, the best I can do for now is to buy from

vegetarian fed hens.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

7kids1 — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:51:16 GMT

I wanted to comment on farm-raised vs. battery-raised chickens and their eggs.

Egg shells are not egg shields, they breathe. This is the way the forming chick would receive its air via the air sac that forms at one end of the egg. An egg, fresh from the hen, has a gloss finish on it commonly called bloom. This gloss, as it were, helps the egg glide out, but then it dries and forms a natural barrier against bacteria and other germ types from entering the egg via the pores in the shell. Eggs with this "shield" may sit at room temperature for a couple weeks or more and have no ill effects on its freshness.

Battery-farmed eggs are washed! This bloom is removed and the pores are exposed to whatever ilk is at the "farm" warehouse. The eggs are kept cold (40 degrees) to keep them fresh and e-coli at a minimum. But what happens to these eggs on the way to the store? What happens to them as they sit in the market with hundreds of people walking by coughing and sneezing? Remember, their pores are completely opened in the shells.

Here at my family farm, our hens lay their eggs wherever they want to and sometimes they are messy. I don't wash them until I am about to use them. That bloom washes right off and everything that was on top of it. I do have one elderly customer that insists that I wash her eggs and I will and then I give them a nice glossing with coconut oil.

Are organic-farmed eggs washed? Yes. Its the USDA law. It may even include ultra-violet light exposure to further kill germs.

My hens receive organic hen layer-crumble, kelp powder and flaxseed oil. They also receive their own eggs back into their diet, boiled and crumbled with shell and chopped garlic about once per month. They roam the property and eat plenty of greens and bugs which seems to be their goal in life, to rid my property of all things crawly.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

Vaahto — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:43:23 GMT

"If you eat the entire egg then there is no problem as there is more than enough biotin in the yolk to compensate for any that the avidin in raw egss would bind.

I have 2-4 raw eggs nearly every day." - Dr. Mercola

It seems to me that you can easily get enough biotin if you eat the whole egg and also comsume other sources of biotin such as cauliflower, beans, and nuts.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

KAC — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:52:35 GMT

I have a question regarding the advice to not refrigerate eggs you get from the farmer. This is true only if the farmer doesn't refrigerate the eggs, right? Once refrigerated, you have to continue to refrigerate, right?

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

dinky2 — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:27:01 GMT

When I went to cooking classes in my early teens, we were taught the easiest way ever to check for freshness of eggs - all you need are the eggs and a jug of cold water.

Just carefully place the eggs in the jug of water - if they sink to the bottom and stay there, they are fresh eggs. (You can use tongs to do this so you don't drop the egg.)

Eggs that float in the water between the bottom to halfway up the jug, are OK to eat and will probably be OK for a few more days.

Just wipe the eggs dry, and put back into the carton for later use.

The ones that rise to the surface and 'bob' there should be thrown out immediately as they are well past their use-by date.

If you shake an egg and it sounds 'watery' inside - don't even contemplate eating it as it will be rotten!

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

larissakissa — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:18:18 GMT

Ok, so it says "not to refrigerate the eggs" if they are from your own chickens. Where do you keep them? Just at room temp in the kitchen? How long do they stay fresh for? A few days, a week?

What about the organic eggs you buy at the store? Can they be left out of the fridge once you get them home? Sorry if my questions seem a little dumb, I'm pretty new at this "natural and healthy" foods. Thank you.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

moo_203 — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:57:10 GMT

one other thing i've thought about is...........if nature made avidin in the egg white there must be a reason for it. and since the white and the yolk go together maybe it is meant to eat together? i don't see any animals leaving the white uneaten. my dog loves them both raw!

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

Donna Scher — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:24:48 GMT

Regarding egg yolks, I keep reading from other sources about the high arachidonic acid (AA) content of egg yolks, a substance which promotes silent inflammation (a bad thing). I can't find anyone who will reconcile this point of view for me so I still keep to eating only a couple of egg yolks a week (not because of the fat or cholesterol content, but because of the arachidonic acid). I have emailed Dr. Mercola on a number of occasions about this matter, but as yet havn't seen a response in the newsletter addressing this issue....maybe soon??....

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

ITRY2BHEALTHY — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:28:16 GMT

Dr. Mercola, the articles truly are confusing. I know you just said on Feb 19 that all along you said if you eat the whole egg raw you are fine, but the other articles linked to today's newsletter really are conflicting and is what is causing all the confusion. I also have been drinking them whole in my Protien shake, so became confused today also.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

scaggs184 — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:17:02 GMT

OK, sorry for blabbing my big mouth before I looked into it. The link after the article for major update explains everything, BUT the old info should be deleted or at least linked to the newest update to avoid so much confusion. I read articles on this site all the time and never came across the newest update and have been consuming whole raw eggs for quite some time.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

ConfusedEater — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:12:39 GMT

What if the chickens are fed 100% organic flax seed? Is it still bad?

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

scaggs184 — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:09:53 GMT

OK guys, this link......www.mercola.com/.../eggs.htm......is labeled "major update." At first he said separate the egg and cook the white, then he said eating the whole egg raw is OK. NOW he has gone back to the original method of separating. We deserve to know why the information is going back and forth and the supporting research behind it so that we may make an educated decision on our own.

re: Most Grocery Store Eggs Far More Likely to Be Infected

jbella — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:05:15 GMT

I wrote my comment in a pop-up box that appeared. Where is it? Is technology stuffing stuff in that ol' black hat to appear who-knows-when ... or never?