Hey friends! Happy Thursday!
If you missed my post in our public Facebook group this morning about the vast difference between caged/conventional, cage free, free range, and pasture raised eggs, you know I’m on an egg kick today. If you didn’t see it it yet, here’s my post:
What’s the difference between different eggs?
Here’s the bottom line… you are what you eat. And if your food is happy, (or your food source) then your body’s system will be much happier. One of my favorite quotes I’ve heard for years: “Pay the farmer, or pay the pharmacy.” This is so true in the case of all well raised meat, eggs and produce. It costs more to raise healthy food, so if you want well raised food, it is worth the added cost.
But let’s be specific about eggs for a moment. Though it’s difficult to have official research on pasture raised eggs due to their lack of regulation by the USDA on pasture raised eggs, there are some limited studies which have shown a number of increased nutritional benefits. For starters, anyone who has raised their own chickens or have become regular purchasers of pasture raised chickens can attest to the difference in yolk color. What they eat affects the yolks. If they are foraging and eating bugs, grubs, clover, grass, their yolks are a deeper orange. If they are fed store bought feed, their yolks are more yellow. I’ve even noticed this with my own flock. We use more supplemental feed in the winter time (though healthy supplemental feed), because they eat more when they’re cold, and I don’t like to have them out unsupervised for long periods if I’m not in the yard with them, and this southern gal hibernates under 60 degrees. 😉
In the Huffington Post article below, a spokeswoman for Vital Farms reported that deeper colored yolks indicates more nutrients and a richer flavor. They state that it’s possible that pasture raised eggs have more of Vitamins A, D, E, antioxidants, and Omega-3 than caged eggs. Even if we don’t have enough research to prove this yet, I have always been taught (and this should be common sense) that animals raised more in their natural element produce the healthier foods God intended. Meat is healthier when animals eat the diets they were intended to eat, and don’t produce constant adrenaline due to extreme stress from poor farming conditions, vegetables are healthier when they are raised without chemicals and in soil that has more well-balanced nutrients, and eggs are no different.
Are Pastured eggs healthier?
So, when you are trying to decide if it makes a difference if you purchase conventionally raised eggs from chickens under constant stress, kept in a cage only large enough to lay and move their heads to eat food that has been filled with man made ingredients to encourage an unnatural rate of egg production, vs from chickens who are allowed to forage as they were created to, I say let’s support the farms that raise in the natural method.
In case anyone is wondering why I’m talking about this so much today, I have a dear friend, Connie Grill, who with her husband, Robert, are the owners of the most animal friendly farm I have ever visited—Faithful Friends Farm in Westminster, MD. I have seen her recent pleas for people to remember how incredibly healthy their eggs are and just how much it costs a farmer to raise your food in the healthiest of ways when you choose not to spend $6/dozen for their eggs and instead choose to pay $2.79/dozen for conventionally raised commercial farmed eggs at the grocery store. We must support these small local farms who are doing it right or they will be unable to continue to bring us food. They don’t get the subsidies from the government that commercial farmers get, y’all. They need us! And we need them for our health. I saw a recent regenerative farmer quoted as saying “I have to worry if I’ll sell enough eggs, just so I can get the basic supplies I need for my chickens, but if I ever am faced with the choice of closing up shop or switching to conventional methods so I have more government support, I’ll stop farming.”
Remember that when you choose where your food is coming from!
WOW Retreat June 8-12:
We are sad to announce that this event had to be cancelled due to low enrollment. Everyone has been contacted to provide immediate refunds. Wendy Flournoy and I have plans for future WOW retreats and we will give more than 3 months notice and NOT in June next time with so many other things happening in peoples’ lives!
Client Spotlight:
As I have a number of clients who started near the beginning of the year now graduating from my 16 Week Lifestyle Transformation program, I thought it would be awesome to share some of their closing comments about their experience:
“My husband’s (blood sugar) numbers are way lower now!” (this from someone who had a one on one meeting with me this week and said that her husband is alive today because of this program, after a devastating health diagnosis during the holidays last year.) She has also reported to have lost 20 pounds!
“I’m down 28.6 pounds!” (this from a client who vacationed TWICE during her time on the 16 week program.)
“I am celebrating the successful completion of the 16 Week Lifestyle Transformation Program with Wendy. I have the knowledge and the motivation to maintain this new healthy lifestyle.” This same sweet client said in a separate post: “I feel blessed and refreshed by my 16 week journey through this lifestyle transformation. Knowledge is power and clean eating is life-giving for me! Thank you, Wendy, for building this community of like-minded souls supporting each other as we march onward sustaining our progress so we can PRESS ON toward even better health. I have just subscribed to the Monthly Meal Prep Club. It sounds exciting and I look forward to participating in this new community of clean eaters!”
Speaking of Monthly Meal Prep Club…
Our MONTHLY MEAL PREP CLUB is also LIFE GIVING! We show you EVERY SINGLE MONTH how to fill your home with HEALTHY foods, SAVE MONEY, and GIVE YOU BACK an average of 24 hours each month to devote to your family, ministry, relaxing, or whatever is important to you!
THIS SATURDAY, my HILARIOUS hubby and his lunacy will be gracing us with his presence as we do our own monthly meal prep together in our kitchen. This was by special request by club members, as so many know what a riot he is (and quite honestly the two of us together are ridiculous!) 😉
ENROLL WITH THE COUPON CODE FREE30 so you can try it for free for the first 30 days! THIS IS A LIMITED OFFER! This code is not going to be around much longer!
And if you enroll today, you’ll still have April’s resources, in addition to May’s. In the next two weeks, June’s will be uploaded and April’s will be gone! Hope you’ll join us!
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OUR WELLNESS WARRIOR PROGRAM IS LIVE!!! Want info about what a Wellness Warrior is/does/becomes? It’s QUITE EXCITING!!! I need folks who LOVE AND BELIEVE IN this clean lifestyle to help me mentor others. We work on YOUR health first, while I train you to mentor others. Scroll down on the following page (Wellness Warrior Info button) to the “Wellness Warrior” information.
Wellness Warrior Info
This program is open to everyone! However, through June 30, all past 16 Week Clients are getting an $800 discount for this SIX MONTH PROGRAM, and I have longer term payment options available (beyond standard 6 months) for past 16 week clients. If you are interested and would like more detailed payment options, please respond to this email.:
Upcoming Events:
May 27 – Next Monthly Meal Prep Club “Cook With Me” Webinar – This month’s special guest is my husband… if you know him, you know this will be quite the comedic event! 😉
June 17 – Evermore Farm Health Conference Westminster, MD – $20 fee charged by the farm.
June 24 – First “Cook With Me” Livestream with a LIVE IN PERSON AUDIENCE! I am so excited about this one! It’s going to be so much fun!
Weekly Scripture:
“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.” Psalm 86:11 NLT
Have an amazing week, friends!
Wendy Massey, BHS, RN