Types Of Eggs

Eggs of some birds have been used as food for as long as any one could remember. They are full of rich nutrients that are essential for health.

Most importantly the eggs are rich in proteins and minerals as eggs are produced by the bird for the sake of the protection and growth of the embryo produced as a result of fertilization. The eggs that we consume, however, are unfertilized eggs laid by the female birds.

When we talk of eggs used as foods, chicken eggs come to mind as these are most commonly consumed eggs through out the world, however in this article we will discuss about not only the chicken eggs but other types of eggs as well.

Let’s put some light on the different types of eggs and their nutritional values:

Chicken eggs, as it has been mentioned are the most popular and the most widely consumed eggs of the world.

The reason for it that chickens are more common than any other birds and getting grasp of their eggs is easy.

Chickens are the major components of the poultry industry; rather they are the basis of this industry.

Chickens are sold in various shapes and sizes. But in general chicken eggs contain nearly 78 calories and around 5.3 gm of fat; they are rich in proteins and contain vitamins A, B, C and D.

They also contain a large quantities of calcium iron, selenium and phosphorous but they have no or very little carbohydrates.

The shell of chicken eggs is mostly white however some breeds may also have slightly brown shells.

The albumin is white when cooked while yolk may be dark, light or mildly yellow. Chicken eggs can be consumed in boiled form, in fried form, in omelets and in a vast variety of dishes.

In market following types of chicken eggs are sold:

• Standard Eggs
  
  Standard eggs are the most common chicken eggs and are the regular eggs that are sold in the market. These eggs despite being the most common eggs are the least healthy chicken eggs.
  
  The chickens bred for these eggs are kept in small congested cages which contains more than three chickens. The chickens are fed a special protein diet and anti biotic.
  
  Up till this part they are good, but many poultries feed them special hormones and chemicals which make them grow early and take away their nutrients. The standard eggs have a very low cost value hence they are sold at cheap prices.
  
  The hens which are bred for standard eggs are tortured and they greatly suffer, there fore many health specialists and animal right activists condemn this method of poultry production.

• Organic Eggs
  
  Organic eggs are the pure, natural and healthy chicken eggs which are sold in supermarkets and quite expensive.
  
  The chickens that are bred for organic eggs are kept in farms where they can roam about freely and are fed with pure, free of herbicides and pesticide, plants and a high organic diet.
  
  They are not given any sort of chemicals and artificial hormones and their eggs are pure with no colors added.
  
  The taste of organic eggs is also better than the standard eggs. Although they are expensive they are highly advised by the nutritionists. In many countries they are slowly becoming more popular.

• Free-range Eggs
  
  The free range eggs are healthier than the standard eggs but less healthy as compared to organic eggs.
  
  The chickens for these eggs are also allowed to move about freely but they are fed with normal vegetables. Many house farms contain chickens which produce free range eggs.
• Some other popular types of chicken eggs are vegetarian eggs and omega 3 enhanced eggs.

Duck eggs are double the size of chicken eggs and are far healthier as well but the reasons why they are not as popular are that firstly ducks are less common and secondly duck eggs are susceptible to bacterial attack and their shelf life is less.

An average duck egg contains 130 calories, 9 gm of proteins, 9.7 gm of fats and a large quantity of calcium and potassium.

Duck eggs, however are consumed a lot in many cultures and their taste is also delicious. 

Quail eggs are very small and expensive and are mostly used in exquisite cuisines.

Quail eggs are really special as not only they taste good but they have a large quantity of proteins and vitamins and contain only 14 calories.

In many cultures quail eggs are consumed largely.