By Mike Geary
http://yourtruthaboutabs.com

A quick announcement before the omega-3 eggs article today:

Today, Feb 23, 2010 is Mike's 34th birthday, and to celebrate, he has decided to put his Fat Burning Kitchen program on sale for HALF price for 3-days!

This is only the 2nd sale he has ever had in his 5 years of publishing, the other sale being back in September last year when he first launched the Fat Burning Kitchen program.

If you don't already have a copy, grab it today to get the HALF price birthday sale price:

http://fatburningkitchen.atozfitness.com

**Eggs with 22x more omega-3's?

I'm always amazed how many people overlook the importance of what an animal was fed and how that relates to the nutritional benefits of that product.

Eggs are a perfect example.

As you probably know, our egg supply in the US comes mostly from factory farm chickens that not only live in horrendously unhealthy conditions for the chicken, but also fed an unnatural diet of grains that SEVERELY affects the nutritional qualities of the eggs for your health.

I've been digging around on this topic for a long time, and here are some interesting things I've found:

In general, the regular eggs you get at the supermarket (that are fed grains and are from factory farms) contain anywhere from 30mg to 80mg omega-3 fatty acids per egg (depending on egg size, variety of hens, exact ratio of feed, etc)

However, hens allowed to roam freely outdoors and/or fed a diverse feed of greens, mixed vegetables, bugs, grubs, worms, etc can contain anywhere from 300mg to 700mg of omega-3's per egg.

One such study came from a Dr. Simopoulos who analyzed the omega-3 vs omega-6 content of eggs from a farm in Greece where the chickens roamed freely and ate a variety of natural foods such as greens and bugs/worms.  These eggs were compared against analysis of "supermarket eggs" fed a typical grain diet in the US.

The eggs from the free roaming chickens in Greece had an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 1.3 to 1 while the "supermarket eggs" had a horrendous omega-6/omega3 ratio of 19.4 to 1.

As for total omega-3 content per egg in Simopoulos' report, the eggs from the free-roaming hens in Greece had 300 mg of omega-3's per egg, while the "supermarket egg" had a lowly 30mg of omega-3's per egg.

I've also been reading the inside of egg cartons at grocery stores lately and comparing notes on their label claims of omega-3 fatty acids.

The egg producers recently have been catching on to the public's knowledge of the reduced omega-3 content in mass produced eggs… so certain brands have now been "fortifying" the hens diet with feed additions higher in omega-3's to help balance out the excess omega-6's found in eggs from grain-fed hens.

Usually, this fortification occurs by adding either flax seed or an algae meal (or fish meal) to the hens feed. The hens eat more omega-3's and that produces a higher omega-3 content in the eggs.

Some of these so-called "omega-3 eggs" have label claims anywhere from 100mg omega-3's to 250mg omega-3's…  Definitely better than the 30mg omega-3's found in the typical "supermarket eggs".

I also stumbled onto a specific brand of eggs recently that touted that it's hens are fed a patented feed mixture of 20 different vegetables, grains, and minerals. Because of the diverse diet that these hens are fed, their measured omega-3 content is listed as 660mg omega-3's per egg, as well as a perfect 1:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3.

This is 22x the omega-3 content of the grain-fed "supermarket egg" that contained only 30mg omega-3's in Dr. Simopoulos' report.

That just shows how powerful of a difference in the nutrition composition that occurs simply by feeding the hens a proper diverse diet. And we haven't even touched on the nutritional content of vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, etc that will obviously be higher in a healthy hen fed a diverse diet as opposed to a factory farmed hen.

However, that's only a small step in the right direction. Even these egg companies with new label claims of increased omega-3 content still doesn't guarantee that the hens were raised in an outdoor environment, and allowed to roam freely instead of being confined in cages and kept indoors in filthy conditions their entire lives.

Keep in mind that "cage-free" doesn't always mean that the hens actually go outside… according to some reports, it only means that there is a small door somewhere that the hens COULD go outside if they found the small door and were smart enough to venture through it. This could vary vastly from company to company.

This is supposedly a loophole in the whole cage-free labeling system. I'm not sure if there's any way currently to know IF the chickens actually ventured outside even when they're labeled "cage-free".

So what are the best options?

1. By FAR the best option is if you can find a local farmer where you KNOW that the hens are actually outdoors most of the time and allowed to eat a natural diet with high variety. These will be the superstar eggs in terms of nutritional quality.

This could be at farmers markets or even farmers that deliver to urban areas (which I've found in every state I've lived, so it's not impossible).

2. Ok, I understand that not everyone will be able to find a local farmer or a farmer that delivers eggs from happy hens that roam freely eating what chickens were meant to eat…the world isn't perfect…

So, the next best option is to read the labels on egg cartons and see if it sounds like the hens were fed a highly variable diet (instead of just grains).  Sometimes this can come from algae meal or flax seed, etc added to their diet.  This is at least an improvement over standard supermarket eggs.

Despite what you may hear from some so-called "health experts" who say that all eggs are equal, these types of eggs WILL have nutritional benefits compared to your typical supermarket eggs.

Also, look for organic as well as antibiotic and hormone-free if possible. "Cage-free" may or may not always be an improvement depending on the company.

And lastly, if you read articles or hear people telling you that whole eggs are unhealthy because of saturated fat and cholesterol, please tell them (in a nice way) to GET A CLUE!

Eat clean and stay lean.

To celebrate Mike Geary's 34th birthday, He's having a 3-day HALF PRICE sale on The Fat Burning Kitchen

http://fatburningkitchen.atozfitness.com

The Simple Solution for Eating a Healthy Diet That Promotes Fat Loss (Permanently)

I'm going to show you that eating for permanent fat loss doesn't have to be complicated.

In fact, if you choose the right foods, and understand how these foods react with your body, this method is a way for you to automatically attain the right calorie level without the need to ever count calories again.

That's why I've teamed up with expert nutrition researcher, Catherine Ebeling, and we've co-authored this new program for you:

The Fat Burning Kitchen:  Your 24-Hour Diet Transformation to Make Your Body a Fat-Burning Machine

by Mike Geary – Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
& Catherine Ebeling – RN, BSN

Inside this brand new program, you'll find:

• the true secret to making calorie-counting obsolete… this is the same principle that will automatically eliminate your cravings and control your appetite permanently (it's the same reason that I personally haven't had a real "craving" in at least 6 years) — pg 1-2
• the truth about polyunsaturated fats (omega-6's and omega-3's) that most food companies don't want you to know — pg.18
• which protein bars or energy bars are actually candy bars in disguise and which bars are actually good for you — pg.50
• the real deal on saturated fat and cholesterol, and why they are essential in your diet — pg.59
• the "whole grain" deception and why whole grain crackers, breads, and cereals could be packing on more bodyfat — pg.9
• why that skim milk may not be so good for you after all — pg.29
• the one time when tilapia and salmon are NOT health foods — pg.36
• a healthy fat-burning burger option?  Yes – pg.60
• why soymilk, tofu, and veggie burgers could be increasing your belly fat — pg.41
• Are sports drinks stifling your fat-burning? — pg.46
• The only truly healthy options for sweeteners… even non-caloric sweeteners — pg.83
• A surprising healthy fat in some animal products that actually helps you burn fat and build muscle — pg.60
• whole eggs or egg whites?  easy answer — pg.65
• do diet sodas and other diet drinks hurt your fat loss efforts? — pg.22
• Is whole milk actually better for you than skim milk?  there's more to the story — pg.67
• A type of saturated fat that actually helps to stimulate your metablism — pg. 112
• the one time when chocolate can even help to prevent your sweet tooth cravings — pg.88
• does green tea or oolong tea really increase your metabolism and help fat loss?  the truth — pg.90
• which fruits and veggies are okay to choose non-organic — pg.94
• and TONS more secrets to help you permanently transform your diet to force your body to burn fat more effectively.

Take a look at Mike Geary's Fat Burning Kitchen and see if this is something you could use (specially at 50% off ) .

http://fatburningkitchen.atozfitness.com
 

Sincerely,
Lewis

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