It seems like everywhere you turn now, people are giving up milk. Almond milk and oat milk have become the new normal. Even people who are not even that interested in health are switching from cow’s milk to almond milk. This is because we are becoming more and more aware of the detrimental effects that milk has on the body and the absolute cruelty that it causes to cows. But, no one is giving up eggs. Eggs are just as cruel as milk, so why does it seem like eggs are on everyone’s plate? In the article, we wanted to discuss why you may want to think twice before eating your next egg.
While there seems to be a health halo around eggs, this is simply not the truth. Eggs are commonly cited as being a good source of protein, however, in reality, about 60% of the calories in eggs are from fat—much of which is saturated fat. Eggs are also loaded with cholesterol with about 200 milligrams for an average-sized egg. That’s more than double the amount in a Big Mac! Not only are eggs a hefty source of cholesterol, which in high amounts is known to cause heart disease, but they also seem to correlate with some cancers, including that of the prostate, bladder, and breast. Eggs are high in choline. Choline is converted in the gut into trimethylamine, which, after being oxidized by our liver, may promote inflammation and result in cancer progression. Eggs are also a major source of food poisoning. Salmonella is a bacterial infection that causes diarrhea, cramping, vomiting, fever, headaches, and nausea. Eggs and eggshells are frequently contaminated with Salmonella bacteria through contact with infected chicken feces, making it an important worldwide public health concern. Salmonella infections from food sources cause over 80 million cases of illness each year globally, and in the United States, over 53% of foodborne Salmonella infections have been traced back to eggs.
Not only are eggs a source of concern in the health department, but they are also a source of concern ethically. Every single year, the U.S. egg industry exploits more than 305 million hens for their eggs.
These poor chickens are selectively bred to produce the maximum number of eggs. The hens spend up to two years packed in wire cages with up to six other birds. The cages are so small and crowded that hens cannot even spread their wings. On average, each hen has less living space than a standard piece of printer paper. Inside these cages, they are forced to stand or crouch on the cages’ hard wires, which cut their feet. Because of the living conditions, hens often die in their cages. They are sometimes left to rot in the same space alongside living birds. As we know, male chicks cannot lay eggs. They are also not the chicken breed used for meat, so they are deemed worthless by the egg industry. After being separated from the females, they are disposed of like trash, either suffocated to death or ground up alive in large industrial macerators
Next time you consider eating eggs, it is important to consider these factors. Eggs are by no means a healthy food and it is contributing to an incredibly cruel industry. The good news is that there are plenty of substitutes for eggs. Tofu scrambles, egg alternatives, and even chickpea scrambles are a great swap for the eggs on your plate!