Why did the Free Range Chicken cross the Road?

To lay eggs in a greener pasture. 
Today I start with a joke, a bad one at that, but a joke because the rest of this article is no joke.  I'd like to inform you about the differences between free range and factory farmed chicken eggs.  If you want to skip the grim details and just take my word for it, I urge you to find someone local to purchase your eggs from or get a few of your own hens for a backyard coop.
To begin, eggs in the grocery store are, on average, about 30 days old.  The vitamins in an egg deplete daily so the fresher the better.  The preparation of store bought eggs also compromises the nutrition in them.  When chickens lay eggs in factory farms, they are taken through a process of cleaning that kills not only bacteria but damages the outside surface of the egg, making it more vulnerable to outside contamination and faster deterioration.  Factory farmed eggs are washed in a bleach solution and although they are rinsed after being washed, the cuticle of the egg is removed by the bleach.  The cuticle is the membrane on the outside of the egg that naturally protects the permeable shell from outside contamination.  Removing this membrane opens the door to contamination by bacteria and the bleach itself can now leach into the eggs.  Although I couldn't find any research on this bleach contamination, I would argue that people who have acquired a sensitivity or allergy to eggs may have been exposed to too much bleach contamination in their eggs.  Bleach poisoning causes symptoms like diarrhea, mouth and throat soreness, stomach cramps, and a general feeling of sickness.  I wash my chickens' eggs in warm water only.  They have a very clean coop so I rarely have any poop on them anyway.  If you are concerned about bacteria like salmonella on your farm fresh eggs, then go check out the birds living conditions.  If they are really free range and have a clean coop and plenty of clean water to drink, you probably don't have to worry.  The living conditions of factory farmed eggs increase the probability of salmonella because they are kept in such confined spaces.  Farm fresh eggs are better tasting, more nutritious and probably safer to eat that store bought eggs.  Here's a picture of some of my eggs! 

Chlorophyll, a Superfood for Health

Chlorophyll is a gift from the earth, literally.  It is responsible for giving plants their green color.  More importantly, chlorophyll is what actually absorbs sunlight in plants, giving them their energy and making them grow.  It is called plant blood, probably because of it's similarity to human blood.  In fact, it is identical to blood except that the atom in chlorophyll is magnesium and in blood it is iron.  It has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and it helps to repair all tissues in the body.  Leafy green vegetables contain the most chlorophyll.  Because cooking vegetables greatly reduces the amount and quality of chlorophyll in plants it is best to take chlorophyll supplements to ensure you are getting enough.  I use the liquid kind, one tablespoon every morning.  Although it does not have a foul taste, odor, or texture I follow it immediately with a full glass of water and then brush my teeth.  It stains everything green so I try to clean my teeth as soon after I take it.  It's inexpensive and you can find it at any health food store.


Here are some of the known chlorophyll benefits:

• It has been seen to help in the growth and repair of tissues.
• Chlorophyll helps in neutralizing the pollution that we breathe in and intake everyday - a good supplement for smokers.
• It efficiently delivers magnesium and helps the blood in carrying the much needed oxygen to all cells and tissues.
• It is also found to be useful in assimilating and chelating calcium and other heavy minerals.
• It had been seen to have a good potential in stimulating red blood cells to improve oxygen supply.
• Along with other vitamins such as A, C and E, chlorophyll has been seen to help neutralize free radicals that do damage to healthy cells.
• Chlorophyll is also an effective deodorizer to reduce bad breath, urine, fecal waste, and body odor.
• It may reduce the ability of carcinogens to bind with the DNA in different major organs in the body.
• Chlorophyll may be useful in treating calcium oxalate stone ailments.
• It possesses some anti-atherogenic activity as well.
• It can be used to treat infected wounds naturally.
• These are only a few of the multitude benefits that chlorophyll can do to the body.
• It has antimutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties so that it may be helpful in protecting your body against toxins and in reducing drug side effects.