Please welcome back our guest poster for today, Deborah Adams.

Now that the food industry has caught on to the profitability of healthy foods, they’ve adjusted their marketing strategies to catch the attention of consumers interested in eating nutritious foods. The word “organic” is popping up everywhere, from the produce department to the candy aisle. But not all organic food is created equal.

Take eggs, for example. You’ll often find them for sale in cardboard containers, with earthy-colored labels that claim the contents are organic and free-range. It’s important to know exactly what those terms mean before you buy.

“Free-range” simply means that the chickens who laid those eggs have access to the outdoors. That sounds like a good thing, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the hens ever stepped outside – only that they have access. If 2000 chickens are kept in an enclosure with a tiny access hole that would allow them to wander at will, they are technically “free-range chickens.” Whether or not they ever make use of the escape route doesn’t come into play.

Another misleading term is “organic.” Eggs that bear the organic label must come from chickens that have not been exposed to synthetic pesticides, insecticides, hormones, or animal by-products. It does not mean that the laying hens have received proper or adequate food, nor does it mean that their lives are happy ones.

Then there’s the “cage-free” label. This simply means that the hens are allowed to roam in a space larger than, say, a small pet carrier. It doesn’t always mean that they have real freedom to explore and eat a varied diet, which is vital to the flavor and nutrients in the egg.

Most of us want to avoid exploitation of animals, and if we eat meat and poultry, we want our food animals to have good and healthy lives right up until the end. But when it comes to eggs, we can’t depend on promises printed on a label. In addition, even if the eggs we buy at the supermarket really were produced by hens living the good life in a green pasture, most of the nutritive value has faded by the time those eggs are shipped across the country and left on the shelf at Kroger.

The very best egg you’ll ever eat will come from your own backyard flock. If you aren’t in a position to keep chickens on your property, though, there’s an eggs-cellent alternative – your local small farmer. Local food is almost always a fresher, tastier, and healthier option than food wrapped in plastic and sold in bulk, even if the local food isn’t entirely organic. You may not always be able to tell the difference just by looking at lettuce or tomatoes, but you’ll have no trouble at all tasting the difference between a fresh farm egg and the pale imitations from a factory farm.

Some people call them “country eggs” and they mean eggs with firm, bright yellow yolks that come wrapped in sturdy shells. The color of the eggshell makes no difference, by the way – brown, white, blue, or green, it’s all the same on the inside. When you eat eggs produced by a small flock that has fed on grass, weeds, insects, worms, seeds, and garden excess, you’ll be getting less cholesterol, less saturated fat, more vitamin A, D, and E, and twice as much omega-3.

Depending on where you live and the chicken farm you buy from, you may even be able to purchase the eggs for less than what it costs in the supermarket. That’s a nice deal for you, but even if a small local farmer is charging twice the going rate, isn’t it worth it? Think of it as an off-set against the price of a doctor’s visit, since eating better-quality food is likely to keep you healthier.

Most small farms are willing to work with you, so if you want to find out for yourself whether the difference really matters, purchase a half dozen eggs from a local farm or CSA and compare them to the clone-like eggs you’ve been eating.  I’ll bet you’ll be clucking about the country eggs after just one bite.

Deborah Adams is a content writer for Online Schools and Online MBA who gives advice on the pursuit of education and living a healthy life. She also is a contributing writer for a site that helps students determine the best online nursing programs for them. In her free time she enjoys gardening and yoga.