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Meatĭid you know that chickens are not meant to be vegetarian, no matter what your premium carton of organic/grain-fed/cage-free eggs tells you?Ĭhickens are omnivores by nature and their healthiest diets include meats, such as mealworms, beetles, grasshoppers, grubs, and whatever creepy-crawly they can pull out of the ground. They’re also found in flax seeds and sea kelp, which are both important components of my homemade whole-grain chicken feed. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in oily fish (especially cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel), shellfish, algae, tofu, and high-fat plant foods (like brusssels sprouts, navy beans, and avocados). Related: Why Purple Beans Turn Green After Cooking (A Kitchen Magic Trick!) Omega-3 fatty acids

(I know it seems weird that a carotenoid that turns egg yolks orange is found in green vegetables, but stay with me here.) Xanthophylls are found in dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collards, as well as in zucchini, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. (Lutein is one such xanthophyll, and a lot of lutein means a lot more orange.) The carotenoids that cause deeper yolk coloring are xanthophylls, which are more readily absorbed in the yolks. Read More: Propaganda Told Us Carrots Can Improve Eyesight - Here’s the Truth It’s often thought that beta-carotene, one of the more well-known carotenoids, is responsible for giving yolks the orange pigment that people associate with carrots.īut in actuality, beta-carotene benefits yolks nutritionally, rather than pigment-wise.

He determined that orange yolks were produced by a class of carotenoids called xanthophylls, and over 100 years later, this conclusion is still widely accepted.Ĭarotenoids are natural plant pigments found in many fruits and vegetables. Leroy Palmer wrote that “The consumer demands highly colored yolks in ‘fancy’ eggs throughout the year, and the eggs with pale colored yolks, so frequently found on the market during the winter months, are the object of much complaint, particularly in cities.” The chemicals responsible for yolk coloring were first documented in 1915 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.ĭr. A few things factor into the making of an orange yolk: xanthophylls, omega-3 fatty acids, and meats.