By Lauren Rashap
Those of you who have joined me at the Farmers Market—either in person or virtually—know I always begin my shop replenishing my favorite foundational food: the egg.
Let me be perfectly clear: I will not buy eggs at the supermarket. And no, it’s not just because I have a soft spot for Farmers Market freshness (although that absolutely plays a part). I buy from small, local producers because I want control—control over knowing what the hens eat, what’s in the yolk, and ultimately what ends up fueling my body.
Commercial eggs, even some labeled “pasture-raised,” often come from hens fed corn and soy as the primary components of their diet. Those feeds are naturally high in omega-6 fats, especially linoleic acid, and very low in omega-3s. That imbalance gets reflected directly in the egg: the more omega-6 (linoleic acid) in the hen’s diet, the more omega-6 ends up in the yolk, and the less favorable your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio becomes when you eat it.
What I’m really focused on is balance. Humans evolved eating a diet with a relatively low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, roughly in the range of 1:1 to 4:1, while the modern Western diet can reach 15:1 or higher in favor of omega-6. That skewed ratio has been associated with higher levels of chronic, low-grade inflammation and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. When your eggs are coming from hens overdosed on corn and soy, you’re essentially layering more linoleic-acid–heavy omega-6 onto an already omega-6–dominant diet.
Corn, Soy, and Linoleic Acid: Why It Matters
Corn and soy are not “bad” in isolation, but they are extremely rich in linoleic acid, the primary omega-6 fat in the modern diet. When hens eat a high–corn and high–soy ration, their tissues and their eggs become correspondingly high in linoleic acid. That means your “healthy” breakfast can easily become another dose of pro-inflammatory fat if the egg quality isn’t there.
Excess linoleic acid feeds into the omega-6 pathway in the body, where it can be converted into arachidonic acid and then into a series of signaling molecules that tend to be more pro-inflammatory, pro-thrombotic, and pro-allergic. When omega-6 intake is high and omega-3 intake is low, you tilt the entire system toward inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction, all of which are linked to higher risks of heart disease, certain cancers, and other chronic illnesses.
By contrast, when hens are raised on more diverse, natural forage—think grasses, insects, and supplemented omega-3–rich feeds rather than just corn and soy—their eggs tend to contain more omega-3s and a more favorable omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. That translates into a yolk that better supports anti-inflammatory pathways, brain health, and cardiovascular protection instead of constantly fanning the inflammatory flames.
The Yolk Is the Powerhouse
In the case of an egg, the yolk is where the real magic happens. The yolk carries the bulk of the fat-soluble nutrients and essential fats that feed your brain cells and support overall metabolic health—nutrients like choline, vitamin D, and long-chain omega-3s when the hen’s diet provides them. That’s why I’m not interested in just any yolk; I want a yolk from a hen whose diet is working for me, not against me.
So yes, I always cringe a little when my clients (before they come to see me) and my followers, say they eat egg white–only omelettes. Most of the egg’s nutrient density—choline, fat-soluble vitamins, carotenoids, and those all-important fatty acids—live in the yolk. When you skip the yolk, you’re essentially throwing away the most valuable part of the egg.
For me, when I say “an egg is not an egg,” I mean an egg that doesn’t honor the biology: hens eating a diverse, species-appropriate diet; yolks that are rich, deeply colored, and naturally higher in omega-3s with a saner omega-6 to omega-3 ratio; and a food that truly earns its place as a foundational part of a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory way of eating.
If you want to get a guide to my favorite farmers eggs the good ol’ fashioned way, please DM @Lauren-rashap.
Lauren Rashap is a clinical nutritionist.