Vegan vs. plant based, eggs?

Since I have been using the terms vegan and plant-based interchangeably (so as not to bore you to tears with the same word) I thought it might be prudent to define what they mean.  I found that vegan can be more of a lifestyle (and not so much a diet) that promotes the avoidance of killing animals for any use, and that you can be a "vegan" and not consume veggies at all!  The term plant-based refers to what you actually eat, meaning food that comes from a plant; avoiding ingestion of anything that has a face! So at this point, it might be more accurate to say that I aspire to, and recommend others to follow a more plant based diet.

A friend recently asked me if I eat eggs.  I do occasionally eat eggs, but they are certainly not on the official  plant-based diet.  It is a terrific treat to mix things up a bit and I recently enjoyed a fried egg (in coconut oil,  stainless steel pan, please no non-stick coating) served over polenta and beans.  My friend Maria eats a hard boiled egg on Ezekiel bread toast with mashed avocado for breakfast - yum!

Eggs have been under a lot of scrutiny over the last few decades and it's difficult to get accurate information about their health status; many of the studies conducted are backed by the manufacturers themselves.  The current popular view is they do not increase cholesterol and provide a source of choline, an essential nutrient not found on the vegetarian or plant-based diet.  If you do eat eggs, PLEASE buy organic.  This ensures that the chickens are not exposed to antibiotics and are fed an organic, non-gmo grain.

My husband gets our eggs from a co-worker who raises chickens in his backyard.  They are sold at local farmer's markets and the grocery - two are here in Ashburn on the weekends.  One is by IHOP on Saturday morning, and by Brambleton Sport & Health on Sunday mornings.  You can also buy them at Costco for a competitive price.

You might find this amusing: http://www.thevegg.com/ - let me know if you try them!