Calculating the price of eggs

Here we go again. Because of the avian influenza, many hens have had to be culled, leaving fewer to produce eggs. Supply and demand being what it is, the price of eggs has jumped up again because there are fewer eggs.

A recent trip to the store was a shocker. In the space of less than 10 days, a dozen eggs at my local store had shot up over $2, to a whopping $6.95 for large eggs. This wasn’t even extra large or jumbo.

I almost walked away without buying eggs. Instead, I pulled out my calculator and did the math.

At that price, each egg cost 58 cents. A two-egg omelet would, therefore, cost $1.16 for the eggs and would provide 12 grams of protein.

And it was then I realized something: For all the complaining I’ve done about the price of eggs, maybe the price really isn’t so bad when it’s calculated that way.

To be considered: There is tuna with a high protein level, but we’re told not to eat it every day because of the mercury in many types.

There’s rice, but we shouldn’t have that every day either because of the arsenic in it. And how many of us adhere to the 1/4-cup serving size?

Beef is a protein powerhouse, but where are we going to get a serving of beef for $1.16? Not at my store.

In my hunt for “cheap protein,” I discovered cottage cheese. One 1/2-cup serving gets us 14 grams of protein and costs 72 cents. Two tablespoons of peanut butter gets us 7 grams of protein.

Then there are beans, lentils, oatmeal and a snack of cheese with a few grapes and crackers.

So, instead of looking at the cost of an item — and cringing — maybe we need to look instead at the cost of a serving.