Lent is the 40-day period between Carnival and Holy Week, kept by Catholics for reflection and penance.
At that time, Catholics are oriented to stop eating red meat or, at least, eat less food.
To make up for the lack of protein in the diet, the egg ends up being one of the main options, mainly because it is cheap and easy to find.
Eggs are part of the daily menu of many Brazilians and their sales increase considerably during this period.
Egg consumption and production in Lent
The consumption and production of eggs in Brazil is high and has been increasing mainly in the last ten years. Food is no longer consumed just because it is cheap and has become part of the diet of Brazilians looking for a healthy lifestyle and better physical condition.
According to data from the Santa Catarina State Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, from January to September of last year, Santa Catarina produced 122,895 dozen eggs. In the same period, Brazil produced 2,848,165 dozen eggs.
According to engineer Ricardo Faria, who works in one of the largest companies in the country, which is headquartered in Lauro Muller, in the south of Santa Catarina.
Although the sector, in general, is preparing to meet the demand of Lent so that the price of the product does not increase too much.
However, according to him, this year, the mission to maintain the price of the egg became a little more arduous, because, with the increase in the dollar. Thus, the two main inputs for the production of eggs, which are corn and soybeans, increased by 50% and 30% respectively.
— We foresee a production increase of 10% in this period, aiming to stabilize the market and try to mitigate any sudden price increase movement — points out Ricardo.
Can I substitute meat for eggs in my diet?
Replacing red meat with eggs does not harm the diet from a nutritional point of view. Unless you have some kind of egg allergy, there is no harm in removing meat from your diet.
Therefore, the ideal is to consume free-range or organic eggs, which have a more orange yolk and, therefore, more nutrients.
