You probably know that eggshells are an excellent fertilizer for your garden. But did you know that egg shells are also edible? That’s a new one, probably! Also, you may never have heard about the many health benefits of egg shells.
Egg shells are a cheap natural source of calcium and, hence, are essential for the human body. They’re great for relieving joint pain and boosting the health of your joints. Besides, egg shells are great for reducing the risk of Osteoporosis. Health practitioners say that egg shells may treat gastric ulcers and thyroid glands.
The shells are made of calcium carbonate, a dietary calcium that makes up your bones, nails, and teeth. In addition, eggshells contain essential minerals and proteins that your body needs.
Below, I’ll discuss all the primary benefits of eggshells that no one ever told you.
Read on.
Health Benefits of Egg Shells
You probably have only eaten the egg yolks and whites all your years but not the eggshells. According to your previous studies (if any), you only know that eggshells are a great composting material that helps boost your farm yields. That’s true, but there’s more!
Today, I’ll explain why you must eat egg whites, egg yolks, and eggshells. For hygiene purposes, simply clean the eggs before cracking them open.
Without further ado, let’s look at the health benefits of eggshells.
Rich in Calcium
Did you know a chicken eggshell (hard outer covering) has about 40% calcium? Clinical studies done on piglets and rats confirm that eggshells contain calcium.
This type of calcium is called Calcium carbonate, and besides eggshells, it’s also found in limestone, seashells, and coral reefs.
Each gram of an eggshell has 381 to 401 mg of calcium. Hence, according to the National Center of Biotechnology Information report, eating half an eggshell daily provides an adult with the recommended calcium intake (1,000 mg).
According to studies, eggshell powder calcium absorption was more effective by up to 64% than pure calcium carbonate.
According to researchers, the effectiveness is attributed to the protein contained in the eggshell powder.
Eggshell powder calcium regulates heart rhythm and potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus levels in the blood, boosts muscle function, and develops and grows new bones.
Other vital eggshell nutrients include magnesium, strontium, selenium, and fluoride. These nutrients also contribute to the general health of your bones.
Help Prevent or Treat Osteoporosis
Since eggshells have high calcium content, they can be used to prevent or treat osteoporosis. Though calcium deficiency contributes to osteoporosis and bone loss, old age is another major cause of this disease.
Some significant signs of osteoporosis are weak bones and a high risk of fractured bones. At least 54 million older Americans were reported to have osteoporosis in 2010.
People who feed on a calcium-deficient diet should eat finely crushed eggshells to reap the health benefits.
However, all adults and older adults need enough calcium in the body. According to a study, postmenopausal women with osteoporosis had strong and healthy bones due to magnesium, Vitamin D, and eggshell powder. Besides, their bone mineral density increased.
Another Dutch study revealed that eggshell powder boosted bone mineral density in postmenopausal women’s necks compared to a placebo.
What Is an Eggshell Membrane Supplement Good For?
You don’t need to throw away the eggshell membrane when grinding the eggshells. The membrane is found between the egg white and eggshell. It’s more visible when you peel boiled eggs.
Rich in collagen (a form of protein), glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate, eggshell membranes could impact your health when taken regularly.
Sadly, there are not enough studies confirming this. So, more research may be needed.
Are There Any Risks to Eating Eggshells?
Most of the risks associated with eggshells result from poor preparation. For example, not grinding the eggshells into fine powder could hurt your throat. On the other hand, not thoroughly washing the shells could cause bacterial infection.
So, here’s what to do:
Thoroughly clean the shells and boil them in clean water before grinding them. Boiling kills bacteria such as salmonella enteritidis, which causes food poisoning.
Big shell fragments injure the esophagus and the throat. So, finely grind the shells into powder.
Like any other natural calcium supplement, eggshells may contain high amounts of cadmium, lead, mercury, and other dangerous metals. Thankfully, these toxic elements are lower in eggshells than in oyster shells.
Hence, it shouldn’t be a significant concern. So, you can eat eggshells every day as long as you’re not exceeding the recommended amount in a day (1,000 grams).
Excessive consumption of eggshells could cause diseases such as hypercalcemia. Consequently, you could develop kidney stones and kidney damage.
How Do You Prepare Egg Shells for Human Consumption?
Firstly, as discussed above, you must thoroughly clean the eggshells and boil them in clean water for several minutes to prevent food poisoning. To protect your esophagus and the throat, only eat finely crushed eggshells. You can grind finely with a coffee grinder, mortar and pestle, rolling pin, or blender.
Once finely ground, below are ways you could consume your eggshells safely.
The best way to eat ground eggshell powder is to add it to cooked green bananas, bread, cactus water, and lavender tea.
Adding eggshell powder to your goat meat stew, bone broth, garlic and honey, cakes, lemon tea, or frozen pineapple juice is also great.
Still, mixing the powder with cornflour or breadcrumbs for coating toast or other things is a good idea.
To help reduce bitterness, you could also add the shells in ground coffee before you brew it.
You can also bake eggshells for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Once ready, allow a few minutes to cool before grinding into fine powder.
FAQs
Is It OK to Eat Eggshells Every Day?
Yes, as an adult, you can eat eggshells every day, but never exceed 2.5 grams. This amount gives you enough calcium, as recommended by health practitioners.
However, based on your weight, health condition, and diet, you should seek advice from your doctor on whether you should eat eggshells daily and how much should be enough.
Are Egg Shells Bad for Teeth?
No, eggshells are not bad for teeth as they contain much calcium. In fact, egg shells boost the remineralization process, which helps prevent dental erosion. This could be attributed to the high calcium content in egg shells.
Besides, egg shells also contain fluoride (F) and strontium, which boosts dental metabolism and bone health.
These shells have high degrees of bioavailability of calcium.
Not to mention, chicken egg shells have a high pH, which favors the remineralization process.
What Is the Benefit of Boiled Egg Shells?
It’s easier to grind boiled egg shells into fine edible powder. Since boiled egg shells still contain calcium, you can add the powder to juices and foods to increase calcium in the body.
Boiling the eggshells also kills disease-causing bacteria. Hence, boiling eggs is a great way to prevent food poisoning.
Closing Line
Eggshells are cheap yet an excellent source of calcium. Besides being rich in calcium, other health benefits of egg shells include strengthening bones and preventing osteoporosis, a common disease among people aged 50 years and above.
What’s more? You don’t have to buy store-sold eggshells; you can eat homemade eggshells. Simply clean them, boil and crush them into fine powder, and add it to cake, bread, juices, or your other best foods.
So, don’t throw away all the eggshells in the compost pile next time. Simply ground eggshells to eat them in their powder form. They have essential nutrients that will give you strong bones and teeth.
You can store egg shells in the freezer for later use.
