You’ve probably heard a successful gardener explain how crushing and dispersing egg shells in plant soil can help with calcium absorption in plants. It even helps keep pests away. But could it benefit a human? The answer: Yes. Recent research has shown that eating egg shells can help with calcium levels, just like with plants.

Benefits of eating egg shells including pain reduction in women with osteoporosis and slowed bone loss

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease that decreases bone density, leading to an array of problems. Decreased bone mass can lead to fractures. While women are more prone to Osteoporosis, it’s a common disease for men as well. Though Osteoporosis is prevalent in people over 60, it is generally seen as preventable by maintaining proper bone mass early on. (1) So how can egg shells help? One egg shell contains twice the amount of daily calcium required.(3) Egg shells prepared correctly can add to your daily intake of calcium. Without proper amounts of calcium in the bloodstream, your body begins to borrow from bones in order to maintain healthy cells. (1) Studies show that using powdered egg shells reduces the amount of pain in many women with osteoporosis. It also helped in joint function and slowed bone loss.(3)

Using eggshells for calcium because of increased absorbability, rather than a standard vitamin supplement

So why can’t calcium from your daily vitamin suffice? A female adult ages 19-50 should get about 1,000mg of calcium daily, the number increasing to 1,200mg at age 51.(4) Many daily vitamin supplements don’t contain enough calcium. In addition, it has been proven that the body can more easily absorb calcium through food than from supplements. (1) So your body might not even be utilizing all of what a vitamin offers. The absorption rate hovers around 90% if the source is through food.(2) It’s also important to get enough Vitamin D since this is what allows the body to absorb the calcium. (1) Overall, nutritionists insist that food is the best way to get enough calcium. And egg shells are an excellent source.

The process of grinding eggshells for calcium

Don’t go leaving the shell on the egg to eat. Since it’s easier for your body to pick up the calcium in a powdered form, the process involves grinding them up. First, you’ll want to boil them in water for around 5 minutes. This kills any bacteria that’s lingering on the egg shells.(2) By spreading them on a baking sheet and heating for a few minutes, the shells become crunchy- the texture you want. Then grind them in a magic bullet or coffee grinder and you’ve got a thin egg shell powder which can be added to food for proper calcium intake!