Calcium from eggshells. How to prepare?

A natural and cheap source of calcium is calcium from eggshells. Combined with magnesium and vitamin D, calcium from the shell is ideal for our body. The main advantages of such calcium are low levels of calcium in the blood and a high percentage of absorption. You can make calcium from eggshells at home.

Shells for homemade calcium

Daily dose from 400 to 2000 mg per day (nursing mothers). So much has been written and said about it, but the culture of consuming foods rich in calcium is at zero… “Drink, children, milk” - well, well, let’s drink 2 liters a day (this is exactly the volume of the daily dose of calcium that will be absorbed from taking into account losses), and we will earn diarrhea and cholesterol going through the roof. Recent years of research, moreover, show that milk calcium is poorly absorbed (10%-30%). But what to do with the huge amount of milk protein, the processing of which consumes calcium from the body? What should those who are lactose intolerant do? For example, a billion Chinese?

The best source of calcium is plant foods. Calcium from a plant source is well absorbed and has no side effects, unlike milk calcium.

Rating of products with calcium:

1. Soy. 100g - 258 mg of calcium with an ideal calcium-phosphorus ratio. Our cows, by the way, are fed rapeseed and soybeans (Ukrainian cows).
2. Cauliflower and broccoli.
3. All green parts of vegetables and herbs - parsley (245 mg), dill, tops, spinach.
4. Beetroot.
5. Bran, sesame, garlic and onion.
6. Almonds (260 mg)
7. Mineral water.

Milk and meat do not solve the problem of calcium deficiency. Vegans and vegetarians have made great progress in this matter - their bone tissue is healthier than that of meat-eaters. Salt, which removes calcium and magnesium from the body, also greatly spoils the picture. In turn, starch from vegetables helps calcium to be absorbed. Overall, we can eat our daily minimum of calcium if we try REALLY hard. But what if you need an additional source of calcium, for example, a nursing mother or child, or an athlete? Which calcium to choose - calcium gluconate, calcium hydroxide, aspartate, citrate? There is also coral calcium and this is not the end of the list.

Eggshells contain 27 microelements, which are very similar in structure to our teeth and bones. On the website of the National Center for Biotechnology there is a publication about the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis using eggshells (in English). Homemade calcium supplement is very easy to make with your own hands.

How to make a calcium preparation from eggshells?

The shells of any poultry are suitable for us - quails, ducks, chickens, geese. It is advisable that the eggs come from free-range birds. The calcium content in the shell directly depends on what the chicken eats. Before breaking an egg, wash it thoroughly so that you don’t have to worry about washing the shell later. Collect shells from 10 eggs and store in the refrigerator. When the required amount has been collected, rinse them in hot water; there is no need to remove the membrane. Now the shell needs to be disinfected.

There are at least 4 disinfection options:

• Boiling
• Microwave
• Oven
• Hydrogen peroxide

When boiling, some of the calcium is washed into the water (at least that’s what they say). You can water flowers with this water, and you can cook soups with it if you wish. Cook the shells for 3 minutes by throwing them into boiling water. I prefer the microwave option. There are serious studies showing that microwaves kill most “kitchen” bacteria within 2 minutes (more precisely from 2 to 10 minutes), so you can dry the shells in the microwave without boiling and losing calcium. You can also dry and disinfect the shells in the oven - 200 degrees for 10 minutes. I read that some people wash the shells in hydrogen peroxide.

The shells must be completely dry before grinding. The first grinding can be done in a blender by loading the crushed shells into the bowl - just remember that they are in the bag. A finer grind should be achieved using a coffee grinder. The smaller the better. The powder should be stored in a tightly closed jar in a dark place.

How to prepare calcium citrate from carbonate

One heaped teaspoon contains about 1000 mg of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is not suitable for us - if you take it in its pure form, it will be deposited in the form of kidney stones, spurs, and calcify blood vessels. We use calcium citrate (using citric acid) or calcium acetate (using vinegar). From calcium carbonate we can get both types of calcium.

Calcium Citrate and Acetate Recipe:

1. Pour 1 level teaspoon of ground shells (600-700 mg of calcium) into a glass.
2. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (to make acetate) or the juice of half a lemon (to make citrate). Mix until the mixture starts to bubble.
3. Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours, you can do it overnight, but do not let the reaction work for more than 12 hours. I have seen recommendations to take it immediately, without allowing the reaction to complete.
4. Add some water to the mixture, shake and drink. You can take it once, you can divide the dose into 2 or 3 times.

I found a video tutorial on making calcium citrate.

How is calcium absorbed?

To absorb calcium, magnesium and vitamin D are needed. With vitamin D, everything is simple - it is synthesized in the epidermis under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Simply put, 15 minutes of walking in the sun (as Dr. Komarovsky says) and the deficiency is filled. However, both Americans and Russians, as well as Indians who get enough sun, have vitamin D deficiency.

Food sources of vitamin D: seaweed and seaweed, fish oil, butter (minimal), herring, yolk.

With magnesium, everything is much more complicated, but there are 2 excellent ways to get magnesium using homemade preparations , about which there is a separate article with detailed instructions. Thus, with minimal expenses, we provide ourselves and our family with the most important minerals.

Update 11/15. 2016

I continue to follow publications and news in this area and understand that not everything is so simple. The most recent independent studies demonstrate the inadequacy of women taking calcium + D3 as a preventive measure for osteoporosis during and after menopause. Osteoporosis is associated with hormonal levels, not a lack of minerals. On the contrary, calcium from drugs can calcify vascular fatty plaques and aggravate other problems.

Once again I am convinced of a simple truth - you need to eat as varied as possible, always eat different cereals (and not just pasta and rice), try mixing pumpkin, celery, kohlrabi in salads (just an example).

In a word, you need to make any appointments for yourself with great caution. Take care of your health and keep your mind cool!