Here’s Why You Should Eat And Not Discard Your Eggshells

Most people eat the eggs and throw away the eggshells without thinking about eating it. After all, having to think about eating eggshells might gross some people out. But science has found eggshells are nutritious and they are great sources of calcium. According to a 2003 review, eggshells have been found to have a number of good properties, especially when they are ground to become powder.

For instance, an animal study has shown the positive effect eggshell powder has on bone density in postmenopausal osteoporosis. It was also stated that the bioavailability of calcium was the same as or much better than the food-grade purified calcium carbonate.

Eggshells contain 95% of calcium carbonate and so they are good for bone and teeth health. The International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition says that half an eggshell is enough to provide the recommended daily calcium intake. Eggshells cannot be eaten straight up though after breaking the eggs. To make it work, they will still need to be pulverized – this is an important step in eating eggshells.

Eggshells are a great source of dietary calcium that’s good for bone and teeth health.

The shells will have to be cleaned thoroughly. Ideally, the eggshells should be boiled for at least five minutes to kill harmful bacteria. The membrane should not be removed because it is rich in nutrients. After which, the shells should be allowed to dry and then taken to the oven to be baked at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

Some people would skip the baking step if they are confident enough that the eggshells have been cleaned by boiling. However, baking would make the shells crunchier, which then makes them easier to grind in a blender. The ground eggshells can be mixed in regular food.

Instead of discarding them, some people clean and pulverize the shells to be added to regular food.

Since eggshells have high calcium content, people should still be cautious about eating too much of it. One eggshell contains two grams of calcium and an average adult would only need one gram per day.

The next time you prepare some meals involving eggs, consider keeping the eggshells. Not only do they have nutritional value but eating them can help save the environment. Do you include eggshells in your diet? Sound off in the comment section below.