How to Easily Increase Your Calcium Intake

Calcium is an important nutrient in the human body, but some studies show that over two-thirds of people aren’t getting enough calcium in their diet. Thankfully, for most people, it is simple to increase your calcium intake, without even purchasing dietary supplements.

Most people know that calcium is quite important for building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. In fact, nearly all of the calcium in the body is stored in bones and teeth. However, calcium is also critically important in heart function and nerve health, too.

The problem is that unlike many vitamins and minerals, the body doesn’t actually store excess calcium. The calcium in bones and teeth serves an immediate purpose. Excess calcium is simply flushed out of the body. This means that people need calcium every day to prevent a deficiency.

This is particularly true of children, pregnant women, vegans, and people over 50. The amount of calcium lost daily for these people often exceeds the amount taken in. As we age, our bodies also don’t absorb calcium as efficiently as they once did. This is especially bad considering that some studies suggest that as many as 87% of teenage girls aren’t getting enough calcium in their diets, to begin with.

Low-cost supplements are available for increasing the calcium intake. However, there is an even less expensive way to do it. That way is to use eggshells, which contain more calcium than even milk or cheese.

Most people eat eggs and bake with eggs. Most often, though, the shells are simply thrown away. Yet, eggshells are composed of calcium carbonate. This is a tremendous source of calcium if it is added to the diet.

It is easy to do, too. Before even cracking the egg, thoroughly wash the outside of the egg. After using the contents of the egg, rinse the inside of the shell out. The shell can then be allowed to air-dry.

Once the eggshells are dry, crush them into a powder. A food blender is quite handy for this. Store the powder in an airtight container.

Using the powdered eggshells is quite simple. A small amount (about 1/4 teaspoon) can be added to meals that are being prepared. The powder can also be added to baking recipes. The really great part about this is that people who eat the resultant dishes probably won’t even know that you’ve increased the amount of calcium the dish contains since eggshells are flavorless.

If this is done in two meals every day, you can go a long way toward making sure that everyone in the family is getting enough calcium. It really costs nothing for most people since they would normally throw the eggshells away anyhow and when people buy eggs, they generally don’t pay extra for the high-calcium containers (eggshells) that the eggs come in.

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Addendum:

What are signs of calcium deficiency?

numbness

muscle cramps

difficulty swallowing

tingling fingers or toes

poor appetite

anxiety

depression

irregular heartbeat

brittle fingernails