* there's no money to be made from it.
* chances are it's already sitting in your fridge door.
* the best source of natural calcium in the world is something you'd normally throw away!
"Back in 2002, Dutch researchers took a group of post-menopausal women and gave half of them a calcium carbonate supplement and the other half calcium from eggshells. After a year, the bone density in the women taking the calcium carbonate had gone right down.
But the bone density for the women taking the eggshell calcium had significantly increased. Interesting, isn't it?
A lot of supplement companies make good money out of perpetuating the belief that if you take a calcium supplement your bone density will increase.
But that's not how it works, as the Dutch study shows.
Your body needs more than just calcium for healthy bones.
B vitamins, vitamin C and D, phosphorus, magnesium - are all known to be essential.
And that's why eggshell calcium works so well. Eggshells are made up of calcium and 26 other elements. In fact, they're very similar in content to your bones and teeth.
(you 'could' sit down for breakfast, eat your dippy egg and then crunch your way through the remaining shell...however, there is an easy and more palatable way to extract all those nutrients!)
How to make your own super calcium supplement:-- Wash some empty eggshells in warm water and let them dry
- Break them into small pieces, then grind them to into a fine powder. (Coffee grinders work best but a blender or even a pestle and mortar will do.) Store the powder in an airtight jar.
- Mix 1/2 teaspoon of powdered eggshell with the juice of half a freshly squeezed lemon. The solution will start to bubble and foam.
- Leave at room temperature for 6-12 hours and that's it! It's ready to take.
Half a teaspoon of eggshell gives you about 400mgs or calcium citrate, which is the recommended amount you should take each day.
If you've been diagnosed with osteoporosis, why not give it a go?
(Better than taking those Bisphosphonate drugs that 'don't' work and have horrible side effects!)Here are a few more natural, proven ways to help prevent
osteoporosis:
- Up your intake of essential fatty acids. Fish oil containing EPA and GLA has been shown to protect against osteoporosis. There are plenty of fish oil supplements in the shops these days - and there's always cod liver oil. Or just make sure you enjoy some salmon, mackerel, sardines or other oily fish three times a week.
- Exercise your way to healthier bones. More than 100 studies show that regular exercise such as brisk walking, running (NOT 'pounding', bad for the knees...), 'gentle' aerobics, tennis and badminton strengthen your bones and lower your risk of getting a fracture.
(I would add in Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi - all good for the AS'er, plus a gentle and 'appropriate' work out in the gym - don't go copying our lovely Joyce though: NO accidents...!) - Enjoy the sunshine. Vitamin D increases the amount of calcium and magnesium your body absorbs from food. Better still, it makes sure more calcium enters the bones and stays there. (Get outside for at least 20 minutes a day.)
- Eat a varied, wholefood diet. It goes without saying, right? But since calcium is best absorbed with all the other trace elements we've been talking about, it makes sense to eat it in its natural form.
- Almonds and broccoli give you plenty of calcium along with magnesium, phosphorous, B vitamins and iron - all essential for healthy bones.
-
Don't cook with aluminium. Studies have shown that aluminium can inhibit the parathyroid gland which can then lead to osteoporosis. So instead of using foil to cook in the oven,
use baking paper. To store food, use a glass container. Avoid plastic containers, especially soft, flimsy ones. They're full of phthalates which have been linked to cancer. But that's a whole other story..."
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With thanks to Ray Collins of the Good Life Letter
Or, you could take the alternative route of Strontium Citrate, which also works *very well indeed but does cost a bob or two! Me? I take Strontium Citrate and NOW will add in the egg shell supplement - am going to try the egg shell method as well as. Have got two nice chickens, and will get the old coffee grinder out and see how we progress - oh yes, musn't forget the oil supplements...
Cluck-a-doodle - as I do (la Moll)
