Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I intend to use eggshells to make my own calcium supplement. I read somewhere that eggshells submerged in acetic acid yield calcium acetate. Is this true? And if so, would submerging them in lemon juice eventually yield calcium citrate?

flag	asked Mar 8 2011 at 16:11 survivalmachine 623●4●11

Adam Crafter · Answer 1 · 2011-03-08 20:03:48Z UTC

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You can add them to a working Bone Broth with a bit of Vinegar, and the calcium you seek will go into the soup that you drink.

answered Mar 8 2011 at 20:03

Adam Crafter
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	Good idea. Have you tried this? I keep a bag of bones in my freezer until I have enough for broth. Any issues with keeping eggshells and bones together in the freezer? My "kosher" sense is offended but I'm not sure why... – wjones3044 Mar 8 2011 at 20:30
	I've tried it and the shells sort of get soggy and wilty. I would not keep them together in the fridge, but frozen = inert to me. I'm also reminded of the old eggshells in coffee bit. – Adam Crafter Mar 9 2011 at 2:30
	Here is a clever description::: I learned to make coffee from Steinbeck, who himself learned "on Bourbon Street from giants in the earth": "I went into my house and set coffee to cooking, and remembering how Roark Bradford liked it, I doubled the dosage, two heaping tablespoons of coffee to each cup and two heaping for the pot. I cracked an egg and cupped out the yolk and dropped white and shells into the pot, for I know nothing that polishes coffee and makes it shine like that." That, and "a little chicory for bite". All in all, a truly outstanding cup of coffee, for those dedicated few. – Adam Crafter Mar 9 2011 at 2:33

Travis Culp · Answer 2 · 2011-03-08 19:12:13Z UTC

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You'd probably want to ensure that you are consuming sufficient amounts of vitamin K2 in order to mineralize all of that calcium.

answered Mar 8 2011 at 19:12

Travis Culp♦
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Hopefully he's eating the yolk of the eggs he's melting down. – Stephen-Aegis Mar 8 2011 at 20:41

survivalmachine · Answer 3 · 2011-03-08 18:50:10Z UTC

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Update: no need to answer because I found out that, indeed, citric acid and eggshells will yield, among other ingredients, calcium citrate. It will be simple enough to make and won't have nearly as much lead as bone meal, if certain studies are to be trusted.

answered Mar 8 2011 at 18:50

survivalmachine
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	Can you explain this process? I am intrigued ... – Kimble Mar 8 2011 at 19:25
	I'll wash the eggshells and submerge them in lemon juice. Wait until reaction is complete and then it's up to you whether you wish to dehydrate the mix to get powder. It's supposed to be about 1800 mg elemental calcium per medium eggshell. – survivalmachine Mar 9 2011 at 3:33

GHarkness · Answer 4 · 2011-03-08 19:57:11Z UTC

Well, now this brings up a question (I am not a chemist - never even took it in school, so please understand the ignorance). Various references I see on the internet, such as http://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=461 indicate that the calcium in eggs is not citrate, but carbonate.

Is there something in the acid that then changes the carbonate to citrate, or is there a different problem/issue?

I notice also that the OP mentions acetic acid, which I have always understood to be a major component of vinegar, but then mentions soaking the eggshells in lemon juice.

I'm lost.....

Dissolving eggshells using X solution?

4 Answers