Say what? Yup, your eyes are not deceiving you. Those are eggshells in my bone broth. I was going to start by telling you about all the miraculous healing properties of bone broth. I mean if you google it you will find tons of articles that say it is good for joint health, gut health, immune system, beautification of skin, decrease cellulite, strengthens the enamel on your teeth, and I am sure there are more claims that I have not hit on. The problem is that all of those claims are not all scientifically proven. Just because you are pulling out minerals and compounds from bones does not necessarily mean it is going to go straight into our bones, skin, and teeth.
But….
There is a lot of evidence showing many benefits
Here is what really happens:
Collagen is digested and turned into amino acids which are the building blocks for whatever our body needs. It does not go straight to our joints or immediately plump up our skin but it does give our body what it needs to help in these areas.
A Harvard study involving patients with rheumatoid arthritis found that the collagen (specifically chicken collagen) diminishes the immune system response from attacking our cartilage and decreases inflammation. The degradation of cartilage in patients with osteoarthritis is also caused by a similar autoimmune response.
Ok, so what about all those other claims? I think that the combination of the anti-inflammatory properties, as well as all the incredible nutrients that are derived from bone broth, is miraculous enough for me. I am smelling the goodness coming from my own huge crockpot full of bones, veggies, and eggshells simmering right now as I am writing this.
Oh, right, the eggshells. I got on a bit of a tangent on the bone broth and forgot to mention the egg shells. Well, let me tell you about the eggshells. This is the first time I have put them in my bone broth. As I was researching bone broth I came across a few sites where people were doing this and I wondered why. Eggshells are made of calcium. Not only that but it is potentially the best form for your body to absorb. It also contains iron, magnesium, sulfur, manganese, phosphorus, silicon, gelatin, collagen, and zinc. Since it takes many of these elements to build strong bones and joints (not just calcium alone) it is in my honest opinion a great addition to bone broth.
I would recommend that only pasture-raised eggs should be used if possible or at least organic eggs.
So here is my recipe for bone broth.
Ingredients
- Bones from grass-fed beef or chickens with no hormones or antibiotics
I like chicken but you can use beef, veal, or a variety together- You can save your cooked bones from dinner
- Chicken backs necks, wings
- Chicken feet tons of nourishing gelatin Now don't get all weirded out but you can omit them if you must.
- Peppercorns 1-2 tbl
- Apple Cider vinegar 1-2 tbl
- Celery
- Carrots
- Onions
- Bay leaf 1 or 2
- 6-8 Eggshells- from raw or cooked shells
- Filtered water enough to cover the rest of the ingredients
Instructions
- Place everything into your crock pot (you can also use a stock pot on the stove or your instant pot. (I like the crock pot because it holds a large amount and I don’t have to keep an eye on it. It is also basically self-watering so I am not losing volume).
- Start it on high and cook for 1 hour then turn it down on low and let it go for about 24 hours. I start it in the morning and then let it go all day and all night and then the next morning I shut it off and let it set for a bit to cool down.
- Pull the bones, veggies, and shells out and discard.
- Using a fine mesh colander strain the broth and refrigerate. This will allow you to scrape the fat off the top.
You should have something that looks like gelatin. Amber colored jiggly meat jello. Ok, there you go getting all weirded out again, right?
Now you can warm it and enjoy it.
I like to add a little miso and sea vegetable(great for your thyroid health). Or just a little sea salt. Sip on it whenever you are craving something bad for you and enjoy the all the benefits listed above.
Notes
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If you are allergic to eggs, can you injest bone broth made with egg shells? Thanking you in advance for your response.
Hi Sue,
I am sorry for the delay in my response. I did not know the answer to your question so I did some research. Looks like there are different kinds of proteins in the egg that are most likely responsible for the allergic reaction most folks see. One protein is destroyed by heat so cooking it in the broth for a long period of time would most likely eliminate this as a problem. The other protein however is not destroyed by heat. So this still leaves us to question the egg shell. There is not a lot of information regarding the components of the shell and whether they contain anything that is responsible for the allergy. I may try dig a little deeper at some point but for now I would not feel comfortable telling you it is safe. I would recommend you discuss with your allergist or your MD. If you do learn more about it I hope you will share with me so I can include it in my article for others. Thanks so much for reaching out. Best regards, Lisa
Have just recently started making my own bone broth including organic egg shell broth. I freeze my broth in ice cube trays and add to lots of different dishes.
Hey John, that is a great idea! I am always trying to figure out ways to incorporate more broth into my diet and this would be an easy solution. Thanks so much for sharing.
I have a set of 12 jumbo silicone cupcake liners, which I use to line two 6-cupcake trays. I freeze my broth in this way (it makes roughly a heavy cup) to use in recipes. I just finished freezing a batch of 30. I use them for a lot of cooking, but mostly for my daily miso soup. Just thaw in a tiny pot with about another cup of water and swirl in the miso. 😉 Gonna try adding egg shells, thank you!
Hi Ariana,
What a fantastic idea! The ice cube trays work great but rarely provide enough broth for what I need. I also love to enjoy a cup with miso and some sea vegetable. Or make a healthy version of ramen using shirataki noodles. I am going to get some silicone liners and start this right away. I am also going to share your idea on my Facebook page. Thank you so much for sharing your tip. 🙂
I love to make bone broth. I have never used egg shells in my bone broth though, but think it sounds like a good idea. Please tell more about the egg shells. Should the shells be from raw uncooked eggs? Or should the shells be from eggs that have been hard boiled? Or perhaps both? Thanks so much. All Best, Belinda
Hi Belinda, I save my eggshells in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer along with celery, carrot, and onion pieces, etc. I typically use the shells that I have cracked open from raw eggs. They cook in the stock for a very long time so no concern over any bacteria from the raw egg. I always use fresh pasture-raised eggs as well as they are so much healthier. I certainly think you would get the same benefits from shells off of hard-boiled eggs as well. Let me know how it goes when you make your next batch. 🙂
What kind of liquid? No noted in your recipe!
Cover with filtered water. I will revise the recipe to include this. Thank you for pointing out.
I assume these are fresh shells and not from eggs that have been boiled? Or is either just as nutritious?
Hi Jan, I use fresh shells. I would think you would still get benefit from shells that have been cooked already but some of the calcium may be leached out. I wouldn’t think too much would be lost however since hard-boiling does not take very long. I hope that is helpful. Thank you for reaching out and asking. Good question.