Why you want to eat chalk: reasons. Is it possible to eat chalk
Clay - the forerunner of brick
Clay as a building material it was used in various structures of antiquity, especially in those areas where there was little natural stone. In those days, they made “brick” out of it - raw. How was it made? Quite simply. They stuffed it clay wooden box and dried it in the sun. Then they covered such a “brick” with resin or bitumen and then used it for buildings.
And when in ancient Egypt discovered that after firing clay turns into a durable stone-like body and, moreover, conducts heat poorly, bricksmade of clay began to burn. This is how it arose brick production , which to this day remains the most important area of the industry building materials . Starting to use the burnt bricks in Russia, apparently, dates back to 1467. This year, the architect Vasily Ermolin renovated one of the dilapidated white stone churches in the Moscow Kremlin with “burnt bricks.”
Decorative clay
Porcelain clay, containing kaolin, is used not only for making dishes and artistic gift items, but also for building ceramics. Gzhel porcelain clay is especially famous. Decorative slabs are made from it for the interiors of high-rise buildings.
How beautiful they can be! They decorate many buildings in the capital, for example the high-rise building on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment. Currently, the production of decorative building ceramics is expanding. It is increasingly used in construction and architecture. Kaolinite has also found use in the paper industry as a filler and brightener. Thanks to it, a homogeneous, smooth white paper is obtained.
Clay and recycled wedge materials
Variety secondary "clay" minerals is bentonite (montmorillonite). This important view non-metallic mineral raw materials, having wide application in many leading sectors of the national economy. Bentonite clay is widely used in the construction industry. Where exactly is it used? Mainly for the production of high qualityexpanded clay . Bentonites are also used, but not yet large quantities, for the production of facing building materials, in the construction of canals, subway tunnels, in mine construction and reclamation work.
Clay for food?
And finally, one extremely unusual application clay. We mean eating clay! We are talking about earth-eating, or, as they say scientifically, geophagy. Yes, you, reader, heard right. Let's talk about eating clays. Incredible! After all, clay is a rock (stones). Are there edible stones? Let us remind you what we use in food table salt(or rock salt), saltpeter, Glauber's salt, magnesia, etc.
Most often we use them in the form various kinds medicines. And these are stones! However, in our list of stones we did not mention clay. Is it possible to eat clay? It turns out that it is possible. There are known cases of clay being used as food by peoples of subpolar and hot countries. And these are not isolated cases, but a tradition! Thus, Academician A.E. Fersman gives examples of how clay in many places globe is a kind of delicacy.
IN Latin America- Colombia, Venezuela - there are entire tribes that eat the earth, although they do not suffer at all from the lack of other food products.
By the way, during the famine in the Volga region in 1920-1921. Agriculture was widespread in many areas and was even sold in markets as an edible product. Russian geologist P.L. Dravert wrote that the clay that the inhabitants of the Samara province ate contained a large amount of decay products organic matter. As it turned out, these were sapropels, which had been used as food since ancient times.
Papuans eat clay!
In some areas of Australia and the ocean islands, on special occasions, local residents, especially Papuans, serve certain varieties of white, blue and greenish clays to especially respected guests. These dishes are credited with invigorating and medicinal properties. By the way, greenish clay is enjoyed by blacks in Senegal due to its pleasant taste. Some African tribes revere fatty fish as a delicacy. bituminous clay, found at the bottom of lakes. IN Central Asia The edible clay of Khorezm, which is eaten by the residents of these areas, is widely known.
In Iran, earth-eating (geophagy) is a common phenomenon. There, in the most productive years, at the bazaars, along with all kinds of products, they sell edible clay from Magellat and Giveh. These clays are a white mass that is greasy to the touch and sticks to the tongue, which residents willingly eat.
In our country in Siberia, in the Okhotsk region, there are deposits white clay(kaolin), which locals call “earthen sour cream.” In natural form she is white as snow and looks like jelly. It is eaten as a separate dish with reindeer milk. It is considered a delicacy and is usually treated to “noble” guests.
So, we see that stones can also be edible. How nutritious they are is another matter. But, apparently, many of them, due to their plasticity and softness, are very pleasant and even improve our taste perceptions. This means that agriculture is moving from the category of the incredible to the obvious!
Here's another fact about clay: Scientists recently conducted a rather unusual experiment. The experimental rat was given minimal amount strychnine solution, and within a few minutes she died. The same amount of strychnine was given to another rat, but a few grams of clay were added to the solution. And the rat remained alive! Conclusion - if you are going to try arsenic, try clay!
Decorate with clay. Enjoy the clay. Eat clay!
It has been said more than once that the nature of our planet is rich in priceless plants, minerals and nutrients. Since ancient times, humanity has been studying these natural gifts and finding application for them in a variety of areas: traditional and folk medicine, cosmetology, food and other types of industries.
In the article we will talk about clay, and specifically about kaolin (white clay) - what it is, where it comes from, how to use it and whether there are contraindications to its use.
White clay (kaolin) - what is it?
In a pharmacy or store, you probably came across bags of grayish-blue powder with the inscription “White Clay”. You may have been puzzled as to what it is and what it is for. Let's look into this issue.
Another name for white clay is kaolin. It did not arise by chance. The fact is that such a mineral was first discovered in the Chinese province of Kaolin, as a result of which it received its name. The basis of this mineral is aluminosilicates. Unique chemical composition provides materials with the ability to absorb, that is, absorb other substances.
White clay contains valuable microelements such as magnesium, copper, calcium, silicon, nitrogen, zinc and others. It also contains mineral salts. What is especially pleasing is that all these components are perfectly absorbed by the human body, and therefore kaolin can be used not only as an external agent, but also internally.
The effectiveness of a mineral directly depends on the degree of its purification. Quality product you can determine it yourself. To do this, carefully examine the powder. This is especially convenient if it is sold in transparent packaging. The cleaner and whiter color substances, the higher the quality of kaolin. Pay attention to this Special attention if you are going to use white clay inside. A low-quality product can not only be ineffective, but also harm your health.
White clay or kaolin - area of application
So, let's find out in what areas such a valuable natural mineral is used:
- Dentistry.
It is simply impossible to imagine dental care without kaolin. It is included in toothpastes, chewable lozenges also often contain white clay in their composition. The action of products used to whiten the surface of teeth, remove tartar, and also disinfect the oral cavity is also often based on the cleansing and absorbent properties of kaolin.
By the way! You can whiten your teeth a little, especially before an important event, on your own, at home. To do this, while brushing your teeth, add a drop of white clay powder to your toothpaste. The effect will be noticeable, but the enamel will not be damaged.
- Cosmetology.
Almost every girl is familiar with white clay as a means to improve her appearance. Kaolin can be used on all parts of the body and face, starting with the heels and ending with the ends of the hair.
First of all, let's talk about the use of this mineral for facial skin care. It is recommended for those with oily and combination skin types to pay attention to this product. The fact is that kaolin powder, diluted with water or milk, can be used as a mask. It perfectly absorbs excess sebum. At regular use the level of fat production stabilizes, the problem of clogged pores disappears, and the number of inflammations and acne decreases.
A white clay face mask whitens the skin, makes post-acne marks less noticeable, saturates tissues with oxygen, makes the skin toned and elastic, smoothes out fine wrinkles, and accelerates the processes of cell and tissue regeneration.
But those with dry skin should avoid this type of clay, as kaolin will further aggravate the problem of dryness. It is better to pay attention to red or green clay.
A white clay mask is also effective for strengthening hair. To do this, you need to dilute kaolin powder with water, kefir, milk or herbal decoction until creamy consistency. When the mixture is prepared, it is applied to the roots and root part of the hair, and then left in this state for 15-20 minutes. After the time has passed, rinse off the mask with water and then wash your hair with shampoo.
A similar mask used for the body helps remove toxins, whiten the skin, tighten and cleanse it, reduce the severity of cellulite and rejuvenate. The mask acts as a delicate scrub that removes the upper keratinized layer of cells, leaving the skin smooth and soft.
How to take kaolin internally
The methods of application mentioned above are external. Now let's talk about how to properly use white clay as food product. The most popular reason for the need to use white clay internally is food poisoning. As has been mentioned more than once, this mineral is a highly effective absorbent, and therefore quickly absorbs everything harmful and unnecessary, removing it from the body.
In the pharmacy you can find many medications of similar specificity, which contain kaolin. The use of such drugs must be carried out strictly in accordance with the attached instructions.
White clay is also effective in cases of discomfort or diseases in the area. gastrointestinal tract. These include:
- Diarrhea.
- Bloating.
- Heartburn, etc.
If you did not purchase a ready-made medicinal product, but kaolin powder, then at home you can easily prepare clay water, which will help in solving the problems that have arisen. Most often, the classic proportion is used - one tablespoon of powder per glass clean water. Usually, a specialist is not recommended to consume more than one hundred grams of clay water per day. Moreover, this volume is not drunk at one time; it must be divided into at least three doses.
Can white clay cause harm to health?
It is not without reason that we noted that the use of kaolin should not be uncontrolled - it is determined either by the instructions for a specific drug or by a specialist recommending the use of such a drug.
The fact is that abuse of even such useful mineral can lead to the following unpleasant consequences:
- Violation water-salt balance in organism.
- Intestinal obstruction.
- Allergic reaction. By the way, about this reaction. It can occur both internally and external ways applications. If you're going to do clay mask, then before applying it to your face, body or hair, do a sensitivity test. Apply a drop of product to the back of your hand. If within 20-30 minutes there are no discomfort does not arise, you can safely apply the mask.
In case of food use of white clay, start by taking a small volume of clay water. If you feel well after a while, the drug is most likely right for you.
Remember that no matter how wonderful the product you choose is, you should use it wisely. Otherwise, instead of the expected benefit, you may cause damage to your health, which is sometimes very difficult to compensate for.
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? The desire to taste something unusual is probably familiar to every person. Chalk tops the list of strange food addictions. It is often chewed on by schoolchildren and pregnant women. Experts are convinced: bad habit could be an indicator dangerous diseases or conditions and have a detrimental effect on. Are there safe ways satisfy the body's needs? Read.
What is chalk ?
To answer the question, why do you want to eat chalk, you need to figure out what the named substance actually is. So, what is chalk?
They call it chalk natural material organic origin, one of the many types of limestone. This substance is formed from ancient sediments - skeletal fragments of animals, shells of prehistoric mollusks, calcareous growths of algae. Cretaceous rock consists of two parts: carbonate and non-carbonate. 98–99% of the carbonate part is represented by carbonate. The non-carbonate part is formed by metal oxides, quartz sand, clay, marls and other compounds.
In Soviet times, they wrote on school boards with this kind of chalk. It was called lumpy. Later, especially for educational purposes, they began to produce pressed chalk, the basis of which was gypsum mixed with limestone, starch, glue, and dyes.
Thus, chalk is mostly a calcium carbonate salt.
Experts are convinced that unusual gastronomic preferences are a signal from the body that it needs normal operation lacking any substances. The mechanism of natural self-regulation is triggered. You need to listen to such calls very carefully so as not to trace the onset of the disease.
P why do you want to eat chalk? First of all, this may indicate that a person has decreased hemoglobin level in blood. It has been noted that with iron deficiency anemia, the functioning of taste and olfactory receptors occurs. Patients complain that they have an irresistible desire to eat chalk, clay, sand, paper, sniff kerosene, paints, and wet tobacco ash. If at the same time there is weakness, decreased immunity, frequent heartbeat, tearfulness, brittle nails, pale skin, then you must immediately visit a doctor and get tested for hemoglobin level.
One more probable cause strange desires eat chalk can be calcium deficiency in the body. Experts say liver dysfunction is the culprit for poor absorption of the mineral in the body. thyroid gland, and lack of vitamins D, E and C. This means that if you have a wild craving to chew chalk, you need to check the condition of these organs and increase your intake of vitamins, preferably natural ones, since their absorption is 90% (synthetic ones are absorbed by only 10%).
Having determined why do you want to eat chalk, let’s figure out whether limestone will help replenish calcium reserves in the body and whether it’s dangerous to chew on it.
Will chalk replenish calcium deficiency? Limestone damage
Is chalk capable of replenishing calcium deficiency present in the body? To answer this question, let us turn to human physiology.
It has been proven that calcium carbonate, which is the main component of chalk, contains 40% elemental calcium. This is much more than in other mineral salts (citrate, gluconate, lactate and others). However, the absorption of this form of calcium is quite low - only 17–22%. And this is subject to normal or increased acidity gastric juice. If the acidity is reduced - and such cases in medical practice quite a lot - the degree of absorption of the macronutrient is practically equal to zero. So eating chalk will not bring any benefit to the body, but it will add a lot of health problems.
One such problem is the formation of kidney stones. Calcium carbonate settles in the main organ excretory system and causes the formation of sand and the hardest kidney stones, difficult to dissolve - calcium oxalate.
In addition, the body spends a significant part of the body on the absorption of large amounts of chalk. of hydrochloric acid stomach, which protects the body from the penetration of harmful microorganisms with food. As a result, the barrier function of the gastrointestinal tract is weakened. People often suffer from infectious diseases.
Eating chalk is fraught with another serious danger - lead contamination of the body. American scientists studied calcium compounds natural origin and found high doses in them heavy metal(6–25 mcg per 800 mg calcium). Getting rid of lead, once it has entered the human body, will be very difficult in the future. The metal affects the brain, kidneys, and red blood cells. Lead is especially dangerous for children. Metal poisoning causes them to decrease intellectual abilities(and therefore academic performance), behavior change (unmotivated aggression is observed).
What to replace chalk with?
If the answer to the question is why do you want to eat chalk, has become banal lack of calcium, it is necessary to establish the cause of poor absorption of the macroelement, eliminate it, and only after that engage in replenishment of mineral reserves, having previously decided how to replace chalk.
There are quite a few natural remedies, capable of effectively and gently improving the functioning of the liver. For example, elecampane high. The root of the plant increases bile formation, enhances bile excretion, cleanses the liver and bile ducts of toxins and waste.
Safely recover hormonal balance White cinquefoil will help with thyroid diseases. The use of plant rhizomes has been proven to be highly effective for both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.
For ease of use, both plants are available in tablet forms - preparations Mesi-Vit And . All the variety useful substances, inherent in herbs by nature, is preserved in the named biocomplexes thanks to the use of a unique cryoprocessing technology.
Replenish the lack of vitamins leading to calcium deficiency, will allow bioavailable natural vitamin complexes, For example Apitonus P .
After restoration of the impaired functions of the liver and thyroid gland, you can begin to eliminate calcium deficiency. Preference should be given to easily digestible and healthy forms of calcium and preparations based on them, such as, in which the mineral is presented in its citrate form.
If we try to find out why do you want to eat chalk, brought a person to the hematologist’s office, which means the reason for the strange food addiction is low hemoglobin level. In this case, nature will again come to the rescue. There are many plants that can effectively replenish iron deficiency in the body. One of them is growing literally under our feet - nettle dioecious (contained in the preparation Nettle P). Biologically active iron atoms contained in hot herb can easily integrate into the formula of human hemoglobin (they are heminic) and quickly increase its level.
Eliminating the pathologies that prompt the body to demand chalk will save a person from many health problems, so you should not neglect a strange symptom.
USEFUL TO KNOW:
ABOUT JOINT DISEASES
The phenomenon when a person wants to eat something unusual often occurs in Everyday life. It could be ice, clay, paper or something else equally exotic. But the undoubted leader in changing food habits is chalk. To verify this, just look at the forums. “I eat chalk!”, “I think about it all the time!” - these messages are very numerous, and they are not getting smaller over time. Therefore, it is worth understanding the reasons for this phenomenon and whether it is harmless to the human body.
Why do you want to eat chalk?
What happens in the body if it signals an imbalance in such an unusual way? Doctors, when asked why you want to eat chalk, answer that, first of all, this may indicate a decrease in hemoglobin levels. arises from various reasons: unbalanced diet, transferred surgical intervention, bleeding, taking certain medicines, chronic diseases. Therefore, if a person says, “I eat chalk,” the first thing he needs to do is take a blood test, which will help identify a lack of iron in the blood. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, about 2 billion people suffer from anemia. This disease develops when there is a difference between the iron used by the body and the iron supplied with food. Very often, when such a problem occurs, diet alone will not be enough. Specially developed iron-containing preparations come to the rescue. Knowing this, a person with chalk should visit a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Iron deficiency anemia leads to the fact that the human body becomes defenseless against dangerous diseases. Therefore, you should not brush aside such a seemingly harmless symptom as the desire to chew on a piece of chalk.
What you should pay attention to
If a person can say about himself “I eat chalk!”, he should be wary of other manifestations of iron deficiency anemia. These include pale skin, weakness, rapid heartbeat, decreased immunity, brittle nails and hair, shortness of breath, and unstable psycho-emotional background. Such symptoms indicate that iron deficiency anemia is already average degree gravity, and without medical care not enough.
Familiar Stranger
In order to make sure whether you can eat chalk and how safe it is for the body, you need to understand what this substance is.
Chalk is a sedimentary rock of organic origin, one of the many types of limestone. The basis of chalk is calcium carbonate (up to 98%), in addition to it, the composition of chalk also includes a small amount of metal oxides. Chalk is insoluble in water.
This mineral is widely used in agriculture, in the production of paper and metals, sugar, glass and chemical industry. He has mass useful properties, but, unfortunately, it will not affect iron deficiency in the blood in any way. Therefore, to the question of whether it is possible to eat chalk with anemia, the answer lies in the expediency of this action, because eating calcium carbonate in no way helps to eliminate iron deficiency.
Other disorders in the body
In addition to anemia, there are some other abnormalities in the human body that can lead to changes in taste preferences. Problems with the liver or thyroid gland cause calcium deficiency. If this organ does not function properly, a person may have a desire to eat chalk. This is explained by the fact that calcium in such conditions is excreted from the body faster than it is supplied with food.
Vitamin deficiency can also be the reason why you want to eat chalk. by the human body Calcium is absorbed only with a sufficient content of vitamins D, E and C. They regulate the absorption of this microelement, its level in the blood and the supply of the mineral to the bone tissue and teeth. Therefore even healthy people may experience an irresistible craving for eating chalk - this is how they compensate for the lack of calcium in the body.
During pregnancy
Well, who doesn’t know about the cute eccentricities of women during pregnancy. Perhaps the desire to chew on a piece of chalk is one of the most common. But is everything as harmless as it seems at first glance? If you want to eat chalk, what does this mean during pregnancy?
Research shows that even absolutely healthy women in an “interesting” position, symptoms of calcium deficiency appear in 17% of cases. This manifests itself in the form of muscle pain, a feeling of “crawling goosebumps”, and muscle cramps. And in cases of complicated pregnancies concomitant diseases, this percentage reaches 50. Calcium deficiency can cause the development of such serious illnesses, such as osteoporosis and osteomalacia. Chronic deficiency of this microelement can lead to delayed fetal development. That's why future mom must definitely receive required amount calcium, the norm of which is 1400-1500 mg per day.
How to avoid a shortage of this important microelement? It should be noted that the largest amount of it is contained in calcium carbonate, and this is chalk. Still about unusual taste preferences It is worth informing your obstetrician-gynecologist so that he can rule out iron deficiency anemia using laboratory tests.
What kind of chalk should you not eat?
In order not to harm the body, you need to eat only the “correct” calcium carbonate. But in order to find it, you will have to make some effort. This “product” is not sold either in a pharmacy or in a supermarket. Neither stationery chalk, which contains gypsum and glue for strength, will work, nor construction chalk - it also contains a lot harmful additives. So what kind of chalk can you eat? If a person cannot do without such a “delicacy”, it is preferable to eat natural chalk, mined in quarries or extracted from rocks - it does not have harmful impurities. Being environmentally friendly natural product, it will replenish calcium deficiency in the body naturally. This chalk can be purchased in online stores.
Negative consequences
A small piece of chalk is unlikely to cause significant harm to the body. But a large amount of regularly eaten mineral can cause calcium to begin to be deposited in the kidneys and lungs. If taken uncontrolled for a long time, the mineral will accumulate in the pancreas, which can lead to the development diabetes mellitus and pancreatitis. Irregularities at work of cardio-vascular system will not keep you waiting after several months of using chalk in large quantities. Kidney stones can also form due to high content calcium. Therefore, before making a decision about whether chalk can be eaten, a person should also know about negative consequences consumption of this product.
Diet adjustments
Knowing why you want to eat chalk, you can adjust your diet in such a way that, if not reducing this desire to zero, then significantly weaken it. It is necessary to eat iron as well. These include: liver, veal, pomegranate, milk, cheeses, cottage cheese, sea fish, greenery.
Eating earth- a surprisingly common occurrence. In some countries it is considered eating disorder, in others they encourage it in every possible way. A BBC Future columnist asked why people want to literally eat land?
Sheila grew up in Cameroon, where she first became addicted to kaolin. "Then I went to primary school, she says. “I often had to buy it for my aunt, who used kaolin for food.” Now Sheila receives higher education in France.
According to Sheila, for many of her compatriots, this substance is still part of them. daily diet. For some, it even develops into a kind of addiction.
Kaolin is not that rare: it can be bought in almost any Cameroonian market. It is not an illegal substance or a new drug. This is local clay rock, earth. Eating the earth, or geophagy, has been common in Cameroon for many years. This phenomenon is described in detail in documents from colonial times.
“They say that all [children] eat the earth,” writes the puzzled author of Notes on the Batanga Tribe. “Even the children of missionaries, who do not know the feeling of hunger.”
According to Sera Young, an expert on geophagy from Cornell University (USA), this phenomenon has a very long history in many countries around the world. Young has been studying this behavior for almost twenty years.
In many African markets you can buy land intended for human consumption.
Together with her colleagues, she published a large-scale study in which more than 500 documents dating back to various eras were analyzed. Scientists have concluded that geophagy is widespread throughout the world. Cases of earth eating have been reported in Argentina, Iran and Namibia. In addition, the researchers were able to identify several important trends.
First, most people eat soil in the tropics. Secondly, the tendency to geophagy manifests itself mainly in children (which is probably predictable) and pregnant women. Moreover, the reason is more low indicators In some countries there may be a lack of information due to cultural taboos.
"People eat inedible things more often than you think," says Young, "and it's happening around us."
As an example, she cites the story of the famous opera diva from New York, who greedily ate soil during pregnancy, but kept it a terrible secret.
Young herself became interested in geophagy while collecting material for her research in Tanzania. “I conducted surveys among local pregnant women about anemia caused by iron deficiency,” she says.
“When I asked one of these women what she liked to eat during pregnancy, she replied: “Twice a day I eat dirt from the walls of my hut.”
This came as a big surprise to Young. "It went against everything I had been taught," she says.
Indeed, in Western medicine, geophagy has long been considered a pathology. It is classified as one of the forms of perverted eating behavior, on par with intentionally eating glass or bleach.
However, in Cameroon, eating soil is not associated with any taboos. The same situation is observed in Kenya. Young was very surprised when she learned that in Kenya you can buy parcels of land with different food additives, including black pepper and cardamom.
White clay is produced in the state of Georgia (USA) High Quality, which can be purchased online. There is a note on the packaging that the product is not intended for human consumption, but everyone knows why they are buying it.
Young asks if there are any African food stores near my home in south London. I answer that there is. "Just go into one of them and ask for maternity clay. It'll be there." Half an hour later, I walked out of a store called "Products from Africa" with a briquette in my hands. I paid 99 pence (about 95 rubles) for it.
I carefully put the piece into my mouth. The clay instantly absorbs all the moisture and sticks to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. For a second I smell smoked meat, but quickly realize it's just clay and nothing more.
Can the consumption of soil be explained by a lack of certain minerals?
I wondered why so many people experience this craving.
“Everyone has their own reason,” says Monique, another Cameroonian student. “Some people just want to, while others use clay to get rid of nausea and stomach pain. It is believed that clay promotes digestion.”
Is that really true? Maybe geophagy is not a disease, but a method of treatment?
There are three explanations for people eating the soil, and Monique's answer echoes one of them. Not all earth is the same. Kaolin belongs to separate group clayey rocks, which are most popular among food lovers.
Clay has good binding properties, so the pain-relieving effects that Monique talks about may be due to its ability to bind or block toxins and pathogens in the digestive system.
Experiments on rats and observations of monkeys have shown that animals can eat inedible substances when poisoned. Some cuisines around the world have a tradition of mixing food with clay to remove toxins and make it more palatable. For example, when making acorn bread in California and Sardinia, crushed acorns are mixed with clay to neutralize the tannin that gives them an unpleasant taste.
The second hypothesis is more based on intuition: clay may contain nutrients that are not found in our usual food products. Anemia is often associated with geophagy, so eating iron-rich soil can be explained as an attempt to compensate for iron deficiency.
Eating soil can be dangerous because it may contain pathogens.
In addition, there is an assumption that geophagy is a reaction to severe hunger or micronutrient deficiency, as a result of which something inedible may seem attractive. It follows that such behavior is non-adaptive, that is, eating the earth does not bring any benefit. On the other hand, according to the first two hypotheses, there are adaptive reasons behind geophagy. This also explains the geographical distribution of this phenomenon.
"We assumed that this would happen most often in the tropics because that's where the concentration of pathogens is greatest," says Young.
In addition, children and pregnant women may have an increased need for nutrients, since they have more weak immunity. On the other hand, the wishes of pregnant women are often given too much importance.
“Women believe that during pregnancy you need to pamper yourself,” says Julia Hormes, assistant professor of psychology at the University at Albany (USA). “There are many myths associated with pregnancy: they say you need to eat for two and give the fetus everything it needs. But they, as a rule, do not find scientific confirmation.”
According to Hormes, these desires are largely cultural and have little to do with biology.
If eating soil is a cultural tradition, then Cameroonian women will crave it as much as European and American women crave chocolate or ice cream.
Not everything we want is good for us. Nevertheless, the desire to eat the earth occurs even in those cultures where it is not given such importance.
Experiments involving animals show that this phenomenon can be at least partially explained by adaptive biological reasons. When the earth is eaten by elephants, primates, large cattle, parrots and the bats, this is considered normal and even useful.
Among various types soil people prefer clay and kaolin
But when we're talking about about a person, scientists equate such behavior to an eating disorder. Undoubtedly, in some cases geophagy is closely related to mental illness, however, it is difficult to draw a clear line between disease and normality. In 2000, the US Registration Agency toxic substances and diseases stated that consuming more than 500 mg of soil per day can be considered pathological. But even Agency experts admitted that this value is conditional.
"Many sources describe geophagy as cultural phenomenon, and I am not inclined to consider it abnormal behavior,” says Ranit Mishori, professor of family medicine and practicing physician medical center Georgetown University (USA). "However, if it is combined with other clinical symptoms, I talk with the patient about how to give up this habit."
Eating soil certainly has its downsides. The main concern is soil-borne diseases and toxic substances contained in clay. In addition, there is a possibility that eating clay and soil does not eliminate micronutrient deficiencies, but rather causes them.
Geophagy can also become a habit, an impulsive behavior that has to be hidden from others.
"When describing geophagy, it is sometimes appropriate to use the same terms as in the case of drug addiction," says Young.
Of course, geophagy can simply be considered a disgusting childhood habit, a quirk of pregnant women, or an exotic addiction of residents of distant countries. But none of these explanations will be one hundred percent correct. Moreover, such beliefs can lead to the fact that a person prone to geophagy may feel like an outcast due to his “unnatural” desires.
To fully understand this phenomenon and determine what consequences it leads to, it is necessary to test all these hypotheses in practice, taking into account biomedical and cultural factors.
"I'm not saying that everyone should eat three tablespoons of soil a day," says Young. "But it remains to be proven that this practice can be harmful."