Modern look life has a huge impact on human health. Increasingly, you can meet people suffering from beriberi and insufficient amounts of useful substances in organism. That is why in Lately chalk for food is very popular.

I want chalk, what does that mean?

Many consider the need for chalk to be a very strange phenomenon, abnormal for an ordinary human body.

In everyday life, the desire to gnaw chalk is usually associated with pregnant women, they really often have such taste preferences. This is due to the fact that during the period of formation and growth of the fetus, the female body requires double portions of vitamins and trace elements.

Especially important is a sufficient amount of calcium, which contains lump chalk for food. He serves building material for most fabrics nerve cells, skeleton, cartilaginous tissues, hair, nails, internal organs and the skin of a small person.

However, calcium deficiency can accompany absolutely any person, it is usually characterized by the following symptoms:

• Brittle and dull hair;
• Caries, bone fragility (frequent fractures);
• Brittle nails prone to delamination;
• Dull skin tone;
• Loss of skin elasticity;
• Muscle cramps;

Such conditions characterize a pronounced violation of calcium metabolism, which natural chalk for food will help to cope with.

What is chalk made of

The composition of chalk for food is represented by a combination of inorganic salts (carbonates). The main element of such compounds is Ca (calcium). Many are sure that natural lump chalk is nothing more than CaCO3 carbonate known to everyone from school.

However, an in-depth study of this issue makes it possible to make sure that chalk for food includes other elements of the periodic table.:

• Of course, calcium oxide occupies almost half of the component composition of the substance. The content of CaO in the mineral reaches 55%.
• The second position in the list of components is occupied by carbon dioxide or CO2. Its share in the composition of chalk sometimes reaches 43%.
• The oxide of a metal such as magnesium (MgO) occupies a very small volume, which usually does not exceed 2%.
• The quartz component affects the density of food chalk in a direct proportion. The more SiO2 a substance contains, the higher its density. Mass fraction quartz from the total volume sometimes reaches 6%.
• Al2O3 is quite a bit inferior in volume content to quartz inclusions. The total volume of aluminum oxide in limestone corresponds to 4%.

Sometimes you can find natural chalk with a pinkish or even reddish tint. This feature of the breed is due to elevated content iron oxides. In ordinary white chalk, the content of Fe2O3 does not exceed the threshold of 0.5%.

Where is chalk mined

Those who wish to compensate for calcium deficiency should know what chalk is for food and where it comes from.

In the territory Russian Federation more than 100 deposits are located natural chalk. Three zones stand out among them, in which the concentration of carbonate reserves reaches high levels.

The Volgograd region occupies a huge share in this figure, its quarries account for up to 26% of the country's reserves. Lump chalk from these deposits is of excellent quality, it contains a minimum amount of impurities. The number of foreign inclusions does not exceed 2%. However, the Volgograd chalk is quite water-saturated, the water content in dry chalk exceeds the specified standards by almost 10-15%. This fact makes it difficult to extract it.

The next position is occupied by the Belgorod region, up to 24% of the Cretaceous reserves are concentrated here. The tasty chalk mined in the area is 99% carbonate, which is an excellent testament to its high quality.

The Saratov region owns an 11% share in the total volume of the Cretaceous wealth of the Russian Federation.

The harm and benefits of chalk when eaten

Lumpy chalk for food is gaining more and more popularity, the harm and benefits of this substance are being discussed by experts to this day. It is not possible to unambiguously evaluate the sedimentary mineral, because it has both negative and positive influence on the human body.

The benefits of natural chalk for food are as follows:

1. Strengthens brittle bones and serves as a prophylaxis against caries;
2. Helps maintain the health and beauty of hair, nails, teeth and skin;
3. In small amounts, it helps to improve the functioning of the digestive system;
4. Provides joint mobility and muscle elasticity;
5. Promotes correct work of cardio-vascular system;
6. Participates in metabolic processes at the intercellular level;
7. Affects blood clotting and hemoglobin levels (indirectly).

Delicious chalk for food shows a negative effect only when it is overabundant in the body.

Excessive intake of calcium leads to the following side effects:

1. Increased blood clotting;
2. Strength reduction bone tissue and tooth enamel;
3. The emergence of the risk of diseases of the endocrine system;
4. angina;
5. Decreased muscle tone;
6. The appearance of kidney stone disease;
7. Increased acidity of gastric juices, which contributes to the development of diseases gastrointestinal tract(gastritis and ulcer);
8. Gout;
9. Calcification (deposits of Ca salts in the tissues of internal organs).

Talking about negative consequences consumption of chalk for food, it can be concluded that they are caused by the quantity and quality of the consumed mineral.

Which chalk is best for eating

People with a lack of calcium in the body are often interested in where to buy chalk for food, which one is better. They are also studying the question of what is the most delicious chalk for food.

If you want to chew on lump chalk, school chalk for the board usually comes to mind. However, this product not only will not bring benefits, but is also capable of causing harm due to the presence of chemical additives in it. Such substances poison the body, the resulting toxins disrupt the functioning of internal organs and spoil health in general.

School crayons have been proven to dry out Airways, settling on the epithelium of the larynx. They also clog blood vessels, liming occurs, which leads to malfunctions. cardiovascular systems.

The hard particles that this type of chalk contains can scratch the enamel of the tooth, which will inevitably lead to caries. Similarly, they act on the oral mucosa, creating microscopic wounds in it that are invisible to the human eye. These cracks are a direct path to the appearance inflammatory processes and infection in the body.

Once in the stomach, school chalk causes a reaction similar to the extinguishing process. Such chalk is less tasty compared to its natural counterpart.

craving for unusual food appears not only in pregnant women. If you really want chalk, this can signal the presence of pathologies. Let us consider in more detail the reasons for the emergence of such taste preferences.

General information

Previously, it was believed that chalk is the remains of ancient representatives of the animal world. But about 60 years ago, it was proved that the Cretaceous rock has vegetable origin. These are particles of algae that could release lime.

The natural substance contains:

• calcium carbonate - it makes up most of the rock deposits (98%);
• oxides of iron and other metals;
• magnesium carbonate.

Minerals are mined in quarries. The upper sections of the rock are used for the manufacture of building mixtures, school crayons, and the lower ones can be eaten. They do not contain garbage, harmful components that could get from the soil.

If you want to eat chalk, then it is better to buy it in a specialized online store. Construction or school chalk is not recommended, especially for pregnant women. They contain components and dyes that are very harmful to humans.

Why do you want to eat chalk

When a woman or a man really wants chalk, you should first calculate the reason for this irresistible desire. She is not always harmless. You need to consult a doctor and undergo an examination, especially for pregnant women and nursing mothers.

The main reasons why a person wants to eat crayon:

1. Anemia. An insufficient amount of iron in the body leads to this very insidious disease. The level of hemoglobin decreases, the person becomes lethargic, pale, cracks appear on the skin, mucous membranes constantly dry, he does not want to eat. A person with anemia often feels tired and irritable, he does not want to do anything. Even with small loads, a person develops increased heart rate. To find out why you really want to eat chalk, you need to see a doctor who will prescribe a general or detailed blood test. Anemia is more common in women, especially pregnant women. In severe cases, it can cause miscarriage or the birth of a sick child.
2. Lack of calcium in the body. It can not be absorbed in the body for two reasons: with severe liver pathologies and with insufficient intake of vitamins C, D, E. Lack of Ca in the human body causes brittle hair, delamination nail plates, tooth decay, frequent convulsions. When a woman or a man wants chalk, it is difficult to determine on their own what is missing in the body. You should not self-medicate without knowing what caused the appearance of certain symptoms.
3. Diseases thyroid gland. Some endocrine disorders provoke a very rapid excretion of calcium from the body, so a person wants to replenish it and begins to eat a natural mineral. This cause is eliminated after treatment of the thyroid gland.
4. Pregnancy. What to do if a woman in an “interesting” position wants chalk? First you need to consult a doctor. The reason may be a lack of calcium in a woman's body or a simple change in taste preferences. If you really want to, you can eat 1-3 small pieces, the main thing is that the chalk is food, not technical.
5. Psychological addiction. Man with psychological problems sometimes wants something to chew on. This calms him down. Such a person can eat even one kilogram a day, which causes various diseases. It is recommended to eat pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds instead of chalk, nut mixes, fruit. You can try to relax. If the addiction cannot be overcome, you need to contact a psychologist to eliminate the causes of addiction.

These are the main reasons why a person really wants to eat chalk. But it can be replaced by products, vitamin complexes.

How to replace chalk

If the cause of eating chalk was liver disease, then foods that impair its functioning should be excluded from the diet. It is spicy, fatty, salty, very sweet food. It is recommended to follow the diet number 5.

With thyroid diseases, it is very important to pass full examination and remove the cause poor absorption calcium in the human body. After treatment, the desire to eat crayon will pass on its own.

We found out why you want to eat chalk with anemia - this is a lack of iron in the human body. In severe cases, it is replenished medications prescribed by the doctor. If anemia is manifested to a slight extent in women and men, then its cause can be eliminated if there is food rich in the Fe element.

Most a large number of Iron is found in the following foods:

• liver;
• dried fruits;
• beef brains and kidneys, as well as tongue;
• fruits: apricots, apples, pears, plums;
• berries: black currant, gooseberry, strawberry, lingonberry;
• grenades;
• citrus fruits: lemons, oranges, tangerines;
• eggs;
• lamb, beef, pork meat.

With an insufficient amount of calcium in the human body, it can be replenished with fish of all varieties, cottage cheese, spinach, sea ​​kale, rosehip drink, hard cheese, nuts, herbs. It is also very useful to eat bran, all kinds of cereals, any fermented milk products.

If a pregnant woman really wants chalk, then in most cases this means that she has acute deficiency calcium in the body, which is actively used to build the skeleton of the unborn child. The doctor can prescribe special vitamin and mineral complexes that are very useful for a woman. Calcium gluconate is often prescribed, which tastes practically no different from ordinary lump chalk.

There are many pills impossible, so as not to harm the fetus and the woman's body as a whole. To improve the condition of the teeth, you can chew calcium gluconate, but do not swallow it, even if you want to do it. Prescribe a pharmacy drug can not only be a pregnant woman, but also ordinary person who really wants to eat chalk for no reason.

Sometimes doctors do not find any abnormalities at all in the body of a person who constantly really wants to eat chalk. This idiosyncrasy organism. You can replace if you wish. natural remedy calcium gluconate tablets. But you can buy natural lump chalk on our website, and eat a little every day.

What vitamin is lacking in the human body if you want chalk? The reason for the desire is not in vitamins, but in calcium deficiency in the body in women or men. They simply help the trace element to be better absorbed in the body. Therefore, you need to eat foods rich in Ca first of all. Many of them also contain the necessary vitamins (C, D, E). Very useful for both women and men fish fat or vitamin E capsules.

What is the danger of an excess of chalk in the body

If there is chalk in small quantities, then this will not affect human health in any way, but if you eat a lot of it, the following problems are possible:

• disruption of the gastrointestinal tract (constipation, heartburn, etc.);
• deposition of calcifications in the organs (lungs, kidneys, liver) of a person, from which hard-to-remove calculi are subsequently formed;
• development diabetes due to disruption of the pancreas;
• calcification of the placenta in pregnant women, the cause of this phenomenon can also be severe stress;
• narrowing of the lumen of the vessels due to coating from the inside with limescale.

You need to understand that you should not abuse it too much natural component, even if it is very tasty and you constantly want to eat a piece in order to avoid future health problems. Pregnant women should be especially careful.

We have analyzed all the reasons why you really want to eat chalk. In some cases, this may be a sign of serious illness or pathological pregnancy in women. To find out exactly the reasons, you need to see a doctor.

You can see the cost on the page

We all know the common truths about what you need to eat 3-4 hours before going to bed, about how calcium is useful for bone tissue, about the content of vitamins in a particular product. But this is not an example for everyone. Often many of us possessing peculiar food addictions, eat ... chalk. Does it need to be done? Certainly not.

Essence of chalk

At its core, chalk is neutral, but many of the doctors are categorically inclined to eat it. Some people consider it an indispensable source of calcium. Women in an “interesting position” have a special commitment to chalk. What caused it? The body of a pregnant woman is in dire need of calcium due to the fact that the need for the formation of bone tissue is experienced by a child growing in the womb. Yes, and children who have not reached school age, gladly remove pieces of lime from the whitewashed walls and eat them during the period of active growth.

How does chalk affect the body?

Calcium from chalk cannot be called useful; in such a concentration, it negatively affects blood vessels. And its impact on digestive system person and is completely aggressive. V acid environment stomach, it harms the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract. Doctors recommend that if you need calcium, you should use special vitamin-mineral complexes, this is much better than eating chalk. Although many of those who eat it refer to the fact that it is added to pet food, it means it is safe, but this is not at all the case. The fact is that digestive tract and the stomachs of animals are oriented by evolution to coarser and more aggressive food.

It is worth remembering that special chalk, which is adapted for human consumption in nature, does not exist and cannot be. And the material that is used in construction contains a great variety of chemicals and other harmful substances which may lead to poisoning. School chalk is also completely unsafe, in its production to give it hardness, to crumble when writing on the board, it is supplemented with gypsum compositions.

Another aspect that speaks of harmfulness can be the coloring of chalk, because chemical rather than food dyes are used to produce colored chalk. Only in the manufacture of crayons for drawing, it is taken into account that children at an unconscious age can bite off by trying on the tooth, so natural, safe dyes are used for it.

Eating chalk as a messenger of diseases

Another reason to eat chalk may not be a lack of vitamins or macronutrients and calcium, but such serious illness like anemia or anemia. In these cases, a person develops an iron deficiency, hemoglobin drops, and there is a lack of oxygen. He feels numbness in the limbs, a decrease in body temperature, malaise, dizziness, apathy sets in.

All this happens exactly until the person defeats the disease. I want chalk, but it does not cure, but only exacerbates the problems of the body, a course is needed for treatment special preparations and procedures. Help out medical impact and you can restore the internal reserves of the body with the help of pomegranate juice, raising hemoglobin; red grape wine; hematogen, which is now sold in any pharmacy kiosk.

What desires do not express pregnant women! Serve them salted watermelons in the middle of winter, then herring with jam, and even in the middle of the night. And there are those who want chalk and at the same time can buy it in stationery and eat almost a whole box or secretly lick their fingers, stained on the whitewashed wall in the entrance ...

Someone will smile at such “quirks” of expectant mothers, shrug their shoulders understandingly and spread their arms: they say, this may not be desirable during this period. However, let's see why almost every third pregnant woman wants chalk, and is it dangerous for their health and the health of the unborn baby?

Why you want chalk during pregnancy:

Often, the desire to consume a particular product is not associated with a conscious choice, but with the basic needs of the body, because during pregnancy female body spends most of the nutrients on. If these substances are not enough in the body, then there is a desire to eat something in order to replenish their supply.

Wish future mother eat chalk most often occurs due to violations of the vitamin-mineral balance or other metabolic disorders. The most common reasons for this may be:

• toxicosis of pregnant women,
• violation of calcium metabolism,
• Iron-deficiency anemia.

Having found out the reason for such an unusual desire of a pregnant woman, it is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that along with this there may be other symptoms that may indicate much more serious problems.

- toxicosis of pregnant women

On the early stages pregnancy women are often tormented by toxicosis, and this is quite normal reaction organism into "foreign" cells, which is the germ for immune system mother (after all, half of his DNA code belongs to the father of the unborn child). Manifestations of early toxicosis continue until the final formation of the placenta occurs. And all this time, a woman can experience:

• nausea and vomiting,
• taste changes,
• exacerbation and change of smell.

Sometimes toxicosis manifests itself so strongly that there is not only a change general condition but also due to physical exhaustion and dehydration future mother she is losing weight. Especially severe forms toxicosis is accompanied by disturbances in the work of the cardiovascular system, liver and kidneys, which can most seriously affect the condition of the fetus. That is why the progression of toxicosis should not be allowed.

- violation of calcium metabolism

Chalk, as you know, consists of inorganic salts - carbonates, and the main element of these compounds is calcium. Therefore, if there is a shortage in the body of a woman during pregnancy, there may be a desire to replenish the deficit due to calcareous substances.

But in addition to the “calcareous food fad”, with calcium deficiency, its other symptoms can also be observed, which can appear much earlier than the desire to eat chalk:

• brittleness and fading of hair,
• dryness and decreased elasticity of the skin,
• fragility and delamination of nails,
• dental problems and caries,
• fatigue and irritability
• muscle spasms and cramps,
• and constipation
• osteochondrosis.

Sometimes the desire to eat chalk is so great that women cannot resist, but there will be no benefit from this, because the calcium in it is in the form of an inorganic salt that is not absorbed by the body. Moreover, if a woman does this repeatedly, then in the future eating chalk can have quite serious consequences:

• heartburn,
• constipation,
• cardiovascular disorders,
• stones in the kidneys.

And this is not the whole list, but more on that later.

Therefore, when a pregnant woman wants to eat chalk, you need to look for other signs of a calcium deficiency, and look for more acceptable ways to satisfy this desire.

- Iron-deficiency anemia

For some reason, many people think that during pregnancy anemia is quite normal. But this misconception, because if more low level blood hemoglobin in expectant mothers and is acceptable, however, it should not be lower than 110 g / l. And the level of erythrocytes in her should not be lower than 3.6 * 1012 / l. Otherwise, anemia!

During pregnancy, iron deficiency conditions are most often diagnosed, in which, in addition to the desire to eat chalk, the following symptoms also appear:

• general weakness and fatigue,
• dizziness,
• paleness and dryness of the skin,
• brittle hair,
• darkening of nails
• cracks in the corners of the lips (jamming),
• atrophic processes in oral cavity, esophagus,
• change in taste sensations
• cardiopalmus,
• dyspnea.

Therefore, with iron deficiency in the body, the desire to eat chalk is not just a signal of a decrease in the mineral element in the blood serum, but a manifestation of the depletion of its tissue reserves. Anemia during pregnancy quite often manifests itself as an unnatural or perverted taste addiction.

How to determine the reason for the desire to eat chalk?

You can determine the reason for the desire to taste a piece of chalk at the stage of a medical examination of the future mother, but the final answer is given after laboratory research:

• clinical blood test,
• biochemical blood test serum iron, ionized and total calcium),
• general urine analysis.

This will reveal the "culprits" of the appearance of unusual taste desires in a pregnant woman: it will reveal a deficiency of calcium and iron. However, although the reason will be found, the desire to eat chalk will not disappear, and it must be satisfied. But just do not gnaw crayons from the stationery store! This is not a dietary supplement!

Why are stationery or school crayons and whitewash chalk dangerous?

Doctors unanimously oppose the eating of stationery and school crayons by pregnant women, and they explain their ban as follows:

1. Both chalk and crayons contain chemical additives and impurities - chalk stones for rodents, gypsum, lime, adhesive binder, sand, dyes, which are harmful to the health of both the mother and her crumbs;

2. As a result, the mother's body is poisoned (and the toxins also reach the baby), and such vital organs suffer, such as:

• liver (it removes toxins from the body),
• kidneys (stones form there),
• respiratory tract (chalk dries the epithelium of the larynx),
• vessels (chalk settles on the walls, which causes their liming and leads to cardiovascular diseases),
• tooth enamel (solid particles scratch it, which further leads to the development of caries and other diseases of the oral cavity, even stomatitis is possible),
• intestines and digestive organs (solid particles scratch the mucous membrane, chalk dries the epithelium, while contributing to the formation of microcracks, in which pathogenic microorganisms then develop, and in the stomach, when interacting with hydrochloric acid chalk causes a violent reaction of gas formation, similar to that which occurs when lime is slaked, destroying the epithelium).

3. Obstetricians and gynecologists do not recommend the use of chalk for the reason that it can affect the elasticity of the reproductive tract, resulting in difficulties during childbirth (for example, tears or obstruction associated with "cementing" tissues).

4. In addition, the use of chalk can also affect the development of the child - up to the overgrowth of the fontanelle and the deformation of the bones of the fetus or the loss of their elasticity, which again will affect the process of childbirth.

As for chalk for whitewashing (construction) or intended for animals, all of the above applies to them too, even with even greater health risks.

Where can you find edible chalk?

In some forums, when discussing this topic, you can read information that chalk mined in a quarry is a pure “product” that does not contain impurities added during the manufacture of construction chalk or crayons. However, no one will give you a guarantee that there is no sand and dirt in the quarry chalk.

Unfortunately for pregnant women (and those who suffer from similar desires of the body), food chalk in industrial scale do not produce.

What can replace chalk without harm to health:

When the reason for the desire to eat chalk has already been clarified, care should be taken to rid the woman of this feeling. This can only be done by normalizing metabolic processes in organism. For this, first of all, an appropriate diet is used (with high content missing elements and minerals), as well as drug therapy.

- diet

A pregnant woman who wants chalk, analyzing her diet, should take into account that the presence of fatty and fried foods in it prevents the incoming calcium from being absorbed in full. Therefore, when compiling a menu, give preference fresh vegetables and fruits (it is good for digestion), as well as fermented milk products(they will make up for the lack of calcium in a natural way).

To replenish the body's reserves of calcium and iron, the following will be useful:

• cottage cheese, kefir, sour cream, fermented baked milk, hard cheeses, yogurts,
• beef, liver, pork,
• boiled or fish stew and canned fish with bones (such as sardines),
• porridge - buckwheat, oatmeal,
• celery, parsley, onion, carrot,
• spinach and lettuce leaves,
• almonds, seeds,
• dried apricots, raisins, prunes, dates.

The natural source of calcium is eggshell- it can be ground in a coffee grinder and added to ready meals 0.3-0.5 g 2-3 times a day. One serving of this powder contains about 38% calcium, which is absorbed by the body 3 times faster than chemically obtained calcium.

It's no secret to anyone that proper nutrition is the guarantee of the health of the expectant mother and normal development fetus. But at the same time, you need to eat varied and regularly, giving up the use of alcoholic and carbonated drinks, as well as smoking. Walks are also important. fresh air during which vitamin D accumulates through the skin.

- medical preparations

If the diet does not cope with the task, then you will have to connect a more effective method - medications, the reception of which is better to coordinate with the doctor leading the pregnancy.

There are a number of drugs that are designed to help women cope with certain problems during pregnancy, without harming the intrauterine development of the fetus:

• Calcium preparations (calcium glucanate, Calcium D3). Just calcium glucanate is a kind of pharmaceutical variety of chalk, which is suitable for ingestion (not 100% chalk, but the composition is much safer than crayons), but in order to satisfy the desire to “nibble on chalk”, it’s just right. However, you should not lean on this drug, because. excessive passion for it can cause constipation, lead to liming of the mucous epithelium of connective tissues, and even provoke the development of diabetes, atherosclerosis, heart attack or pancreatitis.
• Iron preparations (Gino-Tardiferon, Totem).
• Vitamins (group B, folic and ascorbic acids).
• Vitamin-mineral complexes for pregnant women (Vitrum, Prenatal). Their concentration is within daily allowance so check the dosage with your doctor.

Be healthy!

Especially for- Elena Kichak

Ecology of life. Health: A long time ago I read a book in Tibetan medieval medicine and I remember such a phrase that pregnant women can eat anything: earth, ice, chalk, and they cannot be prevented from doing so. Then I found out that not only pregnant women eat ice, people eat earth and much more.

Briefly:

1. Why do people eat chalk? Is it dangerous?

2. Why do people like to chew on ice?

Answer: this is an ancient reflex to improve the blood supply to the brain, a sign iron deficiency anemia, hypotension or reduced tone.

A long time ago I was reading a book on Tibetan medieval medicine and I remember this phrase,that pregnant women can eat anything : earth, ice, chalk, and they must not be prevented from doing so. Then I found out that not only pregnant women eat ice, people eat earth and much more.

The appearance of whims is considered by many to be an almost inevitable sign. interesting position. There is no single explanation for this phenomenon. Without doubt, great importance has hormonal changes. An increase in the level of progesterone, which affects the balance of macro- and microelements, which changes the reactivity of the nervous system.Progesterone also has a direct effect on emotions, changing attitudes towards certain events, substances, products, and actions. In addition, the very fact of pregnancy, which changes the woman's attitude towards herself, her importance and needs, is of great importance.

Today we will focus on a more serious problem. Peak chlorotic - craving for eating completely inedible things: chalk, lime, earth, wallpaper and other things, can be a sign of serious disorders in the body. If you feel like sniffing exhaust fumes, nail polish remover, or constantly mopping your concrete floor at the same time, you need to see your doctor.

Some children, due to their rapid growth are also forced to suffer from a deficiency of the mineral. From this we can conclude: the lack of calcium must be balanced with food. According to qualified doctors, only pharmacy chalk can be eaten. It's called calcium gluconate.

The desire to eat chalk can occur when calcium in the body is in short supply. It may also indicate a low level of hemoglobin. In this case, you should contact a specialist. Only a physician can refer necessary tests and, first of all, on a blood test. Based on laboratory data, the specialist will most likely prescribe calcium with the addition of vit.D3. These two components are interdependent of each other - calcium without vitamin is not absorbed in the body.

One study included more than 400 women who were ever pregnant or in a position on this moment. All participants were asked what unusual and even strange eating habits pursued them during pregnancy. And the results were truly shocking. Soap, polystyrene, chalk and even ashes - this is just an incomplete list of those items that pregnant women tried to stuff into their mouths. Other strange cravings and cravings included: peppers, raw onions, licorice root, sardines, and ice.

One of the women interviewed, who had never smoked in her life, reported that she enjoyed eating cigarette ashes very much. Her husband smoked, and one terrible evening, looking at the ashtray, she realized that she wanted to lick it. And at that moment it really seemed to her incredibly tasty.

Of course, the researchers were struck first of all by what non-food products pregnant women preferred: ash, chalk, polystyrene. Importantly, all the products that the women named had a very strong and specific taste. Among others: capsicum, licorice, soap, horseradish, etc.

It seems that only pregnant women sometimes suffer from a perverse appetite, but recent studies have shown that a surprisingly large number of men suffer from a disorder called pica, when there is an appetite for inedible things like dirt, chalk or sand.

Geophagy, human eating of earth, ash, dirt, etc.,- a phenomenon that has long occupied the minds of scientists. "People eating the earth" was first noted by Hippocrates, that is, 2,000 years ago. Since then, cases of geophagy have been noticed more and more often, and now, according to reputable sources, there is not a single continent and not a single country where this strange phenomenon has not been noted.

Conducted in Madagascar, where pica is a fairly common phenomenon, studies have shown that there is a nation in the world where the practice of eating inedible prevails among men, scientists say. Why did such a disorder arise among men, because it is usually observed in pregnant women or children?

"I think previous studies simply ignored men and mostly studied pregnant women.", - says study author Christopher Golden (Christopher Golden), eco-epidemiologist. Traditionally, studies of geophagy (the use of land) and pica have described that pregnant women or children suffer from this ailment.

In 2009, Golden and his colleagues studied the behavior of some representatives of the 16 villages of Madagascar, which are located in the area of ​​​​the Makira reserve. The study participants included both women and men. They have been found to occasionally eat 13 inedible substances, including sand, earth, chicken manure, raw rice, raw cassava root, coal, ash, and salt itself.

Approximately 53 percent of the villagers surveyed reported eating inedible things. Among adult men, the peak was observed in 63 percent. Contrary to the stereotype, less than one percent of pregnant women reported eating inedible items exclusively during pregnancy.

Some people have claimed to eat such things for their medicinal properties. in, especially for stomach problems, Golden said. Many people believe that pica benefits their body as a whole. Previously, scientists believed that there were two reasons for the practice of peaking: to fill the deficiency of micronutrients in the diet and cleanse the digestive system, get rid of worms.

Micronutrient deficiencies can be fully explained in the case of pregnant women and children, their diet needs more certain substances than the diet of other people. However, scientists cannot confirm that the human body is really capable of absorbing trace elements from the soil, so the peak, according to Golden, is completely useless for health.

Pika is not unique to the rural population of developing countries. For example, many Americans also eat inedible things, says Golden. "A college buddy of mine used to eat chalk," he said.

Cleveland Clinic psychologist Susan Albers says: " Pika is an appetite disorder that is less well-received and less studied than other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. but studying this disorder is very important, because it can lead to serious problems with health due to the fact that, along with inedible things, harmful toxins can enter the body".

During the famine in the Volga region in 1920-1921. in many places, earth-eating was widespread, and the earth, mainly clay, was sold in the markets as an edible product. Dravert wrote that the clay, which the inhabitants of the Samara province ate, contained a large amount of decay products organic matter. As it turned out, these were sapropels that have been used by people for food since ancient times.

Dravert mentioned the Indians of Venezuela, who lived in the basin of the river. Orinoco, which for 2–3 months during the flood of the river turned out to be cut off from mainland and were forced to eat only silty clay, which was roasted on fire. On average, one person ate about 2 glasses of sludge daily. Clays in general were a popular food of the inhabitants of many regions of the Earth - they were used on the Guinean coast and the Antilles, in Persia, on the island of Java, in New Caledonia and India, Bolivia, Siberia, etc.

The use of certain types of minerals is associated with religious rites. For example, in China, diatomaceous earth was very popular, it was called "black food", or "ground rice". diatomites - rocks, consisting mainly of siliceous remains of diatoms, which are used both as medicines and as food. In ancient times, it was believed that diatomaceous earth has a supernatural origin and is the food of dragons and immortals therefore, its use should have a beneficial effect on the health and well-being of believers.

In Java, it is believed that clays facilitate the flow of childbirth and reduce the number of complications., therefore, in her absence, women eat shards of pottery. Pregnant women from a tribe living on the slopes of Kenya in Africa eat "white soil" from ant mounds or "black soil" from termite mounds.

Minerals are not only used as food by humans. Stones are known to be swallowed by many birds., especially of the chicken family, as well as fish, seals, walruses and dolphins (almost 10 kg of stones and pebbles were extracted from the stomach of one of them). The purpose of these gastrolithic stones is to promote the grinding of food and, consequently, digestion.

Places where marked characteristics the constant appearance of wild animals for the purpose of using earthy substances for food, in the Russian-language scientific literature it is customary to call "animal salt licks". The English synonym is mineral lick. In the Turkic-speaking environment, such places are called Kudyurs. In addition to hard minerals on animal salt licks, animals often drink mineralized spring water. This fact, in our opinion, is related exclusively to sodium supplementation.

Many ruminant ungulates, less often wild boars and bears, visit salt licks, especially in spring and autumn. This is due to the need for mineral supplements., but apparently not only. Even if wild ungulates are fed with table salt, they still visit salt licks. Zoologist D. Shaposhnikov believes that salt licks are a source not only table salt, but also other minerals necessary for the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract, especially during the transition from rough winter feed to juicy summer. It is during this period that animals experience massive digestive disorders.

It should be noted that many rock-forming minerals and their mixtures have a positive effect on the symbiotic intestinal microflora of animals, normalize the composition and concentration of digestive juices, promote the absorption of feed, heal wounds and ulcers of the stomach and intestines, and increase the status of the immune system as a whole.

Despite the relative prevalence of the phenomenon, scientists have not yet been able to agree on the reasons why people eat the earth. However, among the many versions there are three most trustworthy. The first suggests that eating inedible land helps to cope with an acute feeling of hunger: although the body does not receive any nutrients, it is possible to get rid of acute hunger cramps for a while.

The second hypothesis, on the contrary, talks about nutrients that can only be extracted from the earth.; they are microelements like iron, zinc or calcium. Finally, the third hypothesis presents the eating of the earth as a kind of protection that protects us from the action of pathogenic microorganisms and plant toxins.

The first hypothesis turned out to be untenable, because cases of eating the earth were noted even when there was plenty of food. In addition, people ate small amounts of earth that could not fill the stomach and quench hunger. The theory of obtaining nutrients from the earth is also not justified - the data suggest that the most preferred substrate for geophagy is clay, which is poor in trace elements.

By the way, if this were a way to replenish calcium reserves, geophagy would flourish among children and the elderly when calcium requirements are high, but statistics do not confirm this. Some have found a relationship between geophagy and anemia, but studies have shown that people continue to eat the earth even if the lack of iron is replenished. Moreover, clay tends to more likely bind nutrients from food, making them unavailable for absorption. As a result, scientists settled on the fact that the eaten clay performs protective function.

Special attention should be put on ice. Pregnant women and some people experience varying degrees desire to eat ice, lick icicles. Some authors report that this is simply the result of an iron deficiency.

One form of pike is called Pagophagia, it means - a compulsive desire to chew ice. Although the vast majority of peaks remain a mystery to scientists, new theory can explain why some iron deficient people talk about a burning desire to gnaw frozen foods and ice. Research has shown that ice dissolution provides cognitive enhancement in some people with iron deficiency anemia.

Melissa Hunt, a clinical psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, gave both iron-deficient and healthy participants either a cup of ice or warm water before they took the 22-minute attention test (to diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). She found that iron-deficient participants showed the same results as healthy participants when they consumed a bowl of ice; if they drank a cup of warm water, their results were significantly worse. Meanwhile, there was no difference in healthy participants.

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Hunt and her colleagues concluded that ice helps to improve the cognition and attention of people with iron deficiency, and perhaps to some extent in other people.

This phenomenon is called the diving reflex in mammals (as possible cause ice action). When immersed in water, most air-breathing vertebrates slow their heart rate and constrict blood vessels in their arms and legs. This reduces the flow of oxygen to the periphery of the body, saving it for vital organs, including the brain.

This is a kind of rudimentary, but preserved reflex in humans. It is important to note that the reflex is triggered in a person who has contact with cold water but not warm. So it's possible that the absorption of an ice cube could lead to an increase in the supply of oxygen and blood to the brain. For those with enough iron, this benefit is unlikely. published