# I s salt the only mineral humans eat raw? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286 "2004-07-02T23:02:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/1 "2004-07-02T23:02:21Z")
Is there any other food we dig out of mines? ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/2 "2004-07-02T23:04:07Z")
> [@Boyo Jim](#): > > Is there any other food we dig out of mines? Are you sure you’re not thinking of salt being the only rock humans can eat? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/3 "2004-07-02T23:11:12Z")
> [@Boyo Jim](#): > > Is there any other food we dig out of mines? Saccharin is a by-product of coal. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/4 "2004-07-02T23:28:12Z")
\>\>\>Insert Pumpernickel Joke Here\<\<\< ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/5 "2004-07-02T23:36:13Z")
Powdered Iron is used as a nutritional suppliment, especially in breakfast cereals. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/6 "2004-07-02T23:43:34Z")
There are many mineral food additives. ie from the ground for example Anti-caking agents - silica, talc, bentonite, sodium aluminosilicate preservatives - nitrites ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/7 "2004-07-02T23:52:57Z")
Bismuth in Pepto-Bismol®. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/8 "2004-07-02T23:57:54Z")
> [@Jpeg Jones](#): > > \>\>\>Insert Pumpernickel Joke Here\<\<\< After a hard day in the pumpernickel mines, we - awww, forget it. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/9 "2004-07-03T00:00:43Z")
What? You never had heartburn and took some ground-up limestone for it? Y’know? Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/10 "2004-07-03T00:11:41Z")
I know there’s all kinds of minerals that our bodies need, I’m just curious about those that we eat straight as is, more or less as it comes out of the ground. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/11 "2004-07-03T02:24:20Z")
> [@Boyo Jim](#): > > I know there’s all kinds of minerals that our bodies need, I’m just curious about those that we eat straight as is, more or less as it comes out of the ground. Technically there is a wide array of foods we eat that grow in the ground that contain a lot of minerals, vitamins and fiber. That’s why I was wondering if you had the salt = only rocks humans eat as opposed to actually harvesting Zinc or Magnesium for raw ingestion. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/12 "2004-07-03T02:27:30Z")
Of course there is Kaolin, used to help digestion (and to make glossy paper glossy). But IIRC, some subfractions of petroleum can be digested as peppermint oil. Since refining counts as cooking, so I suppose neither example counts. In summary, many minerals are eaten ‘raw’ but none in amounts approaching salt. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/13 "2004-07-03T02:46:57Z")
[cheesy pop culture hijack] Then, there’s [“the Stuff”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090094/). Enough’s never enough… [/cpch] ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/14 "2004-07-03T03:48:58Z")
How about Lithium (also a salt)? It occurs naturally in some mineral springs (hence, “Lithia Springs”). ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/15 "2004-07-03T05:55:57Z")
Many drugs have ground clay as a filler, and if you get a placebo (a sugar pill) it’s probably a clay pill, instead. Some folks see that as an explanation of the placebo effect. I’m not ready to make that observation. Nope, not me. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/16 "2004-07-03T11:41:33Z")
Pregnant women sometimes crave and, if they can get it, eat clay. I think kaolin is a preferred form, per some other posts, but deliberately eating bulk clay in its underground form would put kaolin consumption well above salt consumption for those individuals. There’s even a name for this appetite, which escapes me. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/17 "2004-07-03T13:05:41Z")
Pica is the morbid desire to eat non-food items. A physiological vitamin problem can cause cravings for odd things, and is often misdiagnosed as pica. ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-s-salt-the-only-mineral-humans-eat-raw/253286/18 "2004-07-03T13:21:56Z")
Lime (the stone) is actually **essential to survival** with the diet in central southern Mexico. Originally it was introduced into the diet through the erosion of millstones used to hand-grind the local corn (maize). Even today, powdered lime is boiled with machine ground corn to release essential nutrients (the B-vitamin niacin and the amino acid tryptophan) that are not otherwise bioavailable. Even the local pigs were fed laboriously hand-ground meal, because they couldn’t extract the nutrients, and would otherwise starve and die before maturity Some cookbooks seem to have been confused by the cuisine of coastal/tropical regions of Mexico. They claim the corn must be treated with lime (the fruit). This tropical fruit can’t grow in the arid regions where lime (the stone) is essential, and it wouldn’t work anyway: lime juice is acid, like our own digestive secretions, but the nutrients are released by treatment with _alkali_ - in fact, today, lye or potash (sodium or potassium hydroxides made by boiling ash) are sometimes used commercially instead of lime (calcium hydroxide). . Also, “pica” (a nonutritive craving to eat inorganic materials) exists in many forms. Many pregnant women have a craving for anything from chewing ice to clay, but it is not limited to pregnancy. Clay pica is common enough in some rural communities in Georgia (US) that suitable clay is sold in the local stores. It’s mostly practiced by older women who’ve done it all their lives. Whether or not there is any “secret nutrient the body knows it needs” (a common, but unsupported theory), there is a strong proven psychosocial element, and may be some nonnutritive physiologic basis (I’m not slamming Georgians. I am one, though I haven’t lived there in many years) Lead paint ingestion is known to provoke a cycle of pica. Lead salts used in pain is slightly sweet, but not enough to explain the effect. The resulting lead poisoning in children led to severe restrictions on the use/removal of lead paint. Other forms of lead ingestion (e.g. exhaust soot from leaded gas near urban overpasses) were considered possible triggers, but I don’t know if that was ever proven in the US before it switched over to primarily unleaded gas in the 1970s. Perhaps someone familiar with the European literature can say more; leaded gas was still in widespread use there in the 1990s.