# Why do I want to eat sand?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839 "2003-07-11T22:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_to_be_Queen)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/1 "2003-07-11T22:37:41Z")
Lately I’ve been having these cravings for sand. Perhaps this is a vitamin or mineral deficiency. I hope so, anyway. Does anyone know what it could indicate? I am not pregnant and I don’t have a desire to eat anything else other than standard dietary fare. The cravings often hit around 4:00 in the afternoon. I think, “The beach… Yum!” 😃 Seriously though, this happened about fifteen years ago as a young teen, and when I asked my father if he thought I had a vitamin deficiency he said the deficiency was probably in my head. It seems like my body may be lacking something, though. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/2 "2003-07-11T22:41:00Z")
And when there was no crawdad… ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/3 "2003-07-11T22:41:51Z")
I think your condition is called ‘pica’. You might want to look into it. It is not normal. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/4 "2003-07-11T23:04:40Z")
I think the idea that irrational cravings represent dire bodily needs is mostly hokum. There isn’t a lot in sand that you can digest anyhow. I knew a girl who craved raw chicken - hard to imagine that her body desperately needed it raw. ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/5 "2003-07-11T23:17:40Z")
This might be an interesting question to ask a doctor. I seem to remember a Straight Dope column on the subject that said that many people’s strange cravings could be eased with the right vitamin supplements, but I’m too tired to go to the trouble of looking it up. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/6 "2003-07-11T23:23:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I Love Me, Vol. I \* > \*\*I think your condition is called ‘pica’. You might want to look into it. It is not normal. \*\* I think so too. Try googling that word (pica). I saw a PBS program on the subject. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/7 "2003-07-11T23:47:16Z")
Cecil’s column: [Is it crazy to eat clay?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_090.html) > [@](#): > > Geophagia and pica in general are often associated with iron-deficiency anemia. No one knows whether anemia is a cause or an effect[…]. According to the medical literature, a lot of pica sufferers, including pregnant women with pickles-and-ice-cream-type cravings, have been cured by giving them iron supplements. Hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/8 "2003-07-12T01:57:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > \*\*And when there was no crawdad… \*\* To counter a reference with a reference… Curse my metal body, I wasn’t fast enough! ---
**Author:** ![Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_to_be_Queen)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/9 "2003-07-12T02:42:27Z")
I looked up “pica.” That is pretty scary stuff. I should say I have never actually eaten anything but “normal food” and don’t plan on chowing down on the sandbox anytime soon. 🙂 Since this has been only going on for a week, I think I will blame it on the female body cycle and see if adding more iron-rich foods to my diet will help. Thanks for the tips. ---
**Author:** ![Jake4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@Jake4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake4)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/10 "2003-07-12T03:16:46Z")
Don’t worry about iron. Sand is silica, SiO2. I don’t know what food you should eat to get more silicon. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/11 "2003-07-12T06:21:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jake4 \* > \*\*Don’t worry about iron. Sand is silica, SiO2. I don’t know what food you should eat to get more silicon. \*\* Chips. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-want-to-eat-sand/187839/12 "2003-07-12T07:04:57Z")
But if you scooped up sand at your local beach, you’d likely find iron and other trace elements mixed in. Believe it or not, I’m another sand craver. It seems to be the crunchy, gritty texture I really want. No, I haven’t actually eaten sand but I have found a toothpaste that has a gritty substance that I like to crunch on at least once a day. I’m sure this isn’t good for me either though. I do know that I’m usually iron deficient because sometimes I’m not allowed to donate blood. It’s interesting the two could be linked. I think I even remember my doctor once saying I was borderline anemic. I’m going to check that out about Pica. Interesting!