Are weird cravings sign of possible mineral deficiency?

[cwade]

I have a strange question about something that happens to me quite often.  Whenever I pass a construction site, am exposed to airborne concrete dust, or smell certain kinds of damp metal, I begin having the most overpowering cravings, chewing (sometimes hard) at the insides of my cheeks, or compulsively biting the sides of my tongue.

I spent 5 years (94-99) as a strict vegetarian / vegan, and have been eating mostly Lacto/Ovo with some poultry and seafood since 1998.  I have been anemic my whole life.

Could this strong, bizarre craving have something to do with my mineral deficiency, and can anyone suggest a possible regimen that may help it?  Thank you very much...

[Nickle_5_cents]

I have been hypothyroid my whole life, now I am in my 40"s and doing without my thryoid completely; I have also been anemic when I was a teen, but overcame that.  I grew up eating lots of wild game, I prefer meat and i crave veggies too, but when I got pregnant, I started craving Lemon scented Comet with Bleach, Dust from a gravel/ red clay road, over used motor oil, the wierd stuff.  My ob/gyn didnt think it was an issue so long as I didnt give in to the cravings... Well that didnt help me at all, in fact I still have the cravings more than ever.  Its pretty bad when u cant clean like you would like to because you know its too hard to resist eating the cleaning chemicals!. what kind of a specialist should we be seeing (a nutrionist> nutrional anaylsis?).

[koombi12]

so i looked the craving up that i am having and i am glad i found this site. i have been craving comet and sand like material for months. even washing power and soap. something about the smell. it smells really good and eatable. ive been hearing about the condition pica. i dont know how to stop craving it. i am pregnant now and the urge is even higher. what should i do?

[fuzzypoet]

My daughter is 3 months old.  During my entire pregnancy I ate ice, craved dirt and chalk.  I still crave ice and eat it daily.  I stopped the craving for dirt and chalk, but picked up a strong craving for the smell of gasoline.  I find this very weird and wonder if I have an Iron Deficiency.  I spoke with my doctor during my pregnancy and he just told me to keep an eye on how much ice i was eating.  When I had my daughter and was in the hospital, they gave me iron tablets 2 times a day for the 5 days I was in there.

[Lora342]

I love smell of wet red clay when I water my pots. I also, eat white natural chalk, crunchy and soft easy to chew on, love the taste of it. I remember nibbling on board chalk at school but I think some bad chemicals mixed with drawing chalk.  Animals eat natural chalk too; must be some minerals deficiency.   I have not been eating chalk for very long time. About 3 years ago, I started to feel pain in my knees and what is interesting, after I started eating a little chalk every day, may be 2 and half months ago the pain was gone.  I have not even been exercising all this time, in contest that exercise usually helps the knee pain.  I don’t think it’s harmful a little natural chalk along with some fresh salad every day, to avoid constipation. I read all kind of stories one girl got her guts clogged from eating too much clay.  
Link to natural white chalk:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221329637022?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

[grace2015]

I honestly am so glad I found this site. For the past couple of years I've been craving chalk! I love the way its smells and I get so tempted to eat it!If I get my hands on chalk I have to sniff it or crush it up and play in it. Same with cleaning products. Especially foaming bathroom cleaner

[zelma687]

I can't stop chewing pens and I don't know what to do about it!