Pica - Adult eating handfuls of dirt constantly

[N72088]

I am an adult  of 44 years. I have been eating handfuls and bowls of dirt for 40 years. At first, my sister and I used to take a bowl with a spoon outside and fill the bowl up with dirt, (like cereal). We have never been able to stop.
At night, when my neighbors sleep, I go outside and sit by the flower bed and eat fresh dirt by the handfuls. I crave dirt everyday and its almost like a major addiction. I cannot and will not stop and I want to know why I have such a habit. I crave dirt like I crave cigarettes.
When I drive by construction sites and see piles of dirt, I think to myself, "yum, suppertime." I have no control over it.
What makes this so embarrassing is, I was caught with a mouthful of dirt by my daughter's father and he could not believe I had so much in my mouth and was swallowing it. He says I have a problem but I am perfectly normal, other than that.
However, I don't want to stop eating dirt and the fresher it smells the more I crave it. I do not want members in my community to find out that I have such an abnormal habit but eating dirt releases stress and I dont know what to do. It's even got to the point where I found the freshest dirt and had it delivered to my house and placed in a pile so I could go out and eat it whenever I wanted.
Is me and my sister sickos or what?

[mudeater2]

I do the EXACT same thing....I pass by construction sights and I immediately want some dirt. I eat a LOT of it and crave it soooo much. I love it and cannot stop eating it. My husband and kids cannot understand this craving. The dirt is really filling to me and delicious. I have a stash in my car to eat on my way home from work and have loads of it at home in plastic bags ready for consumtion. I am a 40 year old female and have been eating dirt since I was a little girl. I just eat more of it in my adult life and do not want to stop.....So you are not alone, there are a lot of us out there.

[Neiceysworld]

OMG....IT IS SO HARD TO PASS UP ON ANY SITE WHERE THERE'S DIRT.MY DAUGHTER IS THE ONLY ONE THAT KNOWS ABOUT MY EATING DIRT HABITS.I WANT IT EVERYDAY BUT I'M AFRAID TO EAT IT DUE TO THE LACK OF INFORMATION ON THE HARM IT COULD CAUSE. SO I EAT IN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE JUST STICKING MY TONGUE IN MY CONTAINER AND LETTING IT DISSOLVE ON MY TONGUE. BUT I WANT IT EVERY DAY.I STARTED EATING DIRT WHEN I BECAME PREGNANT BACK IN 91, I'M 40 NOW. I'VE BEEN READING UP ON IT & SO FAR I HAVEN'T READ UP ON ANYTHING TO BAD THAT WILL HARM ME.

[Laurie51california]

ME TOO! I'm 51 years old. Seeing piles of dirt always make me crave it too. I have my favorite spots I get my dirt from. I have driven over an hour just to get it several times. Id always bring it home and boil it in water then bake it in the oven. If I over cook though, I have to throw it out. I have zip lock bags full of it. If I run low I start to panic because I have not found any dirt close to where I live that I like. In June this year, 2016, I was admitted in the hospital with a twisted intestine due to dirt. None of my food could get by that area, it was very painfull. They put a tube in my nose to my stomach and pumped out dirt. I promised my family I would not eat dirt anymore, but shortly after, I started agian. Now I don't swallow it. (Well not much anyways) I swish it around in my mouth then spit most of it out. I can not stop and do not want to! I understand how you guys feel!!

[Juicebelly]

Whenever I drive by a construction sight it literally calls my name! I'm just afraid of someone seeing me

[specialmom]

You need to seek help with your physician immediately.  While Pica is occasionally associated with nutritional deficiencies, it is often psychiatric in nature.  Eating non edibles is dangerous and I would suggest immediate help from your doctor.  good luck

[Docdawn]

It is a deficiency, but not in one simple step. It is similar to craving other substances that are not to be used in excess. Drugs, alcohol, food, etc.. our bodies need balance. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It is helpful to see a nutritionist or holistic health provider, not necessarily just a primary care physician. The over use of things we should not be putting in our body can be related to mental state, habit, and lack of nutrition. Once we develop a habit, it is extremely hard to stop. For people who want to stop; it is valuable to have a blood panel and follow a routine plan of health in exercise, nutrition, and mental/spiritual needs to satisfy the cravings. Best wishes..

[craze4lyf]

i do the same thing.its very strange and its not normal.absolutely not.but i dont take it in handful quantity its just that i lick my finger and dip into dirt and repeat it for four to five times(sounds yuck..maybe)but this sort of thing is called as pica.and it doesnt help to recover your iron deficiency infact it reduces your ability to consume iron and as a result you become an anemia patient!! also people with certain mental imbalance or with schizophrenia do this.i am only searching here for how do i stop it as i am only 19 years old and do not wish to die because of anemia.

[Gemfly]

Sounds like you need minerals supplements

[yasnuna3]

I also have the same problem but when i was in Kenya I was eat Kenyan stone Caold odowa now am in saudi Arabia and am craving it so much like a cigarette, so right now I found a way to help my self and that why is only soil and is the easiest way for me and I love it so much, but I need help to stop I feel like I'm not normal at all, eating soil really feel good very good but with aprice to pay like constipation it's really pein full plz help

[Goddesso]

I'm from South Africa. And I just love eating soil but not any soil the one that I eat is specially dug for consumption. You buy it from people that sell it I'm 27 years old now and I have been eating it since primary school. I stopped eating when I was pregnant coz I just couldn't stand the taste. But after my pregnancy I went right back and I would love to stop coz of constipation but don't know how I just can't help myself.  I keep going back for more. Even when people tell me about the dangers like "you will get appendicitis" or you will have millipedes in your stomach but I just can't stop.

[theporche1]

I understand I am also this way. I have tried to avoid it but I have noticed that when I get blood transfusions I dnt crave it but as soon as its low again I want it again. I had to argue with my ex about it and now my fiance knows and he dnt under stand but its like a cigarette adiction for me. I avoided telln him because it is embarrasing.

[KurtS]

I have heard of pregnant women doing this and their craving are chalked up to possible lake of vitamins and minerals. Some people even crave and eat metal. If I were you I would try large doses of vitamins and minerals fo a couple of weeks to see if that helped. On the other hand, if you really don't want to stop none of this advice will help.

[micaela27]

despite you feeling "normal", this is definitely not normal adult behavior.  Pica usually arises in cases where an extreme nutrient deficiency or mental imbalance is present.  since you seem to have self-ruled-out the mental imbalance, it would behoove you to get a comprehensive blood workup to see if anything is noticeably out of whack.  i can assure you eating spoonfuls of dirt is not only abnormal but is also potentially very dangerous to your health, as live4fitness pointed out above.  get thee to a doctor asap and i'd encourage a piggyback appointment with a psychologist if the doctor can't come up with a reason why this may be happening.

[live4fitness]

PICA - is what that is called. I would talk to your dr about this. You could be anemic. Also there are parasites and bacteria in the dirt that could REALLY HURT YOU!!!!!