A Southern Tradition With a Complicated History
In 1979, researchers studying rural Holmes County, Mississippi, documented a phenomenon occurring among the African-American women there. A majority were suffering from a type of eating disorder involving cravings for non-food items like dirt and clay.
Researchers identified 25 sources of Black people eating clay and reported by the National Institutes of Health that 57% of women and 16% of children in their study had the eating disorder, with average consumption of approximately 50 grams of clay per day. It was even documented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
A few decades later, researchers investigated another form of pica in which people were eating”white dirt” or kaolin in and around Augusta and Macon Georgia. They interviewed 21 people found that kaolin eating appeared to come from both cultural and psychiatric origins. Ingestion of substances like “white dirt” is also associated with iron-deficiency anemia, which many Black women with heavy periods suffer from — and those who crave it may do so because of the disorder, according to research published in 2024 by Georgia Southern University.
But Pica isn’t limited to rural communities.
Researchers at Howard University studied 553 African-American women receiving prenatal care in Washington, D.C. They found that 8.1% reported a type of pica called pagophagia where they compulsively ate large quantities of ice or freezer frost. Published in the Journal of Nutrition, the Pica in an Urban Environment study also found that the women with pica had significantly lower ferritin levels during pregnancy. Ferritin is a protein that acts like a storage container for iron in the body to keep it safe and non-toxic before the body needs to use it. Women with low iron or anemia sometimes also have low ferritin levels, according to a Howard University OBGYN Glow Stream TV spoke to recently.
Where did pica come from?
The word pica comes from the Latin word for magpie, a bird known for eating a wide variety of things.
Clinically, pica involves persistent consumption of substances that don’t provide meaningful nutritional value.
Examples can include:
- Clay or dirt
- Ice
- Baking soda
- Cornstrach
- Chalk
- Paper
- Soap
- Laundry starch
- Hair
- Paint or other non-food materials
Pica can occur alongside nutritional deficiencies like anemia, developmental conditions and certain psychiatric or neurological conditions and pregnancy. Nearly 1 in 5 of all Black women in the United States experience iron deficiency or iron-deficiency anemia — that’s 20 %.
If you’re eating ice, dirt or powdery substances, ask your doctor to check your iron
Here’s where this gets particularly interesting for women.
A craving for ice is a type of pica known as pagophagia. Ice eating, in particular, has been repeatedly associated with iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia. A 2023 scoping review found that treating iron deficiency was associated with resolving pica symptoms in all 20 clinical articles included in the review.
For women who experience heavy menstrual bleeding, fibroids, pregnancy, restrictive diets or other circumstances that increase the risk of iron deficiency, this is particularly worth discussing with a medical doctor. Black women have a higher prevalence of heavy menstrual bleeding than other women, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Yes, girl, stress may be at the root of it
The relationship between pica, stress and mental health is complicated. It’s like a dysfunctional family with issues.
The Howard University study of pregnant Black women proposed that pica might function partly as a response to stress and found that the women who had more social support tended not to have pica or suffered less.
Careful not to label pica as “stress eating.”
Researchers continue investigating the neurological and behavioral mechanisms behind it.
That’s why self-diagnosing isn’t the answer.
If you’re eating something that isn’t food, share this with a trusted medical doctor to help get you on the path to better health.
How do you stop pica?
The good news is that pica is treatable with the guidance of a medical doctor, and the first step isn’t necessarily therapy.
A good healthcare provider may evaluate you for nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron deficiency, and consider other medical, psychological or behavioral factors.
Depending on the cause, treatment may include correcting an iron deficiency or other nutritional deficit, addressing an underlying medical or mental health condition.
Recent behavioral research is encouraging. A 2025 study involving 33 cases found that structured behavioral interventions reduced pica by at least 90% in 30 participants.
The important takeaway?
Glow Girls don’t deal with health battles alone
Imagine sitting in your doctor’s office and saying:
“I eat ice all day.”
Or:
“I crave clay.”
Or:
“Sometimes I eat baking soda.”
You might feel embarrassed. But there’s no need to.
Healthcare professionals have heard it all. They entered the healthcare profession because they have a deep desire to help people heal. Sharing this information could provide an important clue that could lead to changing the quality of your health for life!
The researchers who specifically examined pica among Black women called for more awareness and research because the condition is often under-recognized and under-reported.
A craving is not always just a craving.
Sometimes your body is signaling that something needs attention and sometimes there are cultural factors that deserve to be looked into rather than swept under the rug.
So, if you’ve noticed yourself increasingly craving or consuming non-food substances, make the appointment. Tell the truth. Ask the questions. Get your iron, ferritin and other relevant labs checked if your clinician thinks they’re appropriate.
Please don’t assume that because something has been practiced in your family, community or culture for years that it is normal.
Be curious and remember: healing isn’t about judging the woman you were. It’s about giving the woman you want to be the best shot she deserves.
That’s the real glow up.
Glow Stream TV Health Note
Pica can have serious health consequences depending on what is consumed, including poisoning, intestinal obstruction, infection, dental problems and nutritional complications. If you are regularly consuming non-food substances, speak with a healthcare professional immediately rather than trying to manage it alone.
