Tag: Eating soil

According to the Cleveland Clinic, pica, an eating disorder that includes geophagy (eating earth), affects up to 30% of young children and can occur in pregnant women. While sometimes rooted in cultural practices, the question remains: is geophagy harmful to one's health?

According to a 2017 study from South Africa, over 54% of pregnant women surveyed reported practicing geophagia, the habit of craving and eating earth. While rooted in historical practices and cultural beliefs, consuming mud carries significant and often severe health complications that far outweigh any perceived benefits.

Geophagia, the intentional consumption of earth or clay, has been a documented practice in various cultures for centuries. However, despite its historical prevalence, modern medical consensus overwhelmingly states that eating soil is not good for your health and poses significant health risks.

While anecdotal evidence and cultural traditions have long associated geophagia with certain benefits, modern medical science paints a different picture. So, is eating mud healthy? For most people, the practice carries significant health risks that far outweigh any purported benefits.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, pica, the compulsive eating of non-food items, can be linked to nutrient deficiencies like low iron or zinc. If you find yourself thinking, "why do I crave dirt so much?", it could be a sign of this underlying issue, known specifically as geophagia.

The intentional and compulsive eating of non-food substances, including soil, has been a documented human behavior for centuries. The answer to what is the eating soil disorder called is complex, as it is a specific form of the broader eating disorder known as pica, and is more formally termed geophagia.

According to a 2025 review in *BMC Oral Health*, craving non-nutritive substances like soil is strongly associated with underlying nutritional deficiencies, particularly anemia. This unusual compulsion, known as pica, can cause a person to crave soil and is often linked to the body's attempt to self-correct a mineral imbalance.

Globally, anemia affects an estimated 24.3% of the population, making it a widespread nutritional problem. The compulsive urge to eat non-food items like soil is known as pica, and while a craving for soil can be a symptom of existing iron deficiency anemia, the act of eating it can also directly cause or worsen the condition. This creates a dangerous cycle where the body craves iron from the earth, but the soil itself prevents proper nutrient absorption.