Pickles, ice cream and chips: These types of food cravings are a trademark of pregnancy and as common as swollen fingers and leg cramps. Such hankerings can increase in frequency and intensity when you?re expecting and become quite specific?and sometimes just plain weird (Beyoncé?s bananas and ketchup craving"). But when you have a compulsive urge to ingest substances that aren?t food, like paint chips from the hardware store, cotton balls from the medicine cabinet or even something as seemingly innocuous as crunching on ice from the freezer, that?s actually a condition known as pica, and it could signal a health issue that needs your doctor?s attention.
What is pica"
People who have non-food cravings may have an eating disorder, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. This condition is characterized by the persistent consumption or even craving of non-food items with little or no nutritional value, such as dirt, clay, laundry detergent and, yes, even ice. Pica gets its name from the Latin word for ?magpie,? the bird with a penchant for eating almost anything. What causes pica"
?We don?t know for certain what causes pica, but it?s believed to be an underlying nutritional deficiency, such as iron, or other physical or psychological concerns,? says Karen Fleming, a physician in family medicine obstetrics at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Although pica is pretty rare and can occur in pregnancy, it?s more prevalent in kids, affect...