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I Want to Eat… Dirt?

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

I want to eat... dirt?So you’re pregnant and have an intense craving.

You would love to munch on something refreshing, and full of minerals. But you really want this snack  to be natural tasting… or maybe dark, like chocolate, but not quite the same… and crunchy.

Wait.

Are you craving dirt?

Don’t be alarmed. Research shows you are not the only one longing for this earthy compound. Also known as geophagy, munching on dirt and clay has been documented throughout history as a way of regaining minerals, particularly in tropic environments. Soil often holds high levels of iron, copper, and calcium, all of which are hugely important during pregnancy.

While this craving is less publicized in the United States, women here on our soil (and  apparently eating our soil) still admit to wanting a dirty, little snack on occasion. According to some reports, this was most common in the South and throughout other warm states.

Recent studies have also acknowledged the possible benefits of this atypical behavior. Uncontaminated dirt and clay may build the immune system and even provide necessary vitamins to the consumer.

But before you grab a bowl of dirt from the backyard, and curl up on the couch with a big spoon, remember that most studies are still in their infancy stages. Though geophagy is not a new concept, we don’t recommend trying it – the idea of eating dirt is definitely unconventional in mainstream medicine practices.

What do you think? Is this research completely bizarre, or have you and your friends ever experienced these cravings?

[Photo credit: Jim Franco]

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Daily News Roundup

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Goody Blog Daily News RoundupEstrogen Lowers Breast Cancer and Heart Attack Risk in Some
In a finding that challenges the conventional wisdom about the risks of some hormones used in menopause, a major government study has found that years after using estrogen-only therapy, certain women had a markedly reduced risk of breast cancer and heart attack. (New York Times)

The Great Divide: Working Moms Vs. Childless Women
As significant as the differences are between men and women in most workplaces, the biggest gap is between women with children and those without. Motherhood can be a considerable employment handicap because very few jobs accommodate mothers.  (Psychology Today)

Is this generation as resilient as were children of the Great Depression?
As we were wrapping up the research and interviews on NQA, however, the banks collapsed, the housing crisis hit, and the recession set in. In other words, the world flipped upside down. Newly minted college grads were at the forefront of the blowback: unemployment was hovering at 14% for 18-24 year olds, and the promised jobs that a college degree was supposed to guarantee were nowhere to be found. It was time to head back into the field and find out how they were coping. (Psychology Today)

(more…)

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