An Unspoken Eating Disorder: CORNSTARCH & SOIL Eaters 

To everyone that is addicted to starch, ice, clay, soil, etc in the comments section, I love yall but yall are WILD 💀💀. Very hilarious but please do better.

I used to work at a grocery store and there was a lady who came in EVERY morning at 6:00 AM when we opened and bought a canister of corn starch. And I thought she owned a restaurant or bakery until one day I said “Your lil restaurant must be booming since you always run out of cornstarch” and she giggled and said “Girl no, this my afternoon snack.” And I laughed and she didn’t laugh back and I stopped and was like “…Huh?” That was the first time I ever encountered something like this! 😅😂

🧠- “Need nutrients” 🪨

When I was pregnant I craved drywall…never let my intrusive thoughts win, but fighting it was annoying.

I had Pica. I was eating cushion foam. I really thought I had a mental illness but it was in fact due to my severe anemia. Pica goes away AS SOON AS you get the right treatment. I had to have 2 blood transfers and iron IVs. The cravings were gone in a blink of an eye and never came back.

I love to eat ice. The temperature, the crunch the texture. I love it🧊thank God my strange addiction is only frozen water.🙌🏾

For that disorder that the body is craving certain nutrients even when it's not truly there. You covered it really well.

I remember this was an episode of my strange addiction. Think the lady suffered a miscarriage and started eating cornstarch. Lady ate spoons full of it. That was the first time i heard of it.

In Ghana, the clay (bentonite clay) is called shile. It is widely sold and eaten by people with low iron and/or pregnant women. The condition is called pica and is a result of low iron levels. Once your iron levels improve, your cavings for chalk or non-nutritious food should disappear.

I guess some people don’t know the saying “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” 😆❤️

Your face during the video where they had the baby eating it… it had me dying!! That was my face too though! Because they BAAAABY?!?!

they even got the baby eating it like......

thank you for talking about the starch eating community. I've followed for a while and sounded so crazy whenever I'd attempt to explain it to people lmao

I'm 40. What concerns me more than people eating cornstarch is their desire/need to post themselves doing it. Why are these younger generations sooo starved for attention?

For me it was dial gold, bar soap. I think it's because the smell was so comforting I grew up with that soap in every room with a sink. I felt guilty and ashamed.

It’s iron deficiency.

ITS A SICKNESS 🗣

As a child, every time it’d rain, I could smell the thick red clay in our backyard. Instantly, I’d have cravings to eat it. My granny and mom allowed me to eat a little but, after awhile of that happening when it rained, they took me to a doctor to find out what was happening with me. The doctor informed them of my body’s ‘Iron Deficiencies’, and recommended giving me two tablespoons of starch, instead of the raw Georgia clay from our backyard (due to bugs that may be hidden inside). By age 10 or 11… I no longer had those cravings (I’m in my mid 50’s now).

When they were eating rocks and hard clay, im just screaming your poor teeth! 😭

When I first saw the Coenstarch eaters, I for real thought it was drugs until I saw the tags and comments.

I craved ice and cold iceberg lettuce when I was pregnant. Anemia

it is so weird, the things people will film themselves doing just to share with strangers on the internet.

As a child I had pica. I had a distinct craving for crunchy or grainy material. I used to chew on dry wall, sand, and packing peanuts. Ive long since grown out of it and just eat puffy chips if I want something crunchy.

I used to crave ice for years because of anemia. I have IBS too that makes it hard to absorb nutrients from food. The ferrous sulfate pills prescribed weren’t enough. Went and got an iron IV at the doctor’s office : got my skin color back - never realized how pale I was , and don’t crave ice. I don’t even think about it and rather not have it in my drinks.

I have a similar urge when I’m pregnant. I crave the smell of dust, baby powder/talc, and corn starch 😂🙈 My husband caught me snorting baby powder once or twice🤦🏾‍♀️

Ngl, I used to watch cornstarch eating videos cause I like the crunch asmr 😂

I grew up in Haiti and they used to eat these dirt cookies. I think that's what they call them and it was made out of clay

When I was a child, I loved, and I mean absolutely LOVED to eat kool-aid powder, or any kind of flavored powder for drinks. I got in trouble a lot for sneaking and eating it. I’d usually get a little cup and pour some in, grab a spoon, and go somewhere and hide and eat it. Then I’d usually leave the cup under a bed so I could come back later and eat some more. Sometimes I’d forget about the cup, just a handful of times. I don’t know exactly why or when I had first started that or when I stopped eating it, but I don’t crave that stuff anymore, and it actually tastes bitter to me now. Bitter might not be the right word, but what I mean is, is that that powder just doesn’t taste good to me now that I’m older. It used to taste so delicious to me.. it also used to make my stomach feel weird, but I would still eat it.

IRON DEFICENCYYYYYYYYYY.

You’re so beautiful! Your skin complexion and glow is just gorgeous! OK now back to the video 🤓😂

Why they got the baby eating it

There might be a psychological thing about the satisfying texture and the way the substances dissolve in the mouth. Cornstarch is on another level though. All I can imagine is that it absorbs a whole lot of water, and expands in the stomach.

I had Pica as a kid (powdered laundry detergent). I felt compelled to eat it. Not sure why.

I had an iron deficiency and had pica. The best thing i did for myself was get that takwn care of. Before that i had grinded down my teeth nd even put a hole in one from eating rocks.

I went through a cornstarch faze during my last pregnancy. Yeah I became pre diabetic 😩🤣

I was in a private mental facility. While in there I met a young man named David. He was schizophrenic and had Pika. I was terrified of people with schizophrenia until meeting him. Since I was in there under bogus charges to spent my time looking out for the patients and getting on the doctor's nerves. I walked in on David eating his own waste. I went to the nurse's station where the doctors were going over charts. I told them they had a patient in crisis eating fecal matter. Without skipping a beat or looking up from their charts they all said in unison 'He's not my patient.' I called them all worthless sobs and went to find a nurse. Pika is also due to a lack of certain minerals that the body needs.

Confession: as a kid I use to eat comet cleaning powder 🥴🥴 but I swear I haven’t done it in yearsssss 😅

Busiswa Speaking isiZulu kills me.......Lalela😂😂😂 Tell them oe....bayahlanya😂❤

Hearing that sound is like nails on a chalk board xx

I have iron deficiency anemia and I eat icees everyday year round lol. I love pixy sticks, the man who held up the bag made me realize I haven’t had any in a while lol. I like to mix all the flavors together in a cup until it’s like mashed potato texture and freeze it then eat it with a spoon 🤷🏾‍♀️. It’s a lot to go through I know. My daughter and her sister like cornstarch so much they cook it on the stove in butter.

The mineral/vitamin deficiencies are real. Imo it gets so deep. We could be deficient in areas of our bodies that aren’t showing up on blood tests. Doctors know almost nothing about nutrition. Our middle child was dxed with this and it can definitely be related to sensory issues. But I’m telling you, a very good diet stopped it for my child, too!

"Be knowledgeable my people" 😂 I'm good man, I don't want that kind of knowledge.

Is it an African decent thing? I see a lot of black people eating it.

When I was pregnant with my second son I craved charcoal briquettes. Like the kind you cook on a grill with but they had to have lighter fluid on them. It was crazy. My mouth would water just thinking about it. I never ate any but man I wanted to. My mom said she craved dirt and a friend of mine craved laundry detergent. Omg I can't with the noise they make as they're eating it!

My Mama was ADDICTED to cornstarch! Had a favorite brand and everything! She stopped for several years but popped up again towards the end.

Help I was waiting for somebody to make a video about thissss

Yeah that's pica all right

When I was a child I used to eat pinches of laundry soap powder. I loved the smell, texture and taste. When I was pregnant though my mouth would literally water from the smell of someone doing laundry. After reading the effects it could cause I didn’t eat it during my pregnancy. I’ve always had low iron so that’s my main reason.

I used to have pika as a child it always comes from neglect. Personally as a toddler i used to eat bushes and tap my feet to make the worms come up simulating rain sounds on the ground. Came to find out later those are full of protein. Also used to eat the plastic of my dolls. Once i was removed from my abusive father and given 3 meals a day my pika stopped.

Get up Busiswa just posted!

I craved baking soda. It was delicious. I. COULD. NOT. STOP. The worse my iron the better it tasted. I didn't know I was anemic. I was actually severely anemic. It was so bad I was told I needed a blood transfusion 😮 I had to get 2 iron IV's

Yo my BD's mom... bought 6 cans only cornstarch; I asked "what you cooking" She said "I eat this" She passed away last year; tummy blockage and issues

Have you watched My Strange Addiction? Like, the older episodes and any new ones (if they're still making any that is.)

My grandma ate cornstarch when I was little. She gave me some once and it was weird but satisfying. I didn’t keep eating it cause it wasn’t a regular thing in my home but me and her ate ice together

I saw an 1,000 Ways to Die clip where a woman died because she ate her neighbor's manure- mixed soil. Never touching dirt.

My craving is for ice. I always keep a cup full next to me

Omg Busiswa I love your hair this way!

I've seemingly had pica since I was a kid. Back then I would chew on ice cubes. But now I eat umcako (one of the names for the clay people eat in South Africa.) Whatever difiency created my pica is seemingly something I was born with

Hi, this was a common thing when I was younger. I am around the age of 60 and I remember my aunts eating coin starch. Period back then the cornstarch used to be crunchy and chunky so I was like eating something crunchy and addictive so this is an old thing that’s coming back.

its a lot of the time because of iron deficiency. i used to crave the flour in my kitchen in middle school and never knew why. then seen people ate cornstarch.. tried it. its nasty and gets sticky in your mouth. i would just chew flour and spit it out because its reaoly the texture people crave. havent had it in about a year or two. funny you covered this 😂😂

I can always tell when my iron levels dip (I avoid red meat) when I start craving soil/clay! At least corn starch is totally safe to eat, as far as pica cravings go!

My kids grandma ( on the dad side) was from Shreveport LA. She would eat starch from time to time. She would actually crave it.

YALL ARE INSANE WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STARCH, SOIL, CLAY AND ESPECIALLY SOIL!? WTF DO YOU MEAN *S O I L* 💀🙏😭

eating cornstarch sounds and feels like a sensory nightmare, how can you DO THAT- (I almost gagged so hard each time they 'crunch')

I remember seeing people eat cornstarch when I was younger. It was such a normal thing. People said they ate it to get thicker.🙃

I used to like cornstarch when I was pregnant LOL! I ADMIT IT!

I thought me compulsively eating dough and unbaked mixes was bad 😂 I once even drank the cakemix without ever cooking it. Dark times.

My son’s girlfriend ate cornstarch. I was so worried about her, but no one else seemed concerned 😦

Lived in Harlem in the 70s. Us kids used to chew plaster, then spit it out. Nothing new here, but interesting still. 🗽

Have you heard about dirt cookies? It’s a thing in Haiti they use clay, and water shape them into circles and let them dry in the sun. Pregnant women and people who don’t have much to eat. It’s a recipe born from food scarcity and poverty unfortunately. Sounds like a clay tile when it’s crunched on.

I used to crave southern clay also now as white dirt. Got some vitamins from the doctor and the cravings stopped

I had the craving when I was pregnant with my oldest but I didn’t give into it too much instead I asked my doctor for help understanding what I was missing.. I believe she gave me an extra vitamin that I was low on… I think vitamin b12 or b6 something like that.

In Georgia they eat what is called white dirt. There is a whole documentary about it.

I think its kinda funny that the one woman said she ate cornstarch and carpet fresh....and it was the CORNSTARCH that was the problem. Cornstarch, while odd, I'm sure is very edible. Carpet fresh? Literal poison. But it was the cornstarch that was screwing with her kidneys and liver. Okaaaaaaaay.

I hella curbed my ice eating, cuz i noticed i started it when i had an ED. My dad used to hide our ice trays to prevent me from eating it and i used to be sooo mad. But i understand now as an adult. Granted, i do eat ice still, but not as often and not a whole ass 3 cups like i used to lol

I have celiac disease, hence constant anemia, and struggle hard with wanting to eat starchy or chalky things (sometimes need to give into it an eat a spoon of straight starch, or i would nibble on chalk or worse)

nooooo because i knew it was because of deficiencies etc (at least to a point), but i've had a lot of blood tests and no one's really mentioned anything i wasn't aware of, even though i've had pica pretty much my whole life. never gave into it once i stopped being a toddler, but my mouth WATERS when i smell rain. but recently i got pretty nasty anaemia and now i'm like 'has it always just been the iron. have i always been low on iron and no one thought to tell me.'

I was never pregnent but as a kid, I used to eat paper lol

Sounds like nails on a chalkboard

Pica. I crave Ajax and Comet cleanser. I have chronic anemia *many people who menstruate are anemic*

Ok, I have story when I was like 9-13 yers old I sperdactly eat correctors and chow on pens thingy tho I have adhd so yea... Not doing this anymore

I remember when I was younger, I used to hide under a table and eat the powered detergent or soap. My mom knew what I was doing the 3rd? Time and hide it away. Then my ass started eating drywall and baking soda. Glad I stopped-

9:28 oh honey, we ARE DEFINITELY judging

That just highlights the importance of proper nutrition....

“Don’t even mention it it … gasp 😱” Hahaha You’re funny . Im subscribing

I use to eat eraser left over when I was in elementary school now looking back I was a wired kid

That where I draw the line. 8 months pregnant and low on iron. I was craving clay.

Dr. Gerald W. Deas Sr. Wrote articles about eating laundry starch in the 70’s. Dr. Deas also got Argo to put “not meant for human consumption” on boxes of Argo laundry starch

I had pica really bad the last few months of pregnancy 😅 took my iron but that wasn’t effort I really wanted chalk but also didn’t want to mess up my intestines so I opted out for sweeties it gave the same texture just had to be sure to double up on brushing because of the sugar😅

Lmao 5:22 😂❤

My main question is do they not get sick from eating all that stuff? Have people not died because of it? Stuff stuff like laundry detergent is straight up toxic to the body and yet the people are eating this stuff like it's just a bag of chips.

As a child, I ate chalk. I wouls snitch it from the chalkboards at svhool. I was assamed of it though, no one knew. I also took emery boards from my mom, and chewed those. My poor enamel.

Omg the sound when they chew the powder.. The laugh at 6:54...baby, u need a chest tray STAT. JS❤

I love bentonite clay, lawd know I do!

I use to be addicted baking powder and cornstarch But no more Thank goodness ❤

Omg here we go again today 😂😂😂😭 you never cease to amaze me 🥴🤢🤮

I’m biracial and I always craved dirt as a child. The smell of mud on rainy days makes my mouth water sometimes still. Is this a black folks thing? I’ve known of so many other black folks, especially women, with these cravings, and I wonder if it is due to anemia??

YOOOO someone talking about pica I've had iron deficiency anemia diagnosed a few years ago but my doc suspects I've had it since I was a kid I ate rocks, specifically crunchy flagstone, I chipped several teeth on them I like to tell folks about it, a lot of people dont know it's an eating disorder and if I can raise even a little awareness I'm happy It's worth noting too that folks with autism can also experience pica Fr tho if anyone thinks they experience cravings for anything that's nonedible talk to your doctor, they have help you out and possibly save you from cracking a few teeth

Back and super early, I was just wondering why ppl eat this. Especially because I’ve been seeing cornstarch and frozen kool aid 😣😭

It's not just the fact that they're eating it, but that they have the nerve to post it online with no embarrassment 😓