Doctor classify the compulsion to eat anything that isn’t food as pica. Some children eat paint, clay or chalk; chewing on old paint chips is a common cause of lead poisoning. Ice addiction may also be considered a form of pica. This behavior is associated with iron deficiency or anemia (Borgna-Pignatti & Zanella, Expert Review of Hematology, Nov. 2016). Can correcting anemia make ice addiction disappear?
Stumbling on a Remedy to Make Ice Addiction Disappear:
Q. My ice addiction has been driving my family and coworkers crazy. I’m 47 and have craved chewing ice since I was a teenager. It gets worse when I’m stressed.
I’ve always had heavy periods and low energy. A Red Cross nurse told me I was too anemic to give blood, but I never made the connection between iron deficiency and craving ice.
Recently I decided to try consuming blackstrap molasses (as a home remedy for a different ailment) and overnight the ice cravings disappeared. I don’t have to consume molasses every day; I take it maybe three times a week.
Rather than eat it straight from the jar, I put a tablespoonful in my almond milk, stir it and drink it like chocolate milk. It’s very tasty and an excellent source of iron.
Blackstrap Molasses to Make Ice Addiction Disappear:
A. Blackstrap molasses is indeed a good source of iron. A tablespoon contains 3.5 mg of iron.
The recommended dietary allowance for an adult woman is 18 mg, though, so you probably need to get some iron from other sources as well. Lean meat, seafood, nuts, beans and fortified grain products are good food sources.
Taking vitamin C with your iron can help absorption, but red grape juice and prune juice can inhibit iron uptake (Boato et al, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Nov. 6, 2002).
