米淳小窩

Many people think of dirt as dirty and unhealthy because soil often contains bacteria, parasites, and pollutants that can make people sick. But eating dirt may not be so bad after all.

Ggeophagy is a relatively common practice in many parts of the world. It has a long history in the U.S., where some people eat clay and ship packages of it to relatives far from home. Soil is also sold as a nutritional supplement in some Asia. And eating of soil is also widespread in the animal kingdom.

Some soils are surprisingly rich in minerals and nutrients such as iron and copper. People can get more of these nutrients from geophagy than from taking vitamin supplements. In some case, soil can make dangerous food safe to consume. For example, certain poisonous wild acorns and potatoes become edible when they mixed with soil. Sometimes, soil is even taken as medicine! Many stomach medications contain the clay Kaolin because it absorbs bacteria and toxin that cause diarrhea. And in some poor countries, geophagy is practiced to avoid hunger pains when other food is scare.

Although mineral-rich soils can’t provide a balanced diet, sometimes it may not to be so bad after all.

摘自 Studio Classroom 2008 July 4, 5