Surely everyone knows a couple of stories about people who eat natural chalk. Someone sinned back in school, dragging crayons from classrooms to enjoy an unusual delicacy alone, someone was drawn to chalk during pregnancy or a long illness ...
Previously, such phenomena were considered food perversions and nothing else. Today, scientists look at the question a little wider, trying to understand the causes of such unusual taste habits. Let's try to figure out what makes people eat inedible at first glance objects? And at the same time we’ll talk about what to do for people who, from one glance at the blackboard with neatly laid crayons, begin to increase salivation.
The main question: “Why?”
To understand the reasons, we turn to narrow specialists, in particular, chemists and geologists. Chemists will say that the formula of natural chalk is theoretically indistinguishable from the formula of calcium carbonate: CaCO 3 . But in practice, a piece of chalk has a huge amount of impurities, among which may be magnesium, carbon dioxide (bound) and other elements. Nevertheless, the main component is calcium. The lack of calcium in the body also makes the honey-eaters fill up the gaps in such an unusual way.
And geologists will only confirm the version. After all, chalk is nothing more than the remains of ancient living organisms, or rather, their shells and skeletons. Add to this the ancient algae, rich in trace elements. What is not a bioadditive?
A person with a calcium deficiency subconsciously searches for affordable ways to replenish his reserves. It is because of this that chalk seems tasty to some people. And, it must be said, the honey-eaters are not alone: there are many people who possess similar unusual addictions. Some people think clay is delicious, some people think sand. If you notice similar oddities in yourself or your child, think about the nutrition system as a whole. Eating unusual substances always signals problems in the body that can be solved in various ways.
Unsafe product
The easiest way to quench chalk thirst comes down to the purchase of stationery sets. It is also good if the crayons are white, without dyes. Remember: even natural white chalk is unsafe, and colored chalk is even worse!
But there is an even more brutal way that poses a threat to health. We are talking about chalk quarries in which you can so easily get at least an annual supply of dubious goodies. The composition of raw chalk includes chemical impurities, which certainly should not be eaten. Keep in mind the bacteria that are abundant in wild chalk.
Strongly unsuitable for eating construction and agricultural chalk. Even if you happen to whiten the room and the smell of divorced whitewash is crazy - keep yourself in control! The same applies to mineral fertilizers based on this ingredient. Eating such “delicacies” can have irreversible health effects. Then, no “bone strengthening”, for which it’s supposedly worth consuming this product, will help the body.
How was it before?
And it was just that. Natural chalk was collected in quarries and chalk mountains, mechanically cleaned of visible impurities, washed with water, dried and eaten.
Anyone who has ever been to the Cretaceous mountains is surely impressed by their indescribable pristine beauty. In ancient times, monasteries and temples were built in such places. Many considered it a duty of honor to bring from the pilgrimage to the holy places several chalk blocks with healing power. Often, for the sake of these miraculous properties, such "holy" chalk was eaten even by those who, in principle, are indifferent to it.
Modern technology at the service of the people
Today, everything has changed a bit. As before, monastic farms located near deposits offer pilgrims consecrated natural lump chalk for food, but nowadays this raw material is subject to mandatory certification. Its quality is controlled by the relevant services. It is worth noting that some deposits do produce very clean, perfectly usable natural chalk, whose properties have been formed over millennia. And yet, if you go to the mountains for a miraculous mineral, do not collect it yourself, it is better to get it in a church shop. Lump natural chalk for food, the photo of which you see below, is produced taking into account all modern GOSTs and may well be eaten. It is quarried in the Svyatogorsk chalk mountains.
The same rule works in all other places. For example, if Belgorod natural lump chalk was recommended to you, this does not mean that you need to spontaneously mine it in the White Mountains. Get certified products from a trusted supplier. In this case, you are guaranteed to receive a product purified from impurities, pathogenic flora and quite suitable for food.
Where to get natural chalk?
In many large cities, there are entire communities of meloes who willingly share their experiences with beginners. Communicating with your own kind is useful in any situation. It is good if the ideological inspirers of the group understand all the dangers and difficulties with which such gourmet habits are associated.
Today's level of globalization makes it easy to get chalk from anywhere in the world. Along with the local product, on sale you can find a foreign one: British, Czech ...
Experienced chalk gourmets know: each deposit has its own characteristics. For example, the Svyatogorsky product mined in the ancient mountains of Donbass is sweetish and crunchy, and the variety General Vatutin (N. Oskol) has a grayish color and creamy taste. Yes, honey eaters have their own preferences, favorite varieties and recognized favorites! Everything is important: the formation of dust, strength, the abundance of gruel formed during resorption, aftertaste, smell ... Natural lumpy chalk for food, reviews of which are distinguished by the enthusiasm of eaters, can cost two to three times more than other varieties.
Alternatives
Before you finally consider yourself a community of followers of this product, analyze the state of your own health. Perhaps you have seasonal problems with immunity and a course of vitamins with minerals will be enough for you? Consult a physician and choose the best option. The doctor will tell you that it is recommended to take this trace element in conjunction with vitamin D to make up for calcium deficiency. The pharmaceutical form of release is this: calcium + vitamin D, and in the form in which both of these elements are easily absorbed by the body and will quickly begin to work.
Fashion tribute
Or maybe it’s even worse and you decided to start to feast on chalk just for the sake of originality? In this case, disappointment awaits you: it is not so unusual. Better “love” raw spinach, grapefruits or turnips, this sweet weirdness is really original and incredibly useful.
Nutrition correction
But those who seriously notice their strange love for a mineral must definitely analyze their diet. The main sources of calcium are dairy products. What does it mean - do not love? If you are not a fan of milk and cottage cheese, discover new horizons: learn how to cook homemade yogurt or cook cheese, try some exotic like tan ayran or narine. Perhaps you will find a treat that will appeal to you, distract from thoughts about natural chalk and improve joints and bones.
Chalk in the diet of pets and farm animals
Veterinarians recommend leaving pieces of chalk in the cages of decorative home birds: parrots, canaries, carduelis. The birds need calcium to form the eggshell, this is especially true during the mating season. However, it is worth noting that not all birds eat chalk, some ignore the bars, and are indifferent to the feed into which the crushed product is added.
In agriculture, chalk is used to feed certain animals and poultry.
You can buy it in specialized feed stores. It is not suitable for human consumption.
To summarize: the benefits and harms of food chalk
No serious doctor will ever write in the prescription list: “The use of food chalk is recommended.” With the worst forms of calcium deficiency, science knows many safe alternatives. Speaking of edible chalk, you need to understand: this is just the safest way to satisfy those who cannot live without it.
If you are considering the question of what is useful for natural chalk, you are convinced that we are talking about calcium, be sure to consider the other side of the coin. Once in the stomach, the chalk reacts with the gastric juice, which is known to have an acidic pH. The reaction is based on the principle of slaking lime. Therefore, people who often eat chalk often have gastrointestinal problems.
It is dangerous for the genitourinary system. Over time, chalk can accumulate in the kidneys, narrowing the lumen of the vessels, which, in turn, can cause some serious diseases, and also contributes to the formation of stones.
Many doctors warn of the dangers to which vessels are exposed. Chalk is deposited on the walls, causing increased calcification. Similar negative effects can affect the heart.
Chalk is especially dangerous for pregnant women, but, as you know, among the honey-eaters they are the majority. Doctors warn that excessive use of it can cause great harm to both the mother and the baby, and the birth process itself can have complications.
And yet, if you notice an insatiable addiction to this product, and the search for alternatives does not give the result of a decrease in appetite, you can sometimes treat yourself to a piece of pure food chalk from a producer with a good reputation.