Spitball Army

Eating Dirt: It Might Be Good for You
Experts Claim the Habit of Eating Clay May Be Beneficial for Pregnant Women

By MARC LALLANILLA
Oct. 3, 2005

It melts in your mouth like chocolate, says Ruth Anne T. Joiner, describing her favorite treat.

“The good stuff is real smooth,” she adds. “It’s just like a piece of candy.”

Joiner is describing the delectable taste of dirt — specifically, clay from the region around her home in Montezuma, Ga.

While most people would recoil at the thought of eating mud or clay, some medical experts say it may be beneficial, especially for pregnant women.

“Every time I get pregnant, I get a craving — I have to eat it,” says Joiner, 40, who has given birth to four healthy babies.

“If I could get just one little bitty piece, that would stop the craving,” she says. “It has a fresh, natural-feeling taste, like the rain or something.”

Read the complete, filthy ABC News article here.