How about this: “Ice Cravings? Discover Causes & Solutions”
Do you crave ice?
Have you ever found yourself reaching for ice cubes, not just to cool down a drink, but for a satisfying crunch? You’re not alone.
Ice cravings are more common than you might think and can be linked to various physical and emotional factors. Understanding these cravings is the first step toward addressing them effectively.
The Eating Enlightenment Food Journal App can be a valuable tool on this journey. Its supportive and holistic approach offers insights into your patterns and
helps you manage cravings, emotional eating, and binges. Together, we can explore the causes of ice cravings and find empowering solutions to enhance your well-being.
- Anemia
- Pregnancy
- Pica Syndrome
Today, we will talk about what causes these cravings so that you can regain control!
What Does Craving Ice Mean?
1 – Anemia: Lack Of Iron In Your Blood
I was a strict vegetarian for two years in college. I didn’t eat any meat, and one of my only proteins was chipotle-flavored tofu sausages.
During this time, I experienced chronic fatigue, but I never knew why. Every day, when it came to eating, all I could think about was whether the food would contain calories or meat. This type of thinking got so bad it interfered with my social life and mental health.
Besides the meat restriction, I also restricted caloric intake because I was trying to control my weight.
One day, at the doctor’s office, he invited me to take a blood test without asking me about my eating habits. I took the blood test since he didn’t pry about my eating habits.
That’s when I found out about my blood condition called Anemia.
Anemia is a condition that means my body doesn’t have enough iron.
When the doctor read the test results, he asked me, ‘Do you crave ice?’
I remember not understanding why the doctor asked about my ice-chewing habits. What did my habit of ice-crunching have to do with my blood and Anemia?
The doctor told me Anemia, or lack of iron, was the top cause of craving ice. Since I was craving ice and because my blood iron levels were low, he put the pieces together.
I’ll explain how to stop cravings later in this article. For now, we’re just talking about why you crave ice.
And the answer to that question, most likely, is that you’re anemic. Your blood doesn’t have enough iron.
Please note that I’ll use the terms ‘anemia’ and ‘low iron levels’ or ālow iron deficiencyā because they mean the same thing.
What Causes Your Blood To Have Low Iron Deficiency Anemia?
What causes iron deficiency anemia, the most common type of anemia? Here are a few of the major causes:
- Not enough nutritious foods
- Diets
- Restrictive eating
- Coffee
- Regular exercise
- Menstrual cycles
Not enough nutritious foods
The most common cause of low iron deficiency anemia levels is not eating nutritious foods daily.
You don’t need to be super healthy, but you do need to have at least some fruits and vegetables each day.
Unfortunately, many people lack access to fresh fruits and vegetables. This is a significant cause of low iron blood levels because fruits and vegetables like apples and spinach have high iron content.
Diets
Another reason people have low iron levels is that they always go on crash diets.
Crash diets may appear to be quick weight loss solutions. But the problem is that they don’t provide all the nutrients your body needs.
Restrictive eating
Of course, many people are NOT ‘officially’ on a diet, but they may still have restrictive eating rules. For example, one patient of mine was very picky about what they ate.
I was able to help this patient understand their restrictive dieting was causing them to crave ice and feel fatigued.
Getting this client to eat more carbs was challenging, but they did, and they noticed their brain fog decreased once they started eating more rice!
Coffee
Plus, this client of mine was downing cup after cup of caffeinated tea and coffee!
Black coffee is perfectly fine for your health and can be beneficial. However, too much coffee and tea can also reduce iron absorption!
Regular exercise
This client was also exercising and sweating after work! Boy, oh boy!
She ate little throughout the day, and then she pushed herself to get on the treadmill after work.
But if you push yourself while exercising, your iron levels may be low.Ā
This is partly because blood production increases during laborious exercise. Plus, iron is released through sweat.
And this is exacerbated if you aren’t eating enough nutritious foods.
In fact, athletes and women who work out regularly also need to know they are at risk for iron deficiency, as regular workouts increase the need for iron.Ā
Menstruation
Finally, there’s one primary reason behind iron deficiency anemia, which we haven’t discussed before menstruation.
Because excessive blood loss can also affect the amount of iron stored in the human body.
Did you know heavy menstrual periods could lead to iron deficiency over several months?Ā Ā
Women need to be careful about iron intake!
2 – Pregnancy
This might sound strange because when you’re pregnant, you don’t have menstrual cycles.
Nonetheless, pregnant women are more susceptible to becoming iron deficient and getting anemia.
If you aren’t bleeding and getting low on iron, then how does pregnancy contribute to craving ice?
It turns out that the top two causes of ice cravingsā#1 anemia and #2 pregnancyāare two sides of the same coin: iron deficiency anemia.
You lack iron in your blood!
Why? When you’re pregnant, you’re eating for two people, so your iron levels should increase to compensate!
It’s possible you were scraping by without enough iron before pregnancy. But now, your increased need for iron has exposed you to low blood iron levels!
Remember, low iron levels are the main culprit behind ice cravings!
Plus, women often experience morning sickness, where they feel sick and vomit.
Vomiting can easily contribute to low iron because when you vomit, you lose nutrients, too.
If you are pregnant, then morning sickness could cause your blood iron levels to become too low. Ice cravings could be the natural result.
Low serotonin levels during the first trimester or hormonal fluctuations may also be associated. Both of these situations can affect the brain chemistry that regulates appetite sensations.
Why Does Iron Deficiency Anemia Lead To Craving Ice?
For starters, if you doubt low iron levels contribute to ice cravings, then check out this medically reviewed article.
Eighty-one people suffering from anemia were interviewed about ice cravings in this study. Thirteen patients, or 16%, craved ice! Those rates of ice cravings are far higher than average!
The real million-dollar question is why. Why do people with iron deficiency crave ice?
Again, we know low iron levels relate to ice cravings. But scientists aren’t 100% certain why low iron levels cause people to eat ice like it’s 100 degrees outside, and theyāre boiling!
Despite not knowing exactly why, there is a theory on why lacking iron causes people to want ice!
The theory hypothesizes that biting on ice causes a temporary burst of clear thinking!
See this study:
The researchers in this study gave participants with low iron levels a math test. Then, they had some people with low iron levels chew on ice. The others didn’t get any ice.
Then, they had everybody retake the math test. On average, the people who got some ice to chew did better on the test retake than people who didn’t chew any ice.
Some scientists think the higher scores are because the shocking cold from the ice alerts people.
Other scientists think chewing ice releases a spike of oxygen in the brain, and this extra oxygen causes people with Anemia to think more clearly.
Scientists have studied this effect in detail, whether it’s the cold or extra oxygen!
Some scientists believe that eating ice, such as in cases of Pagophagia, improves neuropsychological processing speed.
(If you aren’t sure what Pagophagia means, don’t worry, we’ll cover that next!)
Who knew your cravings for ice are most likely caused by a lack of iron in your red blood cells?
3 – Pica Syndrome
The last but not common reason people crave ice is because of an eating disorder called Pica Syndrome.
Pica Syndrome is a condition in which people compulsively eat nonfood items like ice and things like paper or dirt.
There’s even a reported form of Pica Syndrome called Pagophagia. This is sometimes also called ‘Ice Pica.’
Pagophagia, or Ice Pica, occurs when someone craves water-based nonfood items such as snow, ice cubes, or iced water.
The important thing is to realize that all forms of Pica, including Pagophagia and Ice Pica, are not caused by a physical deficiency like low iron.
Instead, all forms of Pica Syndrome are mental disorders.
Most people who develop these conditions usually start in childhood. Both of these disorders also can develop during pregnancy. Also, these conditions often happen with other conditions like autism or ADHD.
Again, remember that the primary cause of ice cravings is the lack of iron in your red blood cells. That’s the main emphasis of this article!
I wouldn’t worry too much about Pica or Pagophagia if I were you. Yet if you find yourself compulsively eating all forms of ice or craving nonfood items like dirt, then do talk with your doctor š
Now that we’ve covered the three leading causes of craving ice let’s discuss them and switch gears.
Is Eating Ice Bad For You?
Many people often overestimate the effects of consuming large quantities of ice. A modest amount is safe and does not cause detrimental reactions to the body.
But if you constantly crave and chew ice cubes, your ice cravings could indicate an underlying health condition.
It’s most likely anemia or low iron levels, but you may also have some form of Pica, although that’s less likely.
If you do compulsively chew ice, whether because of Pica or iron deficiency, then you can have adverse effects such as:
- Damage to the enamel of your teeth
- Brain freezes
- Painful teeth
- More cavities
But the real danger here isn’t ice but rather the health consequences caused by Anemia.
If you have Anemia, you could be at risk of heart attack, stroke, or even death.
If you crave ice, getting your iron levels checked out regularly is vital, as this can become a long-term problem!
Is Eating Ice A Sign Of Depression?
Eating ice is not a sign of depression. There are no medically reviewed studies where wanting to eat ice is linked to depression.
Yet if you have Pica, then it’s likely mental health issues are going on. Depression might be one of the issues related to Pica.
If you have anemia, you will have low energy and lots of fatigue. This could seem like depression. Sometimes, people with iron deficiency have low energy and think they feel depressed – but in reality, they just lack iron!
For me, I had a mixture of anemia and depression, which caused my fatigue and brain fog. Yet after I quit being vegetarian and started to get more iron in my system, then I did feel better.
And speaking about getting more iron in your system, let’s wrap up this discussion!
Below are some practical steps to get rid of ice cravings!
How Do You Get Rid of Ice Cravings?
To get more iron in your bloodstream, try some of these holistic strategies:
- Eat more leafy greens and eggs
- Try fermented foods like yogurt, miso soup, or tempeh; these are good sources of iron and other nutrients!
- Add leafy greens into your diet, including kale, chard, and spinach
- Get lots more fruits and veggies, especially the ones with Vitamin C
- Reduce your coffee and tea consumption
- Eating a portion of fish, poultry, or meat every day to help make cravings for ice less likely
- Try 3 to 4 servings of red meat every week. I know red meat isn’t the healthiest per se, but it does have a lot of iron!
Nothing beats a healthy, balanced diet. Eating a variety of wholesome, nutritious foods is best.
Because for most people who crave ice, you just need to increase your iron food intake.
Why Do I Crave Ice? Conclusion:
Sometimes, craving ice is expected. But sometimes, it becomes an obsessive habit that needs treatment, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Fortunately, it’s a quick fix if you need more iron in your blood.
Let me know how it goes in the comments, and good luck!
