I eat cornstarch straight out of the box (its a habit) and was wondering what will it do to my body?

Question

And NO IM NOT PREGNANT!

Answer 1

You have pica and more specifically amylophagia.  Read the wiki link here about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disor...

They include eating flour as one of the things eaten so corn starch would close enough.

It shouldn't harm you as long as you are drinking enough fluid and not eating more than 1/4c per episode.  My concern is that it would expand in your stomach and cause damage.  It may be a symptom of an iron or zinc deficiency.  Many animals crave non-foods when they have a deficiency since mud and clay has minerals in it. But corn starch has no nutritional value in it other than calories.  Howard Huges ate so much corn starch in the form of pills that he did not eat food for the last few months of his life.  He also died of malnutrion despite being the wealthiest man in the world.

Try getting zinc and iron suppliments and see if your cravings go away.

Answer 2

I don't think it will do anything to your body.. especially if you don't eat mass quantities. It's a natural food, so I don't see the harm in it. I have heard (just once) that it can cause iron deficiency, especially if you're anemic but I think as long as you don't eat a box at a time, you should be fine.

Answer 3

I think you need to see a doctor.  That is not normal, but sometimes strange cravings can be a symptom of a larger problem or illness

Answer 4

Over time, it will make you wider than a barn door.

I am not trying to be rude - you could gain a lot of weight as your metabolism slows down with age.

Answer 5

there is some sort of chemical deficiency that makes you crave it.  Check with your doctor.  There are a lot of people that crave stuff like that you should be fine.