Millions of African women have heard of nzu edible clay, and thousands of them consume it everyday or a couple of days per week. What are the dangers of eating nzu? Can this natural product provide any useful minerals to your body, help you lose weight or not? What is the possible side effect of consuming it? Let us discuss this important topic.
Nzu edible clay
The Igbo people of Nigeria call ‘nzu’ what is commonly identified as calabash chalk. Other Nigerian tribes also name this chalk other titles such as ‘eko’ and ‘ndom.’ Even if you don’t live in Africa, you can come across numerous listings about nzu edible clay and other types of chalk and clay that are meant for use as ‘food supplement.’
What is Nzu made of? Nzu is nothing but a geophagic material, and many people believe that eating chalk and soil can be good for losing weight, during pregnancy, for diarrhea treatment, and simple pleasure.
You can also read many posts and comments about nzu edible clay that is used as weight loss treatment, for a healthier body, and other things. Some people get addicted to such ‘junk food’ and others are afraid to taste it because of the possible side effects of eating nzu. Who is wrong? Who is right?
Is eating clay bad for you?
Today many famous people speak about nzu edible clay and other clay eating habits. According to medicaldaily.com, actress Shailene Woodley assures that she has a habit of clay consumption to improve her overall body health, and she learnt about such a tradition from an African man.
While some people are sure that eating a teaspoon of clay per day might not be bad for you because this way your body cells can get repaired and remineralized in a natural way, you should understand that the number of side effects of eating nzu might be the way bigger than the number of benefits you can get (such as body detoxification and cleaning, as some people think).
Still, many experts believe that the tradition to consume clay began in some African cultures because locals lacked calcium, iron and other minerals in their everyday diet and supplemented those elements by eating clay and dirt. However, getting your daily amount of useful nutrients should not be a big problem in the 21st century.
Side effects of eating Nzu
There can be many dangers of eating nzu and other types of clay you should know about before starting to consume it.
Here are the main side effects you should know about.
1. Hidden problems with health you may not know about
Based on the Huffington Post, people who wish to get rid of toxins by eating clay can harm their bodies instead of doing good. Our bodies require metal (iron) and other useful elements that should remain inside the bodies and not be removed. If you crave for clay, you may have a deficit of some elements and minerals in your body. And instead of being aware of what is going on with your body you start to consume chalk or clay in large quantities. Thus, it is always important to discuss with your doctor how to improve your health instead of getting a pile of nzu and blindly consuming it.
2. Potential danger of poisoning
According to bbc.com, people who consume nzu clay can harm themselves.
In case this is not a good-quality product, your body might get lead and arsenic consequences, dangerous bacteria, and other ‘weird surprises’ that are hidden in the soil and dirt.
In other words, you can easily poison yourself and end up in the hospital or get an even worse effect.
According to webmd.com, any type of clay can be dangerous if it is consumed for an extended period. Firstly, this can lead to your body losing iron and potassium that are must-have for your healthy life.
Secondly, you can experience weakness in your muscles, get skin issues and difficulty with breathing.
Another consequence you can experience is the intestinal blockage.
4. Problems for pregnant women and nursing mothers
It is necessary to avoid the consumption of edible chalk due to the possible side effect of nzu for pregnant ladies and women who are breastfeeding their babies.
While not much is known about the effect of nzu edible clay for short-term usage, this product can easily lead to high blood pressure risks and make the woman swell really badly.
Besides, you might experience anemia if you consume clay regularly.
5. Addiction
Before we answer the question, ‘Is eating clay bad for you?’ we should note that one of the most unpleasant side effects of nzu oral consumption is the addiction it can cause.
Those women who start eating clay everyday become addicted. According to health-e.org.za, some women who got addicted to eating clay assure that they are not able to stop because they feel their meal is incomplete without soil in it.
Thus, it can become a bad habit which can also potentially result in the dangers of eating nzu described above.
Can eating nzu make me lose weight?
There are no proven results that you will lose excess weight if you start eating nzu. It is just a belief in some countries where people still eat earth elements instead of taking vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetables.
Those Nigerians who wish to lose weight should consult their doctors and start exercising and living a healthy lifestyle.
This is the only way to become healthy and slim. We have talked about side effects and dangers of eating nzu.
This is just a world trend that is called ‘ridiculous’ by many experts.