Every so often, a story hits the news about someone who says sand is part of their daily diet. These people often claim that sand or gravel keeps them healthy, cures stomach problems, or strengthens their teeth. Families worry, neighbors shake their heads, and doctors warn that eating sand is not as harmless as it might look.

There are real people who say they eat sand or gravel regularly and feel fine. Doctors usually consider this behavior a form of pica, an eating disorder that involves consuming non-food items.

Health risks can include intestinal blockages, parasites, tooth damage, and nutritional problems. Most reported sand eaters still eat regular food as well, so sand is a strange side habit rather than their only source of calories.

Meet The Sand Eaters

Many of the best-known sand eating stories have come from India, where local and international reporters have interviewed people who say sand has been part of their lives for decades.

Kusma Vati

One widely reported case is that of Kusma (or Kusma) Vati, an elderly woman from Varanasi in northern India. In several news and video segments, she says she began eating sand and small stones as a teenager to ease stomach problems and simply never stopped. She now claims to eat sand or gravel every day and credits it for keeping her strong and healthy.

Relatives quoted in these stories say they are worried about what this habit might be doing to her body, but she insists it has never caused her any pain. Reporters note that she still walks, smiles, and talks easily on camera, which only adds to the sense of mystery for viewers who encounter her story online.

Sudama Devi

Another frequently cited case is that of Sudama Devi, an Indian woman whose story has appeared in multiple outlets. She says she first tried sand as a joke or a bet with friends when she was around ten years old. Over time she developed a taste for it and later told reporters that she could eat up to a kilogram of sand per day.

Articles about her often stress that checkups did not show obvious major health problems, which surprised local doctors. That detail is part of what makes her story so shareable, even though it does not mean the habit is safe in general.

Other Cases Around the World

Sand eating is not limited to one country. In separate reports, other individuals have described eating sand daily or regularly. Some say they mix sand with their meals, others scoop it up by hand, and a few keep bags or containers of it at home so they can snack on it throughout the day.

Despite the dramatic headlines, it is worth noting that most of these people also eat normal food. Sand is usually an added habit rather than a complete replacement for regular meals.

What Is Pica?

Medical professionals often describe these cases as a form of pica. Pica is an eating disorder in which a person feels a strong urge to eat things that are not food, such as dirt, clay, paper, soap, ice, or hair. For the diagnosis to apply, the behavior has to last longer than a month and go beyond what might be expected in young children or in certain cultural practices.

One subtype of pica is called geophagia, which involves eating soil, clay, or sand. In some cultures, mild forms of geophagia have been practiced for centuries as traditional remedies. Modern doctors, however, warn that these habits can become dangerous or be a sign of underlying health problems such as nutritional deficiencies or mental health conditions.

Possible Reasons People Eat Sand

There is no single explanation for why someone starts or continues to eat sand. Possible reasons include:

• Relief of stomach symptoms: Some people say sand calms an upset stomach or helps with digestion.
• Texture and taste: The crunch and feel of sand can become strangely appealing, especially for people with pica who are drawn to non-food textures.
• Habit and compulsion: What begins as a dare or an experiment can slowly turn into a daily routine that is hard to stop.
• Underlying conditions: Pica is sometimes linked to iron deficiency, pregnancy, developmental disabilities, or other mental health issues.

In public stories, people who eat sand often describe it as a harmless preference. That does not always match how doctors see it.

What Doctors Say About Eating Sand

Health experts caution that regularly eating sand or soil can be dangerous, even if a person feels fine in the short term. Medical sources that discuss pica and geophagia list several possible problems:

• Intestinal blockage: Hard materials such as sand, gravel, stones, or other non-food items can build up and block the intestines. In severe cases this may require surgery.
• Parasites and infections: Soil and sand can contain parasites, animal feces, or harmful bacteria that can cause serious infections.
• Tooth damage: Grit can wear down tooth enamel over time, leading to pain, sensitivity, or broken teeth.
• Nutritional problems: People with pica may fill up on non-food items instead of eating enough nutritious food, which can worsen deficiencies such as low iron levels.

Because of these risks, doctors typically recommend that anyone who regularly eats sand, soil, or other non-food items be evaluated by a medical professional. Treatment can involve checking for nutrient deficiencies, addressing underlying conditions, and providing therapy to help break the habit.

Why Some Sand Eaters Seem Fine

One question that often comes up in news coverage is why some sand eaters appear healthy despite their unusual habits. There are a few possible reasons:

• They may simply be lucky so far, with no major complications yet.
• They might eat less sand than headlines suggest, or only at certain times.
• They still eat regular food, so sand is not their only source of calories.
• Checkups might miss slow developing problems, especially if testing is limited.

Doctors caution that a few dramatic stories should not be taken as proof that sand is safe to eat. For every highly publicized person who appears healthy, there are many documented cases of pica and geophagia that result in serious medical issues.

Curiosity, Caution, and the Human Body

Stories about people who eat sand sit at the intersection of curiosity and concern. On one hand, it is hard not to wonder how someone can chew handfuls of sand for years and still smile on camera. On the other hand, medical experts are almost unanimous in warning that the risks are real, even when they do not show up right away.

In the end, the human body can adapt to a surprising range of habits, but that does not mean those habits are safe. While a few sand eaters may make it into the news as unusual curiosities, most doctors agree that sand is better left under your feet than on your plate.