Daily Recommended Dose

April 30, 2008 5:41 PM

TMI about digestive tract, papyrophagy inside.

I have an uncontrollable craving for paper, especially (unused) toilet paper of which I eat a disturbingly large amount in the day, in the range of 20-40 of those little squares. I know this probably isn't the best for me but I haven't noticed anything besides the pleasant and predictable effect of a lot of fiber.

So, should I freak out about this? Does it reflect something I'm not getting in my diet? Should I see someone about this? Is there a brand that's better for me?

posted by Electrius to food & drink (10 comments total)

Pica? Almost everything I know about it I learned on AskMe.
posted by Airhen at 5:50 PM on April 30

Well who knows about this source, but it say pica can be caused by anemia

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=526419

Also says chemicals on paper and the ink aren't good for you. Mentions mercury.
posted by Askr at 5:55 PM on April 30

If not anemia then some other mineral deficiency. Take a multivitamin.
posted by GuyZero at 5:58 PM on April 30

Ooh, also maybe celiac disease:

story
posted by Askr at 6:01 PM on April 30

Try switching to unbleached paper.
posted by parmanparman at 6:33 PM on April 30

IANAD, but do you ever feel weak during the course of the day? Eating paper is a symptom of anemia and you might want to start taking an iron supplement.
posted by rancidchickn at 6:43 PM on April 30

I would also suggest switching to a type of paper meant for being near food. Because I would imagine that there are unpleasant things in the recycled component of the toilet paper. You are basically eating garbage- I'm not judging, just warning. I can't think of any examples at the moment because wax, parchment and butcher papers all have coatings of some kind.

[time passes]

Ah-ha! Coffee filters. Might be a little pricey, but if you're going to eat paper, might as well not get violently ill or poison yourself.

Is it possible that you are craving the paper because you are craving the pooping regularity it affords you? Along with the above mentioned vitamin recommendations, I'd suggest a double or triple dose of psyllium fiber before each meal. It really helps me keep things regulated.
posted by gjc at 7:18 PM on April 30

Thanks for the answers, people. I've been diagnosed with IBS but I might go in for celiac disease tests, as I realize that I can't gain weight either despite eating shitty fast food all the damn time. The iron-deficiency thing might be the key— I also experience cravings for red meat, spinach, and other iron-rich foods.
posted by Electrius at 7:34 PM on April 30

When people tell me they have a craving for something that is not normally eaten, I always wonder how they knew the first time that it was a craving for that particular item. Do you remember the first time you had this craving and how did you automatically know it was for toilet paper?

As gjc suggested, I'd definitely switch to some form of paper (paper towels etc) that are used around food in case the toilet paper has some weird chemical(s) in it.
posted by GlowWyrm at 10:04 AM on May 1

Have you considered it might be psychological or a bad habit you picked up unconsciously?

Also, any processed paper is going to have a good dose of chemicals in it, doesn't matter if it's paper towels or toilet paper. Unless you're eating the unbleached kind.
posted by hulahulagirl at 4:06 PM on May 1