Answer to Question 1
a
Answer to Question 2
Pica, the practice of eating nonnutritive substances such as clay, chalk, and laundry starch, is one of the most perplexing of all food habits practiced by African Americans, whites, and other ethnic groups. Studies have determined that pica is most often practiced by black women during pregnancy and the postpartum period, and that rates are unchanged since the 1970s. In rural regions the substance ingested is usually clay. In urban areas, laundry starch is often the first choice, though instances of women who ate large amounts of milk of magnesia, coffee grounds, plaster, ice, and paraffin have also been reported.
Pica may result in anemia among pregnant women and newborns. Other possible problems include excessive weight gain (from laundry starch), aggravated hypertension (from the sodium in clay),
iron-deficiency anemia, and hyperkalemia. Furthermore, over-the-counter remedies for the gas and constipation that can accompany pica may be harmful during pregnancy.