According to Bantle Ramasuhu of Jwaneng, eating of soil among women can be learned behavior. It is common for pregnant and lactating mothers to eat soil on a regular basis because of different reasons. Studies indicate that women eat soil because of the heightened sense of smell and taste during pregnancy. The soil is a rich source of iron.
Iron has many benefits to the human body including boosting the formation of hemoglobin, improving muscle relaxation and cure of chronic ailments. Women with low levels of iron are advised to eat soil in order to increase the same before delivery period. Eating of soil is not only practiced by women in Kenyan but also the entire world. Women, however, do not eat any type of soil they come across.
Clay is the most commonly eaten type of soil among women. Women eat clay soil because it is smooth and easy to swallow compared to other types such as sand among others. It is also interesting to note that the appetite for eating soil normally rises to the point that it becomes addictive.
There are women who cannot complete a day without eating a lump of soil. These women eat soil when they are pregnant and when they are not. According to a group of researchers from the University of Wales at Aberystwyth, women in Africa and the United Kingdom have embraced the tradition of eating soil even when they are not pregnant.