Problems due to excessive eating of ice

I started eating ice about six months ago while I was pregnant with my second child. I have not been able to stop eating it. I have a bowl full with each meal in addition to the ice that is in my drink. It is sad that when I fix my plate I fix a bowl of ice to go with it. And I am like some others I just can't eat any ice. If it comes for the ice maker I have to wash it to make it easier to chew. However I prefer ice from Kroger because the have gourmet ice. For some reason that clear ice that comes from Publix just does not do it for me. So when I go shopping I make sure I pick up a bag. Which I can usually go through in 2 days. I know that I am anemic the nutritionist keeps telling me I need more iron in my diet but it is such an addition that I can't stop long enough to keep supplements. I don't know what to do. I even try to justify it by saying I eat enough to cover my daily allowance of water. It's sad I know.

I had no idea how many people were enjoying exactly the same ice fetish as I!! Right down to the soft, easy to chew kind that is made by soaking the ice in water. I consume about half a gallon to a gallon of water a day by eating ice in water. I, too, find myself rushing home with nothing else on my mind but getting that ice in my mouth. However, there is one thing I did not see anyone else mention. I crush the ice with my teeth and then let it sit on my tongue until it melts and then swallow it. It cools my tongue. In fact, it cools my whole body. I went to Thailand in January and got heat stroke while I was there. I have had this ice fetish every since. Anyone else have this hot syndrome soothed by ice?

i do the same thing, i have been doing it for over 20 years. iwant to stop but i can't it's like it's some type of addiction.

I AM AN ICE EATER FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 30 YEARS. RECENTLY I HAVE NOTICED THHAT MY STOMACH SEEMS VERY BLOATED. I EAT AT LEAST A 5 POUND BAG OF ICE EVERY 2 TO 2 1/2 DAYS. I EAT IY UNTIL MY TEETH HURTS AND MY STOMACH FEELS REALLY REALLY FULL. DOES ANY ONE ELSE FEEL LIKE THE ICE IS KEEPING THEM BLOATED OR SWOLLEN?

I've been eating ice since I was 7 years old; I'm almost 25 so that means that I've been doing it most of my life. It doesn't matter what kind of ice it is-- as long as it's started to melt or been soaking in a drink, I'll eat it. I'll even eat snow, which I actually prefer to regular ice!





I started eating ice when we lived in the tropics as a way to deal with the heat since I'm very prone to dehydration and heat exhaustion. So yes, I started for the same reason you did. I'm glad I'm not the only one.



Now I do it all the time even though we have since left the tropics, and have started doing it more often. Just yesterday I ate about half a pound of it in 30 minutes and still wanted more! That was the first time my belly felt sore from this. Perviously I've never had 'sde effects' of eating ice. Indeed my teeth have never been chipped from it, and I like to think my constant chewing on things helps keep plaque off (similar to how dogs are supposed to benefit from chewing).



My parents had me tested for anemia when I was 9; my bloodwork came back normal. I've been tested since then during my annual (or more like every 2 yrs-- it's a doctor's kid thing) doctor checkups, and there's NEVER anything wrong with my bloodwork. So I'm not anemic.



Yet I'm unable to stop eating ice. I've tried stopping in the past, and I can go for a few months (longest has been nearly a year during which I was very obessive about only drinking cold drinks). I've not been able to stop recently though.



My mom suggested that it may be due to blood loss from my cycles. While that may explain my increasd need around that time, it does not explain why I started before I even reached puberty or why I eat it regardless of time of month.





Are there any other medical reasons for eating ice besides iron defiency anemia? I know people with diabetes insipidus prefer drinking cold water and those with regular diabetes drink a lot, so maybe some of those people resort to eating ice as well. Too bad I test negative for both conditions!

I used to hate having ice in my drinks and would only put a tiny bit in my cups just to make it a little cold but last year I started eating a lot of ice every day and still This was around the time I started running Cross Country. Towards beginning of season I ran well and slowly got worse and got tired more quickly and out of breath real fast and this year I was even worse. Do you think I am anemic not an asthmatic? My inhaler doesn't really help either.

Hello there.
I was just looking up to see if there were any health problems with eating ice, and I found this page. I have always loved to nibble on ice, I just like the crunch, and I love cold water, so I enjoy it as a "snack".
I was just wondering if this automatically means I'm anemic? I'm been anemic before. I went vegetarian about 7 years ago, and was a VERY picky eater, and developed anemia. Now, I've been vegan for 3 years and eat SO much more variety of foods, and I don't have any of the symptoms that I used to (tired all the time, shakey if I haven't eaten lately, often cold and always getting bruises from minor things). So, I was just curious if I could simply enjoy ice? I monitor my diet carefully, and consume soy products daily for the iron and b12, but after reading some of these posts I'm worried. I should also mention that I don't have cravings. I tend to just eat it when I'm not actually hungry but I'm thirsty and I just want to relax with a cold drink.

Hey guys,
I need some help. I eat all day long while I'm at work. I already know that I am anemic, and I have pills to take (always forget). Anyway, I've noticed lately that my fingernails are turning blue. Just so you know I sit at my desk with a heater blowing on me because I'm freezing but I still want ice. Could my fingernails be turning blue because of the ice eating? Could it be making my blood cold? Can anyone halp??

Look I am guilty of the same thing. I think we all need some type of rehab :-( . Eating ice for me has become such a problem. Don't get me wrong, it taste sooooo gooood. But making it, sorting it , looking for the frosty pieces it so time consuming. In the long run, it is just not worth it. I have a question. Will this habit ruin the enamel on your teeth? And if there is ruin is it repairable? What type of help can ice eaters get to help stop? :-( :-(

(Standing up facing the crowded room)....I too am an Ice Addict.
I'm 38...I have sisters and a host of family member who are serious (and I mean serious) ice eaters.
All day...every day. I bring my own ice to work (I swear to you...) 2 large cups...I put 1 in the freezer. My co-workers used to think I was just nuts to sit there and chomp away. After several months went by...they saw that I was very serious...I explained it calmed me down (I have a stressful job) and I just loved to do it. It go to the point where they would try to bring me a cup of ice...lol I had to explain that it was certain types of ice that I chewed. The "frosted ones" as others have described is the softest. I personally get my ice from Pathmark...I don't know where they get it from, but I should take out stock. If I am desperate and run out at home...I'll do ice tray ice (so NOT my favorite) the water from the sink is hard on the teeth when it freezes. So...the trick to that I found out is to use HOT water to freeze. Once it freezes...there is a cloudy center (softest ice)...I know...you think I am crazy, but I am so glad I found this site so I could get this off my chest. I also noticed certain places have softer ice than others...White Castles has the best! Hospital ice chips WONDERFUL! It's crazy the urge to chew this stuff. I had family over for Easter and I bought 4 large 8 lb bas of ice....just to make sure I didn't run out. My sisters were in Ice Heaven...You can't leave your ice around me...my son just brings me his cup when he is done drinking and there is ice left over. I can HEAR if he throws it in the sink and I have the nerve to holler down the hall around the corner into the kitchen at him...so...he knows the drill. When I get a new bag of ice (I keep it in a large basin in the freezer) before I fill the basin...I drop...bang...just beat the hell out of the ice to crush it up even more. My neighbors under me...I feel sorry for them.
Well...my cup is empty...and just the thought of a full cup of Ice has me salivating...no lie...like a steak or something.
Well...good luck to all my fellow ice crunchers...wet that hard Ice before chomping...and try to break it into bits before chewing. (this is so sad...LOL)

I started eating ice obsessively about 2 yrs ago. I sometimes have blood in my throat from eating it...freaks me out and I'll stop for a while. Have any of you experienced this?

My friend is an ICE ADDICT also and i am trying to find help for her. She has gotten so uncontrollable I took it upon myself to find out why she is doing it and it feels good to know she is definetley not the only one. If we pass a restaurant that has crushed ice we have to stop and get a cup. Every time I am around her she is eating ice. It might sound crazy to say but I wanted to know if there were any side effects or health problems that come from eating ice everyday all day?

I have been eating ice since 1998. One day I bit down on a cube and it started. The longer the ice sat in water the softer the ice became. It is like a stress relief, when I bite down on it there is a release of calm that comes over me. It is so hard to explain and make people understand I have to have it. I wake up in the morning thinking of ice. I carry a 42oz cup around with me every waking minute. My co workers think I am crazy. 8-| I have an ice maker in the refrigerator, but it doesn't crush the ice to the soft suttle stage I like, so I buy two eight lb bags at SONIC every other day. Getting expensive :-( When the ice gets to hard I stand over it with a hammer and recrush it. I need help, but do not know what to do. The doctor says my iron is ok, but I take supplements anyway. There has to be an answer for this problem. ?

I'm so relieved i find this sight. I've been eating ice for about 10yrs now. I can't tell you exactly why or how I came to this state. But I Love! Love! ice.
I eat it everyday. I put it in the blender with water to crush it, then dump it in a big bowl and drain the water off it. I can eat this way all day long. before meals after meals. I know, I eat at least 2 liters a day of pure crushed ice.
If someone offered me a bowl of ice cream or a bowl of ice, I'd take the ice every time. I love the way it taste, I love the coldness, the way it feels in my mouth, the tiny roughness siding across my tongue and roof of my mouth, and down my throat. I'm about to purchase my sixth blender, one of the blades has broken off, but it still crushes so I'll use it alittle longer(until the motor burns out or it completely unusable, like the others). I have to stock up on ice, I usely put five or six bags in the deep freeze, because the ice machine just can't keep up with my needs. And I do need it, It satisfies me. the more I eat ice the more I want ice. I have very strong jones for ice. I am addict to ice. but I am so very glad to know that I'm not the only one.

yea i love only the frosted type of ice cubes and i dont knoe why. i think im anemic cuz im 17 and i do tend to have irregular periods. im already epileptic and i dont like the idea of having to take more pills esp the iron ones cuz i had to take those before bcuz my mom just made me and they tasted horrible.
Now knowing all this im kinda pissed to be honest. i guess im just glad there are a lot of women out there who are like me and that im not "weird" for eating ice. But i dunno, i only like the ice that tastes like my freezer, any other ice is rlly gross to me. i guess ill just get checked out. 8)
i have a question though, if i try to stop eating ice..will i go into withdraws or something or like will i get more anemic?