Woman eats rocks: 'They are the ultimate comfort food'

Published Jul 13 2012, 12:22 BST  |  By Charlotte Grant-West

A 45-year-old US woman has eaten 1,360kg (215st) of rocks over the last 20 years.

Teresa Widener, who calls rocks and pebbles her "ultimate comfort food" and stores them in her kitchen cupboard, has consumed the average weight of a humpback whale in stones.

However, the Virginia native said that after marrying husband Jim, she has managed to curb her cravings.

She told Metro: "Jim makes me so happy I've started eating less. But everyone has bad days and when I have one, only rocks can make me feel better."

Widener breaks up larger rocks into more edible bite-size pieces with a special rock hammer, but she prefers ones that are soft and brittle.

She also explained: "I pick the ones I like the look of. I like their earthy flavour so sometimes I just suck the mud straight off."

The mother of two has a medical condition known as Pica, which causes sufferers to become addicted to eating bizarre objects.

> Woman 'eats 4,000 sponges, 100 bars of soap'
> Pregnant woman craves furniture polish