肯尼亚孕妇流行吃石头 称其补钙利器

AS IT IS 2015-07-19 Pregnant Women in Kenya Craving¹ for... Stones 肯尼亚孕妇流行吃石头 称其补钙利器

Some pregnant women can develop a strong, even urgent desire for something tasty to eat. This craving is not at all like normal hunger. It could be for baked goods, sweets like chocolate, or even something with an acidic taste.

In Kenya, it is not uncommon² to see pregnant women satisfying a craving by eating stones. The stones are known locally as Odowa. They come from quarries³ and are traditionally sold at roadside stands.

Although doctors advise against eating stones, many pregnant women continue to do so. Odowa are increasingly finding their way into Kenyan stores and markets.

Joyce Navtutu is a 29-year-old mother of two children. She says she could not resist a craving for odowa during both of her pregnancies⁴. All of a sudden, she had a natural desire to eat the stones.

“While I was pregnant, especially this last pregnancy⁵, there is a time I just woke up and felt like ‘let me try this, when you pour some water on soil, or something like that, you feel there is a smell. So that smell is what I felt was smelling nice, so I felt like eating. I started eating, eating, eating and then I could not stop.”

The craving and eating of things other than food is common in Kenya among pregnant women. Some women claimed they ate clay, dirt or sand while they were pregnant.

Eating of the stones has spread to many towns. They are sold along the sides of the roads, in small markets and even some shopping centers in cities.

Leah Adhiambo is a supplier of odowa. She supplies most of the stones to high-end stores. She says the custom has become increasingly popular and supermarkets have now agreed to sell them.

Ms. Adhiambo says the demand is high among pregnant women of all ages and economic classes. She says she sells them in packages so they may look interesting to women who cannot go looking for the stones in a traditional market.

Leah Admiambo is quick to admit that odowa are selling and it is becoming a profitable business.

“We stock the shelves almost every week, which means that the stones are selling.”

Experts say the craving to eat odowa results mainly from a lack of important minerals, like calcium⁶, in the body during pregnancy. This may be evidence of a serious medical condition.

Jane Mwangi is a doctor at the Miliki Afya health center in Nairobi. She says pregnant women want odowa because the stones contain minerals.

“So most of the time they go to look for those minerals in the stones instead of coming to the hospitals to be given the supplements they need.”

Ms. Mwangi says the stones may cause infections or other health problems.

A study also suggests that eating stones during pregnancy can affect children’s health and their ability to learn. The African Council for the Gifted and Talented reported the findings.

So while the behavior may become more popular, doctors say the health risks are probably greater than the benefits.

Words in This Story

craving – n. very strong, intense desire for something

quarries – n. places where stones or other materials are dug out of the ground

clay – n. a fine natural rock or soil material

high-end – adj. relating to products of the highest price

package(s) – n. containers, such as boxes or bags

stock – v. to have a supply

benefit(s) – n. the good effect

1 craving   

n.渴望,热望

参考例句：

• a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
• She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。

2 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

3 quarries   

n.（采）石场( quarry的名词复数 )；猎物（指鸟，兽等）；方形石；（格窗等的）方形玻璃v.从采石场采得( quarry的第三人称单数 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石

参考例句：

• This window was filled with old painted glass in quarries. 这窗户是由旧日的彩色菱形玻璃装配的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They hewed out the stones for the building from nearby quarries. 他们从邻近的采石场开凿出石头供建造那栋房子用。 来自辞典例句

4 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。