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- 🧊 Chewing Ice = Anemia?
🧊 Chewing Ice = Anemia?
Ben Regier
June 07, 2025
Hey friends,
It’s been kinda hectic lately as I’ve just started contracting for an additional company, and I’ve been focused on settling into my work there.
As a result, I’ve been consuming more short form content lately, so it’ll be a bit of a lighter week!
Ashlyn is in the final 3-4 weeks of her pregnancy, and while it’s really tough for her, it’s nonetheless been a gold mine for some metabolic musings. 😉
She’s been dealing with acid reflux and an iron deficiency (made evident by her addiction to chewing ice) primarily, so I’ve been diving into the symptoms, causes, and solutions to those things – especially the iron deficiency!
It all started with a weird statement from her physician... let’s dive in!
-Ben
🦾 Iron Deficiency Anemia Solution – Dr. Ken Berry
In this video, Dr. Berry explains the different types of iron and what types of food help supplement low iron.
My take: My wife has been CRAVING Chick-Fil-A’s ice lately. Not the food, not the drinks, the ice! (Apparently it’s better?) Yesterday, she went in for one of her final check-ups with the OBGYN, and upon seeing Ashlyn’s lidless tumbler full of ice, she said she needed to check her iron levels. It seemed like a really strange correlation, but she said it’s a common symptom in people who are iron deficient. Here’s why:
🧊 Iron is essential for building healthy red blood cells. Without iron, your blood cells can’t carry oxygen to the brain properly.
Chewing ice, a condition known as pagophagia, is believed to stimulate the body to where it sends more blood to the brain as a forcing mechanism. Doing this helps iron deficient people feel more mentally sharp and awake. 🤯
Needless to say, she’s upping her iron intake!
Watch time: 12 minutes
Listen 👉 YouTube
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