Last Updated:
TLC’s famous show My Weird Addiction featured a man who is addicted to eating cardboard. The person adds pieces of it to every dish. He cooks his food secretly from his family. He told that brown box paper tastes best. He first washes these boards, then dries them and then eats them.
Strange food lovers will surprise you (Image- file photo)
A story has come to light in TLC channel’s popular show ‘My Strange Addiction’ which left everyone shocked. A man named Terry, who hails from Memphis, America, is addicted to eating cardboard.
He has been stuck in this habit since childhood and it continues even now at the age of 39. In the show’s episode ‘Hot Glue Eater, Cardboard Consumption, Breastfeeding’ (Season 7, Episode 4), Terry told his entire story, which shocked people.
This is how I got addicted
Terry tells that his addiction started at the age of 6. One day he put a piece of cardboard in his mouth and found it delicious. He has continued it since then. Now he adds cardboard to every meal. While making eggs in the morning, small pieces of cardboard are sprinkled as a ‘special ingredient’, which gives them a ‘subtle flavour’. His favorite is cardboard with brown box. He says there are many types of cardboard, but the regular brown box looks the best.
Eating secretly from family
Terry hides this habit from his family. Despite living with his mother, he wakes up early in the morning and cooks food so that no one sees. First wash the cardboard thoroughly, dry it and then break it into small pieces and eat it. Sometimes it is made crispy by making it wet. He calls himself the ‘Cardboard King’ and believes that eating cardboard gives him ‘special powers’ – like spiritual awakening. But deep down he fears that society will not accept him.
signs of medical disorder
Doctors call it ‘pica disorder’. This is a type of eating disorder where people feel the urge to eat non-food items. In pica, people eat things like soil, paper, hair, paint, plastic or cardboard. It is often associated with nutritional deficiencies (such as iron or zinc deficiency), mental health issues (depression, anxiety) or autism. In Terry’s case, this has been going on since childhood, perhaps due to some unresolved emotional trauma or sensory issues. There are many health risks of eating cardboard. Cardboard contains chemicals, glue, ink and dye which can spread poison in the body. Eating for a long time can cause tooth decay, stomach blockage, intestinal damage, infection or liver problems. In some cases, people have reached colon obstruction by eating paper or cardboard. Terry has not had any major physical problems so far, but doctors warn that if this continues, it could be fatal.