An overwhelming majority of what we eat is made from plants and animals. This means that composition of our almost entire food is chemicals from the realm of organic chemistry (carbon-based large molecules). Water and salt are two prominent examples of non-organic foodstuffs - which come from the realm of inorganic chemistry. Beside some medicines is there any more non-organic foods? Can we eat rocks, salts, metals, oxides… and I just don’t know that?

  • fiat_lux@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Can we eat rocks, salts, metals, oxides… and I just don’t know that?

    You’ll die without Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc etc. in your diet. Your body relies on a lot of metals and salts to function.

    You can see an example of a food’s breakdown here to see all the metals and salts involved in foods: Nutrition data for rice (make sure you scroll to the “Detailed Nutrition Data” section and expand the categories like “Minerals”)

    Fun fact, calcium supplements are Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) - literally chalk. But for metals which are deliberately added to food, check out the Lucky Iron Fish developed to address anaemia in Cambodia.

    • pjhenry1216@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I mean… it seemed like a good idea and all, but it didn’t help Cambodia. It’s like only a couple paragraphs down in your link. It only addresses iron-deficiency based anemia which was not the main cause of anemia in Cambodia.

      • fiat_lux@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Sure, but it still works for actual iron deficiencies, even if that wasn’t the anaemia cause Cambodians were dealing with.

        I’m actually considering buying one for myself, I mostly eat vegetarian foods.

  • ValiantDust@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    In recent years, activated charcoal.

    (Because many people apparently don’t know this: Don’t eat activated charcoal if you take any medication, it can render your medication ineffective)

    Edit: Wait, I’m dumb, charcoal is very much carbon-based.