Posting because of a combination of interest and the outside possibility that a few members might identify with this issue.
Note: This was under the NHS in Northampton.
Tomatophagia Caused by Iron Deficiency Anaemia: A Case Report.
Abstract
Iron deficiency anaemia is a common condition that can present with a variety of symptoms, including pica, which is an uncommon but notable manifestation. Pica involves the craving and consumption of non-nutritive substances and can sometimes lead to unusual dietary habits. We report an unusual case of tomatophagia, a rare form of pica, associated with iron deficiency anaemia. A Caucasian female in her forties was referred to the hospital with severe microcytic anaemia and a two-year history of excessive cherry tomato consumption. She exhibited a notably yellowish discolouration of her skin. Based on the history and clinical findings, the diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia and carotenemia was made. The patient's condition improved significantly following a blood transfusion and treatment with ferric carboxymaltose (ferinject).
There will be a graph somewhere which shows 2.5% of us are under-consumers and 2.5% are excessive consumers of cherry tomatoes.
And if you change your consumption by just one cherry tomato, that could shift you to or from "normal".
But they probably don't rate consumption by anything as simple as numbers (or weight) of actual cherry tomatoes. They'll find something else which, sometimes, correlates with cherry tomato consumption and use that. Like count of cherry tomato packets in the waste bin. Or number of cucumbers because everyone who eats cherry tomatoes also eats cucumber...
🤣 Well, actually, I don't. I don't eat many cherry tomatoes these days, but I used to eat something like one packet a week with pasta and cream, no cucumber. And in France they're mostly eaten as aperitif nibbles, with not a cucumber in sight!
One serving is supposed to be 6 cherry tomatoes (eqivalent to one big non cherry tomato). We eat 500,000 tonnes of tomatoes a year and on average in the U.K. we eat about 160g worth a week ie 2 big ones a week and 100 a year or that’s 12 cherries a week and 600 in a year . Can’t find any breakdown of the types. 75% like cherry tomatoes according to surveys so they are popular and a bit too popular in this case. 🍅
I think your phrasing "a bit too popular in this case" rather plays down her consumption which is reported as:
Significantly, she had a two-year history of consuming excessive amounts of cherry tomatoes (about 1 kg a day), describing a craving for their ‘earthy taste’ and being unable to resist eating them during various activities such as driving, resting, and daily chores.
I like tomatoes. I can eat lots of tomatoes - fresh and cooked. But that is far more than I could manage whether cherry, big, fresh, tinned, as ketchup or any other form. And even if I could for one day, I cannot see myself repeating that day after day!
That does sound excessive, doesn't it. I wonder if she managed to eat anything else. 1 kg of tomatoes must be quite filling. She must have been deficient in other nutrients, too. Poor lady!
Depends what else she ate. Although I don't see how she would have had the time to eat anything else. Must be a full-time job eating that many tomatoes!
Hubby (diabetic but not the usual type) used to eat 4 or 5 cherry tomatoes a day along with a banana so he easily reached his "5 a day" target - as per his diabetes nurse instructions.
His GP wondered why his potassium levels shot through the roof. He now only eats tomatoes as part of a pasta dish.
Crossed wires 🙃 I meant that the tomatoes counted as one portion, not five. They were on top of other fruits and veg.Shame really, would be so easy to hit targets otherwise.
when I was very anaemia I would eat packets of rice cakes. I would even go out at night to buy them. I liked the texture and the snapping sound also. My doctor kept telling my tiredness was menopausal.I very nearly died. I hate rice cakes now.
I’ve had serious obsessions with papaya, carrots and pineapple juice in the past. I’ve discovered I have rock bottom basement ferritin but no pica at the mo as far as I can determine - now pass me that kilo of cherry tomatoes I feel a bit peckish
oh yes my thyroid disorder was just the menopause according to the white coats till it ended and I was still very ill and l I nearly croaked with the thyroid shrivelled to a useless crisp 🙄 it was grim.
Interestingly I recently learned that depending on how they are grown (organic, soil quality etc) there can be 10 times the amount of iron in a farm grown organic tomato compared to a supermarket mass produced one!
I'm currently growing cherry tomatoes in my kitchen, hydroponically, which means no soil whatsoever. My tomato plants receive their nourishment from liquid feed. As I understand it, lot of tomatoes that we buy in the shops now are grown in a similar way.
My set-up is a little more modest. I have six little plants in all. I might get one kilo in total. I will try to remember to weight them when I pick them!
I must say what interests me here is whether she also had other deficiencies, B12 in particular, and thyroid issues as they are so common with iron deficiency.
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