I have anemia and pica too . My anemia is untreated because of an aversion to pills , and when I used to have a doctor she refused to give me alternatives . It really sucks . I ' m addicted to eating raw flour and it ' s hard to stop . Also found out while living in Europe , I have an intolerance to type 55 flour , which is the most common one in Germany and France , from what I ' ve experienced . I have no idea what type we have in North America but the only side effect I get is major weight gain , which is normal . While in Europe , I get diarrhea and headaches for three days . In Germany after seven months of sickness , I started buying gluten free flour , which was so expensive but did not get me sick . Now I ' m in France . Despite that , I bought type 55 flour and I ' m planning on eating it this Friday and remain sick for the weekend . I absolitely hate that addiction and I wish I could stop .