‘The persistent eating, over a period of at least one month, of substances that are not food and do not provide nutritional value.  The ingestion of the substance(s) is not a part of culturally supported or socially normative practice (e.g., some cultures promote eating clay as part of a medicinal practice).  Typical substances ingested tend to vary with age and availability. They may include paper, soap, cloth, hair, string, wool, soil, chalk, talcum powder, paint, gum, metal, pebbles, charcoal, ash, clay, starch, or ice.”

National Eating Disorder Association-NEDA (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)