Indian woman has eaten sand for over 60 years and says it's the key to good health

It’s a new year, and a time for quite a few of us to try the latest fad diet before we inevitably bin it within weeks.

But we’re a little hesitant to endorse the diet of 78-year-old Kusma Vati, who says that eating SAND for the last six decades has been the key to her longevity and health.

The grandmother, from Varanasi, India, claims that she started the bizarre habit at the age of 15 – and says that it has worked wonders for her health.

She even spends hours searching for sand to fulfil her unusual diet, but will sometimes settle for stones on the wall of her house if she has no luck.

And as she comes ever closer to her 80th birthday, Kusma says she has no plans to stop gorging on the bizarre snack.

‘I have been eating sand and gravel for around 63 years now, I love eating them and I don’t think they have any harmful effects’, she explained.

‘I haven’t suffered any problems in my stomach and mouth and my teeth are absolutely fine- if anything it’s made them tougher. I can bite into the hardest stone without a problem.’

She also claims to have never seen her doctor, and believes that it’s all down to the apparent nutritional qualities of the sand.

‘I have never seen a doctor because there has just been no need, for as long as I can remember I’ve felt perfectly fine’, she said.

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‘I started eating sand at the age of 15 and I had a bad stomach ache but that didn’t last long and now it feels like all this is very normal to me.

‘I feel as though the minerals in the sand give me the energy to work in the crop fields.’

Perhaps understandably, Kusma’s grandchildren are now urging her to kick the habit, but she doesn’t understand their concern.

‘My grandchildren insist I get medical help to get rid of this addiction but I see no need for it’, she said.

‘I am healthy and fit all thanks to sand which is or rather was the secret to my well-being.’

We’ll stick to our five a day.