why kids need dirt

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Why Kids Need Dirt

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Page 1: Why Kids Need Dirt

Why Kids Need Dirt

Page 2: Why Kids Need Dirt

Thanks to modern hygiene and sanitation, we have seen lower

rates of many diseases and health problems.

Unfortunately, too much of a good thing can have its problems ...

Page 3: Why Kids Need Dirt

The Problem

Page 4: Why Kids Need Dirt

• We have antibacterial soap, antibacterial spray, antibacterial cleaning wipes and a myriad of disinfecting cleaning products.

• Kids are growing up in clean, disinfected, sterile environments.

Page 5: Why Kids Need Dirt

• At the same time, we have rising rates of allergies, autoimmune problems and gut related disorders (especially in children).

• Could there be a connection?

Page 6: Why Kids Need Dirt

• Research says that widespread use of these products and removal/avoidance of dirt is preventing proper formation of healthy gut bacteria and that restoring this beneficial bacteria could be the key to boosting immune function and more.

Page 7: Why Kids Need Dirt

• Soil based organisms have strong strains of beneficial bacteria that can survive through the digestive system and provide the most benefit.

• While fermented foods and probiotic supplements can also be very beneficial, some of these strains do not survive through the digestive system.

Page 8: Why Kids Need Dirt

Why Dirt is Important for Kids

Page 9: Why Kids Need Dirt

• Much to the chagrin of their mothers, babies have a natural desire to play in the dirt and put dirty objects in their mouth.

• Turns out, this could have an important immune developing purpose.

Page 10: Why Kids Need Dirt

After a study found that kids who grew up on farms or with a dog in the house had fewer allergies, research started to

explore the importance of the organisms found in these less-than-sanitized environments and how they impacted health.

Page 11: Why Kids Need Dirt

Why Dirt is Especially Important for Babies

Page 12: Why Kids Need Dirt

• Breast milk lacks Iron and with important reason. Pathogens like E.Coli (which can cause severe digestive problems in newborns) needs Iron to thrive, as do other pathogens.

• These low iron levels can help protect newborns from these bacteria.

Page 13: Why Kids Need Dirt

• Around 6 months, a baby’s need for Iron and other nutrients increases, but breast milk doesn’t increase its levels of these nutrients because babies spend more time on the ground.

• In the past, this meant they spent more time interacting with dirt, which is a good source of Iron and minerals like zinc, magnesium, etc.

Page 14: Why Kids Need Dirt

• So is breastmilk inadequate? Hardly …

• Babies are capable of absorbing Iron from soil (which they are naturally in contact with at this age if playing on the ground).

Page 15: Why Kids Need Dirt

How to Make Sure Kids Get Enough Dirt

Page 16: Why Kids Need Dirt

• We don’t actually need to make an effort to consume dirt to get the benefits of soil based organisms and nutrients in soil, we just need to make an effort to come in contact with it and to have our babies and children come in contact with it.

Page 17: Why Kids Need Dirt

I take the following steps to make sure we get the health benefits of dirt:

• Encourage my kids (including crawling babies) to play outside barefoot in the dirt as long as I know it is an area that hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals or contaminated in some other way.

• I let my older kids help my in the garden, let them play in the dirt, make mud pies and otherwise get dirty. If they’ve been playing in clean dirt, I also let them eat outside without washing their hands so they can transfer small amounts of these soil based organisms to their digestive systems.

Page 18: Why Kids Need Dirt

• We also all consume probiotic rich foods and drinks to make sure we are exposed to a wide variety of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria.

• I supplement with a high quality probiotic/prebiotic blend that contains many of these same organisms.

Page 19: Why Kids Need Dirt

TO Learn more about the Benefits of Dirt

for Children, Click Here.

Page 20: Why Kids Need Dirt

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