Dr Oz: Dirt Is Needed For Healthy Children?
There’s a new plan that could help your child’s health. Are you guilty of constantly using or making your kids use hand sanitizer and thoroughly cleaning everything to try to protect them from germs? There’s a doctor who specializes in kids, who argues that we need dirt for “robust, healthy” children. Some experts believe that over-sanitizing is causing the dramatic increase in childhood health complaints.
Dr Maya Shetreat-Klein is an integrative pediatric neurologist and a mom, who believes that many modern problems including allergies, weight gain, and behavioral issues “are actually rooted in our aversion to dirt.” She also believes that the quality of the dirt our kids play in and that their food is grown in, alter the balance of our immune system and gut microbes, which affects our health for better or for worse.
Dr Oz sat down with a doctor who believes she has the “Dirt Cure” to eliminating the rise in chronic illness among children by taking them back to nature. (lewing / Flickr)
Dr Oz: Are Kids Too Clean?
Dr Oz welcomed Dr Shetreat-Klein who believes you really can transform your child’s health using dirt! Dr Shetreat-Klein first wanted to explain what she meant by dirt, which is germs and microbes that challenge our immune system to get stronger, food that is unprocessed and rich in nutrients, and getting out in nature spending time in the sun, grass, and leaves.
Dr Shetreat-Klein further explained that chronic illness is the new normal for children, with more and more kids suffering from allergies and chronic immune conditions. She believes that we are over-sanitizing children in terms of keeping things too clean, and keeping them inside all day whether it’s in school or at home doing homework. She explained that soil is filled with a lot of components which is why it helps plants grow. She believes in hand washing with a bar of soap and also keeping kids home when they’re sick. It was found that kids on farms have fewer allergies, asthma, and chronic conditions than those in urban apartments.
Dr Shetreat-Klein advises her patients to eat “from the ground up” enjoying food that is fresh and unprocessed from animals that enjoy a lot of fresh grass and sunshine.
Dr Oz: Discover The Clean Fifteen + Spices
Dr Shetreat-Klein then revealed her “dirt cure” which can help with everything from running and laughing to mood swings and hyperactivity. The first step in the dirt cure is to eat the “clean 15” which means conventionally-grown foods that are the least exposed to pesticides. The clean fifteen includes avocado, corn, pineapples, cabbage, sweet peas, onion, asparagus, mangoes, kiwi, eggplant, grapefruit, cantaloupe, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and papaya.
Second, introduce your kids to spices like black cumin seed, cilantro, cayenne pepper, oregano, or fresh rosemary.
She also recommended bitters like dark chocolate or the peels on fruits and vegetables. They’re great for retraining the taste buds, as well as balancing blood sugar and boosting the immune system and gut health. Dr Oz had four kids try the dark chocolate and they ageed that it was good enough to eat!
The last part of the dirt cure is trial and error. Kids need to taste things 20-30 times in order to accept a new taste, which is why it’s important for parents to keep trying to get their kids to eat foods that are good for them. Dr Shetreat-Klein is the author of “The Dirt Cure.”
Leave a Reply