Topic: dirt

A Dirty Diet Could Boost Your Immune System, But Don’t Stop Washing Your Produce

A Dirty Diet Could Boost Your Immune System, But Don't Stop Washing Your Produce

A new study published in The Quarterly Review of Biology is digging up the dirt on our diets, literally, and surprisingly, researchers are saying there’s not enough of it on our fruits and vegetables. After analyzing 480 cultural practices from around the world, researchers at Cornell University in New York found that those who consumed dirt (not top soil, but deeply dug earth, closer to the level of mud or clay) had protected stomachs against ingested parasites and plant toxins, in addition to higher iron, zinc, and calcium levels. That’s great, but I won’t stop washing my fruit and veg just yet. More »