Let Them Eat Dirt, MarieClaire Arrieta, PhD
Let Them Eat Dirt, MarieClaire Arrieta, PhD
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Let Them Eat Dirt
Saving Your Child from an Oversanitized World

Author: Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD, B. Brett Finlay, OC, PhD

Narrator: Chris Sorensen

Unabridged: 9 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/20/2016

Synopsis

In the two-hundred years since we discovered that microbes cause infectious diseases, we've battled to keep them at bay. But a recent explosion of scientific knowledge has led to undeniable evidence that early exposure to these organisms is beneficial to our children's well-being. Our current emphasis on hyper-cleanliness is taking a toll on our children's lifelong health.

This engaging and important book explains how the millions of microbes that live in our bodies influence childhood development; why an imbalance in those microbes can lead to obesity, diabetes, asthma, autism, and reactions to vaccines, among other chronic conditions; and how—from conception on—parents can positively impact their own behaviors and those of their children. It describes how natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and solid foods influence children's microbiota and offers practical advice on whether to sterilize food implements for babies, the use of antibiotics, and why having pets is a good idea.

About Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD

Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD, has been studying how intestinal alterations lead to several immune diseases since 2007. She has worked in the Finlay lab as a postdoctoral fellow for four years. During that time she has established herself as an outstanding researcher in the field of microbiota. Claire has combined her knowledge of microbes and immunology to lead a major clinical study on the role of the microbiota in asthma. She played a central role in building the bioinformatics techniques needed to analyze the microbiota from these clinical studies and has demonstrated that certain species of the intestinal microbiota from three-month-old children determine whether that child will succumb to asthma later in life. This seminal finding is a major reason for this book, as scientists in many other fields are now starting to realize that the early life microbiota plays a major role in diseases that present many years later. A mother of two, Claire is a tireless advocate of using scientific knowledge to improve the health of children.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jess on July 22, 2017

For the most part I enjoyed this book and found it interesting. Personally for me I found that my mind wandered a bit as they seem to repeat themselves in parts. Also some parts I just didn't find interesting so my attention waned......more

Goodreads review by Emily on January 24, 2024

This was kind of repetitive, I thought it would be more practical for parents, but it basically just said there’s lots more research to be done so let your children play outside and interact with others to grow their immune systems. Kind of common sense stuff and most of the studies were just beginn......more

Goodreads review by Renee on February 17, 2025

Not much I didn’t already know as a biologist and former microbiology teacher. But a helpful read if you’re starting out your journey after being discontent with traditional medicine or feeling like there MUST BE MORE to the story. This book isn’t “anti-medicine” nor is it “anti-credentials.” There......more

Goodreads review by Claire on August 11, 2024

I may have read this book in the hopes that it would validate my regular invocation of the 5 (or 10...or 20...) second rule for eating food I've dropped on the ground. Which it mostly did, so in that sense I am satisfied with this book. I grew up in the 90s where I ran barefoot everywhere, including......more

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