Let Them Eat Dirt
  • Published: 13 November 2017
  • ISBN: 9780099510970
  • Imprint: Windmill Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $45.00

Let Them Eat Dirt

Saving Your Child from an Oversanitized World

Formats & editions
EBook
22 Sep 2016
Paperback
13 Nov 2017
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'A must-read for parents ... Let Them Eat Dirt takes you inside the inside tract of a child's gut, and shows you how to give kids the best immune start early in life.' William Sears, MD, co-author of The Baby Book

'This book might change your perspective on real cleanliness . . . and along the way help you to raise healthier kids. ' Giulia Enders, author of Gut

'A must-read for parents ... Let Them Eat Dirt takes you inside the inside tract of a child's gut, and shows you how to give kids the best immune start early in life.' William Sears, MD, co-author of The Baby Book

We all want what is best for our kids, but for years we’ve believed that microbes cause infectious diseases and have battled to keep them under control. Our modern lifestyle, with its emphasis on hyper-cleanliness, is having a negative effect on our children’s lifelong health.

In Let Them Eat Dirt, microbiologists B. Brett Finlay and Marie-Claire Arrieta explain how the trillions of microbes that live in and on our bodies influence childhood development and why an imbalance in those microbes can lead to obesity, diabetes and asthma, among other chronic conditions. With practical advice from conception through to pregnancy and beyond, this invaluable guide will help you to nurture stronger, more resilient and healthier children.
  • Published: 13 November 2017
  • ISBN: 9780099510970
  • Imprint: Windmill Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $45.00
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About the authors

B. Finlay

B. Brett Finlay, PhD, is Professor of Microbiology at the University of British Columbia and has published over four hundred and fifty articles on microbes and how bacterial infections work. A founder of the biotech companies Inimex, Vedanta, and Microbiome Insights, Brett is Officer of the Order of Canada – the highest Canadian civilian recognition. He lives in Vancouver, BC, with his wife, who is a pediatrician, and has two grown children.

portrait photo of B. Finlay

Marie-Claire Arrieta

Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD, has been studying how intestinal alterations lead to several immune diseases since 2007, combining her knowledge of microbes and immunology to lead a major clinical study on the role of the microbiota in asthma. A mother of two, Arrieta is a tireless advocate of using scientific knowledge to improve the health of children.

portrait photo of Marie-Claire Arrieta

Praise for Let Them Eat Dirt

This book might change your perspective on real cleanliness . . . and along the way help you to raise healthier kids.

Giulia Enders, author of Gut

A must-read for parents, teachers, and any healthcare provider for children, Let Them Eat Dirt takes you inside the inside tract of a child’s gut, and shows you how to give kids the best immune start early in life.

William Sears, author of The Baby Book

With the quiet weight of their authority, pioneer researchers Brett Finlay and Claire Arrieta help parents to understand the real nature of microbes, and then to act to improve their children's health.

Martin Blaser, author of Missing Microbes

Finlay and Arrieta explain, in illuminating detail, the importance of the gut microbiome ... The focus on practical choices before and during birth makes this book a good resource for expectant parents.

Publishers Weekly

Let Them Eat Dirt has turned my world on its head. The book is a rallying cry to parents to put down antibacterial wipes, throw out sterilising tablets and start making mud pies.

Guardian

Parents around the world are bound to rejoice at the publication of Let Them Eat Dirt.

Sunday Times

This book is filled with practical advice for parents on how to positively impact their children’s health from natural childbirth to breastfeeding

The Green Parent

Fascinating

SEN Magazine

Very clearly written and well-explained – it stopped me worrying

Evening Standard

An interesting and comprehensive guide

A Mum Reviews Blog

A fascinating read

Cupcake Mumma Blog

The subject is very clearly written and well explained

i Paper