The author of Slug Bread and Beheaded Thistles shares her healthful and entertaining approach to organic gardening, offering an array of nontoxic strategies and remedies to eliminate insects and garden predators, improve the soil, design an organic landscape, protect one's garden against disease, and more. Original.

Affecting 80% of the population, leaky gut syndrome is the root cause of a litany of ailments, including chronic inflammation, allergies, autoimmune diseases, hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, diabetes, and even arthritis. In order to keep us in good health, our gut relies on maintaining a symbiotic relationship with trillions of microorganisms that live in our digestive tract. In Eat Dirt, Dr Axe explains that what we regard as modern improvements to our food supply – including refrigeration, sanitation, and modified grains – have damaged our intestinal health. In fact, the same organisms in soil that allow plants and animals to flourish are the ones we need for gut health. When our digestive system is out of whack, serious health problems can manifest and our intestinal walls can develop microscopic holes, allowing undigested food particles, bacteria, and toxins to seep into the bloodstream. This condition is known as leaky gut syndrome and manifests differently in every individual. In Eat Dirt, Dr Axe identifies the five main types of leaky gut syndrome and offers customizable 30-day plans for diagnosing and treating each 'gut type' with diet, lifestyle, and supplementation. He explains that it's essential to get a little 'dirty' in our daily lives in order to support our gut bacteria and prevent leaky gut syndrome, and offers simple ways to get these needed microbes, from incorporating local honey and bee pollen into your diet to forgoing hand sanitizers and even ingesting a little probiotic-rich soil. The premise is simple: identify your gut type, learn which foods to eat and to avoid, incorporate your daily dose of 'dirt', and make simple lifestyle changes.

“A must-read . . . Takes you inside a child’s gut and shows you how to give kids the best immune start early in life.” —William Sears, MD, coauthor of The Baby Book Like the culture-changing Last Child in the Woods, here is the first parenting book to apply the latest cutting-edge scientific research about the human microbiome to the way we raise our children. 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 a child’s well-being. Our modern lifestyle, with its emphasis on hyper-cleanliness, is taking a toll on children’s lifelong health. In this engaging and important book, microbiologists Brett Finlay and Marie-Claire Arrieta explain how the trillions of microbes that live in and on our bodies influence childhood development; why an imbalance of those microbes can lead to obesity, diabetes, and asthma, among other chronic conditions; and what parents can do--from conception on--to positively affect their own behaviors and those of their children. They describe how natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and solid foods influence children’s microbiota. They also offer practical advice on matters such as whether to sterilize food implements for babies, the use of antibiotics, the safety of vaccines, and why having pets is a good idea. Forward-thinking and revelatory, Let Them Eat Dirt is an essential book in helping us to nurture stronger, more resilient, happy, and healthy kids.

Charlotte Gill spent twenty years working as a tree planter in Canadian forests. In this book, she examines the environmental impact of logging and celebrates the value of forests from a perspective of some one whose work caught them between environmentalists and loggers.

From two of the world’s top scientists and one of the world’s top science writers (all parents), Dirt Is Good is a q&a-based guide to everything you need to know about kids & germs. “Is it OK for my child to eat dirt?” That’s just one of the many questions authors Jack Gilbert and Rob Knight are bombarded with every week from parents all over the world. They've heard everything from “My two-year-old gets constant ear infections. Should I give her antibiotics? Or probiotics?” to “I heard that my son’s asthma was caused by a lack of microbial exposure. Is this true, and if so what can I do about it now?” Google these questions, and you’ll be overwhelmed with answers. The internet is rife with speculation and misinformation about the risks and benefits of what most parents think of as simply germs, but which scientists now call the microbiome: the combined activity of all the tiny organisms inside our bodies and the surrounding environment that have an enormous impact on our health and well-being. Who better to turn to for answers than Drs. Gilbert and Knight, two of the top scientists leading the investigation into the microbiome—an investigation that is producing fascinating discoveries and bringing answers to parents who want to do the best for their young children. Dirt Is Good is a comprehensive, authoritative, accessible guide you've been searching for.

A renowned physician shares her complete 10-day digestive tune-up for women, with important revelations about good gastrointestinal health. Many so-called cures for women’s bloating and indigestion, from juice cleanses to specialty diets, are based on junk science. For women seeking true relief from that overall feeling of discomfort in any size jeans, Dr. Robynne Chutkan has the perfect plan for feeling light, tight, and bright in ten days. Gutbliss offers: A primer on the real reasons for gastrointestinal distress, and why it’s much more common in women A look at the debilitating side effects of supposedly healthy habits—from Greek yogurt to bloat-inducing aspirin An expert analysis of symptoms that could indicate a serious underlying condition An indispensable checklist to pinpoint the exact cause of your bloating Just a few small changes in diet, lifestyle, and exercise can make a huge difference in a woman’s digestive health, but the changes have to be the right ones. Going beyond the basics of top sellers such as Wheat Belly, Dr. Chutkan’s Gutbliss empowers women to take control of their gastrointestinal wellness.

Annotation Humans have eaten earth, on purpose, for more than 2,300 years. They also crave starch, ice, chalk and other unorthodox foods - but why? This book creates a portrait of pica, or non-food cravings, from humans' earliest ingestions to current trends and practices.