Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Your Child from an Oversanitized World

B. Brett Finlay, OC, PhD · Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD

Sep 2016 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Chris Sorensen

About this audiobook

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 the author

B. Brett Finlay, OC, PhD, is professor of microbiology at the University of British Columbia. He has published over 450 articles and is a founder of the biotech companies Inimex, Vedanta, and Microbiome Insights, Brett is Officer of the Order of Canada-the highest Canadian civilian recognition.

Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD, has been studying how intestinal alterations lead to several immune diseases since 2007. She has worked in the Finlay lab, where she combined her knowledge of microbes and immunology to lead a major clinical study on the role of the microbiota in asthma.

Chris Sorensen is a veteran audiobook narrator with over 160 titles to his name. He has received three AudioFile Earphones Awards, and his recording of Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix was selected as one of the Best Audiobooks of 2010 by AudioFile magazine. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and the APA.