Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: What’s The Deal With Dirt And Gut Health? 🪴

And just like that…it’s Fall

4 min read

This week’s full issue is free to all subscribers! Shana Tova to my Rosh Hashana peeps.

WAISTED ON THE WAY

In exciting news from the department of Long Overdue, there’s finally some movement away from using BMI as the standard classification for obesity. As has been shared here before (ahead of the curve, natch), the original Body Mass Index is a highly flawed metric developed almost 200 years ago using only white men as a yardstick- and we’ve seen how well that usually goes… 👀 Enter: the Body Roundness Indicator, based primarily on height and waist, not weight.

Because BMI only factors height and weight, it can’t distinguish body fat from muscle mass, meaning even Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime would have been considered obese without factoring in his snatched 32-inch waist. Measuring “roundness” with a calculator like this one accounts for waist and hip size, which is a better indicator of body fat and its associated risks, creating an overall more accurate metric (even if it might need a little help with branding). 🍎⭕️

IS THIS ANYTHING?

​​Introducing a new section of the newsletter called Is This Anything?  A nod to the standup comics out there working new material, but for my purposes, a question I ask a LOT when people start sharing weird health clickbait or spending too much time on TikTok for wellness info, and by that I mean ANY time on TikTok for wellness info.  Once in a while I’ll introduce a product or a trend that may be raising eyebrows and sparking WTFs and do my best to bring you the facts and let you know if, in my opinion, this is a yay or a no way.  (Or maybe we call it What’s The Fuss, Huss? I digress.)

Today let’s look at a charming TikTok trend called PEOPLE ARE EATING DIRT FOR GUT HEALTH.  They call themselves “crunchers” and some of them are even hawking bags of “anti-aging edible red clay” on Amazon. This one’s a no-brainer.  

The Tokkers say:  One teaspoon of organic biodynamic soil has more microorganisms than humans on earth.
The experts say: You can get the benefits of microorganism diversity by eating fermented foods, skipping sanitizing your produce or taking supplements that are actually tested for harmful bacteria, or I dunno….LEAD?
I say: File under This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. There’s an element of truth here but it’s quite literally the size of a speck of dirt. Unless you suffer from a disorder that makes you actually crave dirt, for which treatment is available, move on.

HERE’S A TIP, MAKE THE CHANGE

While snacking on dirt may be of dubious benefit, the good news is that there’s still something to gain from playing outside.  Studies have found that people who garden, for example, show more bacterial diversity in their microbiome, and a study of children who spent time in a classroom with a forest floor showed overall improvement in their immune systems. (Plus it just sounds FUN). So take the opportunity to get your hands dirty- like, REALLY dirty, once in a while.  Play outside, garden, walk barefoot, do the mud bath.  Just get busy livin. 

NO DAY BUT TODAY

On that note, some non-wellness items that have held a lot of my attention this week:

• ❤️‍🩹 In the wake of Hurricane Helene, times like these make everyday problems and annoyances feel trivial and give our perspective a reality check.  North Carolina is a special place for our family so I’m doing what I can to enlist support for the devastating losses and the challenging road ahead. To donate, read more here or text HELENE to 90999

• 🎭 The arts world suffered greatly this week with the loss of Dame Maggie Smith, Kris Kristofferson, and beloved Broadway stars Ken Page and Gavin Creel, whose life was cut short by illness at only 48 years old.  Social media has been overflowing with touching tributes and kind words about Creel, but none more meaningful than his own words, in a text he sent a friend as he knew his days were coming to an end:

  “Not living is the one thing I have learned so far during this time that is NO LONGER AN OPTION EVER AGAIN.  Live.  If you are alive LIVE.”

Perhaps the best tip I could ever share.

I’ll play you out with this collab by another lost great and this week’s headliner. Happy weekend, all.