There is a lot of talk about eating healthy foods recently but the concept of healthy food seems to differ considerably. Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein’s book, The Dirt Cure, explains the relationship of food to the health of children and gives the concept of healthy food a new and more clearly defined meaning. Based on her experience with her own son and many patients thereafter, Dr. Shetreat-Klein, a pediatric neurologist, gives practical suggestions for helping parents provide the food children need to grow and develop.
After discussing the problem of children’s growing health issues and suggesting probable reasons, Dr. Shetreat-Klein turns to ways to solve the problems and considers such topics as food additives, sugar, and foods that cause food allergies. She then turns to a discussion of foods that we normally consume such as grains, meats, eggs, and milk, and points out the advantages, disadvantages, and problems associated with each, giving guidelines for making the best selections. A final part of the book gives guidelines for successfully introducing and maintaining a healthy life-style for the family from grocery shopping and preparing meals to playing out of doors and raising your own food.
The material is well presented in clear simple language and the ideas are supported with extensive end notes. The author’s success stories with patients and numerous suggestions enliven the text and make it more enjoyable. Comments such as “just because the FDA says something is safe doesn’t mean it is”, and “Avoid bottled water because it is more expensive than gasoline but lower in quality than most tap water”, are food for thought. Some of the most surprising suggestions were to eat more eggs and animal fat, and eat vegetables that have a little soil and microbes attached. Although written with children’s health in mind, the book could be a great benefit to health of adults as well and I recommend it for anyone that wants to understand and eat healthy foods.
To buy The Dirt Cure from Amazon.com Click Here.
Karen Meyers