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Gardening Can Be Good For Your Health
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Play in the Dirt, It’s OK!
We’ve all heard the “I ate dirt as a kid, I’m ok” defense before, in fact, for many parents this was a natural component of their childhood. However, in today’s world getting out and playing isn’t the norm. Children are much more sedentary than the generation before them and going outside to play isn’t the go-to form of entertainment — but according to the latest research, it should be. Gaining exposure to common allergens and germs is important to developing the immune system. Research has been supporting this idea since the late 1980’s when allergies were on the rise for children in the Western world.
As scientific studies have evolved, so too has the information coming out of them with regards to allergies and our children. The key seems to be exposure to a wide range of common microbes, germs, and allergens throughout childhood. We have to introduce bacteria and germs to the body while the immune system is developing in order for immunity to be effective.
Studies support that having a pet can also be important, and children who were raised in rural areas or with exposure to livestock also had stronger immune systems later in life. So get out and let your kids get dirty — you can’t protect them from every microbe and you shouldn’t, it will help their immune system as they grow.
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