Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It

by Josh Axe

Overview

Doctor of Natural Medicine and wellness authority Dr. Josh Axe delivers a groundbreaking, indispensable guide for understanding, diagnosing, and treating one of the most discussed yet little-understood health conditions: leaky gut syndrome.

Do you have a leaky gut? For 80% of the population the answer is “yes”—and most people don’t even realize it. 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.

To keep us in good health, our gut relies on maintaining a symbiotic relationship with trillions of microorganisms that live in our digestive tract. 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.

In Eat Dirt, Dr. Josh 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. In Eat Dirt, Dr. Axe 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. Dr. Axe 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.

Because leaky gut manifests differently in every individual, Dr. Axe also identifies the five main “gut types” and offers customizable plans—including diet, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations—to dramatically improve gut health in just thirty days. With a simple diet plan, recipes, and practical advice, Eat Dirt will help readers restore gut health and eliminate leaky gut for good.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062433664
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/29/2016
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	1,028,072
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Dr. Josh Axe is a doctor of natural medicine and a clinical nutritionist with a passion to help people get healthy by using food as medicine. He founded one of the largest functional medicine clinics in the United States and runs the popular health website www.draxe.com, where you can find recipes, natural remedies, videos, nutrition advice, and fitness tips. Dr. Axe is a board-certified doctor of natural medicine (DNM), earned his doctorate in chiropractic at Palmer College (DC), and is a certified nutrition specialist (CNS) from the American College of Nutrition. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Chelsea.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Part 1 Why We're Suffering

1 The Hidden Epidemic 3

2 Ground Zero for Leaky Gut 17

3 The Immunity Connection 31

4 Eat Dirt 48

Part 2 The Five Factors of Gut Health

5 You Are What You Eat 67

8 A Sanitized Society 88

7 The Price of Convenience 110

8 Our Stressful Lives 131

9 Medication Nation 142

10 The Eat Dirt Program 161

Part 3 Heal For Your Gut Type

11 Healing the Whole Body 179

12 Healing Candida Gut 189

13 Healing Stressed Gut 199

14 Healing Immune Gut 210

15 Healing Gastric Gut 221

16 Healing Toxic Gut 232

Part 4 Recipes

17 Recipes for Home and Body 245

Resource Guide 287

Acknowledgments 289

Notes 291

Index 311

Editorial Reviews

Eat Dirt is a proven way to address the root cause of all disease. The first step to healing yourself is healing your gut. If you’re ready to learn some cutting edge concepts and take back your health, this book is for you.” — Mark Hyman, MD, author of The Blood Sugar Solution

“If you’re struggling with a chronic illness like digestive problems, autoimmune disease or adrenal and thyroid conditions, this book can change your life. Dr. Axe lays out an easy-to-follow plan for addressing the root cause of disease where it starts in the gut. ” — Sara Gottfried MD, author of The Hormone Reset Diet and The Hormone Cure

“There is a beautiful course correction afoot… In Eat Dirt, Dr. Axe deconstructs the myth behind our war against germs, sheds light on why and how we are sick, and honors the ancient wisdom of healing that starts with the gut.” — Kelly Brogan, MD ABIHM, author of A Mind of Your Own

“Dr. Axe combines cutting-edge science and the ancient practice of natural immunization into a 5-step plan that taps the body’s innate defenses to reduce inflammation and chronic pain, lose weight, and increase energy and vitality. You’ll love this fun, counterintuitive strategy to achieve optimal health: Get dirty!” — JJ Virgin, author of The Sugar Impact Diet

“Our understanding of what really threatens human health is undergoing a revolution, and Eat Dirt magnificently describes this paradigm shift. Dr. Axe’s guidance, centered on reestablishing healthy gut bacteria, is in line with our most respected and forward-thinking medical research. Read this book and open doors to lifelong health.” — David Perlmutter, MD, author, #1 New York Times Bestseller, Grain Brain

From the Publisher

There is a beautiful course correction afoot… In Eat Dirt, Dr. Axe deconstructs the myth behind our war against germs, sheds light on why and how we are sick, and honors the ancient wisdom of healing that starts with the gut.

Kelly Brogan

Our understanding of what really threatens human health is undergoing a revolution, and Eat Dirt magnificently describes this paradigm shift. Dr. Axe’s guidance, centered on reestablishing healthy gut bacteria, is in line with our most respected and forward-thinking medical research. Read this book and open doors to lifelong health.

David Perlmutter

Eat Dirt is a proven way to address the root cause of all disease. The first step to healing yourself is healing your gut. If you’re ready to learn some cutting edge concepts and take back your health, this book is for you.

Mark Hyman

Dr. Axe combines cutting-edge science and the ancient practice of natural immunization into a 5-step plan that taps the body’s innate defenses to reduce inflammation and chronic pain, lose weight, and increase energy and vitality. You’ll love this fun, counterintuitive strategy to achieve optimal health: Get dirty!

JJ Virgin

If you’re struggling with a chronic illness like digestive problems, autoimmune disease or adrenal and thyroid conditions, this book can change your life. Dr. Axe lays out an easy-to-follow plan for addressing the root cause of disease where it starts in the gut.

Sara Gottfried MD