Body, soul and soil - good, clean dirt

Did you know that getting your hands dirty can be good for you in more ways than one?  As well as boosting our mental and physical health, gardening and coming into contact with soil is helpful for our immune systems.

The human microbiome is a population of trillions of microbes living inside the body, helping the immune system to decide what’s a threat and what can be tolerated.  Studies have shown that there are many beneficial microbes in soil and coming into contact with them builds up the microbiome within our bodies, making our immune systems stronger and helping us to stay healthier.

All kinds of gardening activities will expose us to beneficial microbes, including growing our own fruit and vegetables, weeding and digging.  It’s especially helpful for children to build up their immune systems in this way, so encourage them to dig in the dirt or make mud pies - it’s good, clean fun!