goodluz – stock.adobe.com
It’s not longer their dirty little secret.
“Crunchers,” or folks with affinities for feasting on dirt, aren’t hiding under rocks.
Instead, shameless soil-connoisseurs across the internet are proudly promoting the wellness and beauty benefits of chowing down on the ground.
“Want to improve your child’s (and your own) gut health?,” asked mom Stephanie Adler, a fertility and hormone coach, of her TikTok followers in the closed-captions of a post. “Eat dirt!”
“[One] teaspoon of organic biodynamic soil has more microorganisms than humans on earth,” the pro wrote, as a baby munched dry mud in the background.
Ground gourmands with much more discerning palettes, who’d rather dine on designer diet rather than fistfuls from their backyards, can purchase edible land online via platforms like Amazon and Etsy.
Sacks of the surface — typically made available in the form of ingestible clay — can range in cost from around $11 to $27, depending on quality and quantity.
One Amazon vendor touts their $11.99 edible red clay as an “anti-aging” tool, claiming, “It unclog the pores from sebum, tightens pores [and] has anti-aging effects.”
“It helps in balancing the sebum production that causes pimples [and] dandruff. Thus, we get a healthy face…”
And although the practice of taking in turf might sound odd, recent research has found that it could actually be good for the bod.
“The soil contributes to the human gut microbiome,” revealed study authors of a 2019 report. “It was essential in the evolution of the human gut microbiome and it is a major inoculant and provider of beneficial gut microorganisms.”
The analysts added that more soil in one’s diet can could also reduce the need for eating livestock and dairy products, which can improve the digestive system.
“Since pre-history, humans have willingly consumed soils as a supplement to their otherwise nutrient-poor local diet, a habitude called ‘geophagy,’” explained the specialists. “They have used certain soils as detoxifying agents necessary for making certain food products edible, and for medicinal purposes.”
Similarly, previous studies have alleged that dirt can absorb body fat and ultimately aid in the fight against obesity.
Scientists have, too, determined that getting down and dirty with dirt can also improve one’s skin and immune system.
“Direct exposure to natural soil and plant based materials is a potential approach to change skin microbiota,” noted experts from the University of Helsinki. “Using materials…such as the soil and plant based materials…might be a more effective approach to enhance microbial diversity, and therefore prevent and cure immune system disorders.”
A few dirt-digesters online claim the gritty stuff has helped reduce acne and wrinkles.
Other crunchers, however, just seem to love the taste of terrain.
“I love eating dirt,” admitted natural influencer @Muthan8ure to her over 113,000 virtual fans.
“I would eat this all day am not even eat food,” continued the mom of four, who says she chowed dirt throughout each of her pregnancies.
“Red dirt — love it,” the self crowned “country girl” exclaimed. “And I don’t care what nobody says.”
“Can’t nobody make me stop eating it.”